BBB Wise Giving Report for
National Space Society

BBB Wise Giving Report issued January 2011
BBB Wise Giving Report expires January 2013


This BBB Accredited charity meets all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: National Space Society
Address: 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 500
  Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-429-1600
Web Address: www.nss.org
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1974, District of Columbia
Affiliates: The Canadian Space Society (CSS), The Moon Society, Mars Foundation, United Societies in Space, Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, and 58 chapters
Stated Purpose: "to promote social, economic, technological, and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth; to settle space; and to use the resulting resources to build a hopeful and prosperous future for humanity."

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

National Space Society (NSS) meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

NSS’s principal program service activities include publication of a quarterly magazine, “Ad Astra,” and a monthly electronic newsletter, “Downlink,” and maintaining the organization’s website. NSS runs a Political Action Network (PAC) for stimulating response to issues related to the goals of NSS, and orchestrates legislative blitzes on Capitol Hill. The organization also produces the annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC), and co-sponsors the ongoing series of Space Investment Summits (SIS). NSS manages projects to provide for further engagement of their membership including their Space Ambassadors program and their Kalam-NSS Energy Initiative.

For the year ended December 31, 2009, NSS's program expenses were:

  
Education and communication 544,290
Policy and research 201,695
Total Program Expenses: $745,985
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Brett Silcox, Associate Executive Director
Compensation*:
 $60,000

Chair of the Board: Kirby Ikin
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Space Industry Management Consultant

Board Size: 32

Paid Staff Size: 1

*2009 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

               

Method(s) Used:

Direct mail, print advertisements, grant proposals, Internet appeals, planned giving, cause-related marketing, and membership appeals.
Fund raising costs were 2% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $688,436, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
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Tax Status

               

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
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Financial

               

The following information is based on NSS's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Source of Funds  
Membership 416,803
Contributions and grants 271,633
Conferences 107,145
Other 16,864
Publications 7,935
List rental, advertising, and royalties 7,174
Investment income 4,698
Total Income $832,252


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Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 88%  Fund Raising: 2%  Administrative: 10% 

Total income   $832,252
  Program expenses $745,985
  Fund raising expenses 14,688
  Administrative expenses 81,194
 
Total expenses   $841,867
Expenses in Excess of Income   (9,615)
Beginning net assets   226,694
Ending net assets   217,079
Total liabilities   72,869
Total assets   $289,948


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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

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