The Woodstock Agricultural Society

The information for Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc is as of the organization's most recent filing in December 2020. This organization is located in Woodstock, CT. It has been in existence for 35 years, following its founding in 1985.

Organization Classification

The IRS classifies organizations according to the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) system. The NTEE system helps the IRS assign a 3-character code to each organization to describe the organization's activities.

The Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc's NTEE code is N52. The "N" tells us that the organization is classified along with Recreation & Sports. The "52" tells us that the organization is a Fairs organization. The NTEE describes Fairs organizations as those that sponsor, organize and promote fairs and festivals, including collectible/antique fairs, county and state fairs, street fairs, festivals, parades, and other similar activities during religious and patriotic holidays and other special occasions.

Every organization is also governed by a specific section of the Internal Revenue Code. The most common type is a 501(c)(3) organization. However, there are actually 29 different types of organizations that are identified by the Internal Revenue Code. This organization happens to be a 501(c)(3) organization. The IRS describes these organizations as those engaged in Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Public Safety, Amateur Sports, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals work.

Perhaps the most accurate way to get a sense of what the organization hopes to achieve is by looking at its mission. The mission of the Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc is to educate and promote agriculture to the community by holding exhibitions and demonstrations of farm animals, home baked goods, sewing, canning, flowers and vegetables.

Program Areas

The Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc. was founded in 1859 to support and promote the local agricultural industry, rural heritage, and home arts. This tradition is upheld each year with a four-day agricultural country fair held on Labor Day weekend. The fairgrounds are filled with livestock, produce, photography, fine arts, crafts, classic trucks, tractors, and more. Attracting over 152,000 fairgoers in 2018, it is one of the largest fairs in New England, and the sheep show is the second largest in the region. The Society is dedicated to working with the local community, offering ten scholarships to local students and hosting the annual "Celebrating Agriculture" event. The fairgrounds are also used in the off season to host fundraising events and horse shows.

Organization Staffing

Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc is run by Patricia Kelly, who is the President. The organization has 11 employees, none of whom are paid more than $100k per year (according to the organization's most recent 990 tax filing). Supporting the paid staff are more than 50 volunteers.

Board Governance

The Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc is well-governed with 27 voting members and 27 independent members. The organization has taken the necessary steps to ensure that potential conflicts of interest are addressed and has a conflict of interest policy in place. Board and committee meetings are documented, and the organization has a written whistleblower policy. However, the organization does not have a document retention policy, substantiate and review leadership or officer salaries, or provide copies of the 990 to the board prior to filing. Despite these shortcomings, the Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc has taken the necessary steps to ensure that it is well-governed and that potential conflicts of interest are addressed.

Organization Growth

Over the five-year period from 2015 to 2020, the Woodstock Agricultural Society Inc saw declines in contributions and grants received, program service revenue, other revenue, total revenue, grants paid, employee salaries, total expenses, total employees, and total volunteers. This indicates that the nonprofit organization has not grown over this time period.