irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2023
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $0PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: ABA OFFERS MEMBERS FOR A MONTHLY FEE AN E-COMMERCE PLATFORM AND THE TOOLS NECESSARY FOR THEM TO CREATE FULLY TRANSACTIONAL E- COMMERCE WEBSITES. ALL ABA MEMBERS' BOOKSTORES CAN OFFER THEIR CUSTOMERS A RANGE OF READING DEVICES AND/OR DIGITAL TITLES AND AUDIOBOOK TITLES. ABA COMPILES AND DISTRIBUTES TO MEMBERS A MONTHLY LIST, IN HARDCOPY FOR DISTRIBUTION IN-STORE AND VIA EMAIL TO STORES' CUSTOMERS, OF INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER RECOMMENDATIONS, TO BE USED AS A SALES TOOL. ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, ABA FACILITATES INDIES FIRST, BRINGING TOGETHER AUTHORS, READERS, AND PUBLISHERS AT EVENTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLERS. ABA COORDINATES SPECIAL HOLIDAY PURCHASING PROGRAMS FOR MEMBER STORES. ABA ALSO OFFERS MEMBERS A COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE OF PUBLISHERS' BUSINESS TERMS THAT IS REGULARLY UPDATED. ABA OFFERS DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED PRICES ON SHIPPING, PAPER ITEMS, CREDIT CARD PROCESSING, AND OTHER AFFINITY PARTNER PRODUCTS.
named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Bookseller Recommendations List
Monthly curated list of independent bookseller recommendations distributed in print and by email for use as a sales tool
Holiday Purchasing Programs
Facilitates special holiday purchasing initiatives for member bookstores to boost seasonal sales
Indies First
Coordinates events on Small Business Saturday featuring authors, readers, and publishers to support independent bookstores
Publisher Business Terms Database
Comprehensive, regularly updated database of publisher business terms available to member bookstores
e-Commerce Platform
Provides member bookstores with tools to create fully transactional e-commerce websites and sell digital titles and reading devices
activities · 9 groups
What they do
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Free Expression Defense & Advocacy 1 activity
- Advocacy for Independent BooksellersAdvocates at the national and state levels on policy issues including publisher trade terms, sales tax fairness, minimum wage, access to capital, and consumer awareness of shopping locally. Organizes Banned Books Week and provides advocacy toolkits such as AdvoKit to support bookseller engagement with lawmakers.
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Community Festival & Event Production 1 activity
- Coordination of National Bookstore CelebrationsCoordinates Indies First on Small Business Saturday and Independent Bookstore Day, annual nationwide events that celebrate and promote independent bookstores through in-store events, author appearances, and community engagement.
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Workplace and Affiliate Giving Programs 1 activity
- Funding and Donations to External OrganizationsMakes donations to the American Indian College Fund in connection with virtual events.
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Member-Exclusive Resource Access 1 activity
- Membership and Resource Support for Independent BookstoresOffers membership to independent bookstores in the U.S., Canada, and internationally, providing access to operational tools, business partnerships, e-commerce platforms, and a comprehensive database of publisher trade terms. Also maintains the Bookstore Resource Library with customizable forms, checklists, and toolkits to support day-to-day operations.
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Professional Networking Events 1 activity
- Networking and Community-Building EventsOrganizes annual and recurring events including the Winter Institute, Children’s Institute, virtual ShopTalks, and community forums to foster peer connection, collaboration, and shared problem-solving among independent booksellers.
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Professional Certification and Continuing Education 1 activity
- Professional Development and Educational ProgrammingProduces educational webinars, workshops, and certification programs including the Professional Booksellers School, training on DEI implementation, de-escalation, banned book preparedness, and specialized sessions for children’s booksellers. Offers ongoing learning through BookED podcast and orientation for new members on using Bookweb.org.
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Literary and Cultural Publishing 1 activity
- Promotional and Marketing Support for MembersCreates national marketing campaigns, monthly promotional calendars, and customizable templates for member use. Selects and promotes debut books through the Indies Introduce program and the Indie Next List, and compiles monthly recommendations for booksellers to use as sales tools.
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Organizational DEI Capacity Building 1 activity
- Support for Inclusive and Equitable Bookselling PracticesOperates affinity groups for Black, BIPOC, Hispanic/Latina/o/x/Chicana/o/x, AAPI, Indigenous, LGBTQIA2S+, Disability, and Neurodiverse bookseller members to support networking and resource sharing. Requires at least 40% of speakers and panelists at ABA events to represent marginalized communities.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Research and Benchmarking for BooksellersProduces the annual ABACUS Financial Benchmarking Report, a free resource that provides independent bookstores with comparative financial data on profitability, productivity, and financial management.
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financials · form 990 · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$5.12M
Contributions & grants$65K1%
Program service revenue$3.86M75%
Investment income$736K14%
Other revenue$464K
expenses
Total expenses$5.96M
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$3.20M
Grants paid out$126K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$39.63M
Cash$507K
Investments$38.89M
Liabilities$3.78M
Net assets$35.85M
Liquid reserves79.4 mo
4 years on record · 2019–2023 · YoY revenue -0.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2023
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALLISON HILL | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $457K |
| JOY DALLANEGRA-SANGER | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 40 | $268K |
| PK SINDWANI | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 40 | $228K |
| RAY DANIELS | CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER | 40 | $161K |
| JILL S PERLSTEIN | MEETINGS & PLANNING OFFICER | 40 | $143K |
| PHILLIP DAVIES | DIRECTOR OF INDIECOMMERCE | 40 | $132K |
| GEETHA NATHAN | INDIECOMMERCE SENIOR MANAGER | 40 | $130K |
board members · 14
- CHRISTINA PASCUCCI-CIAMPA — BOARD MEMBER
- CYNTHIA COMPTON — CO-VICE PRESIDENT/SECRETARY
- DANNY CAINE — BOARD MEMBER
- DIANE CAPRIOLA — BOARD MEMBER
- HOLLY WEINKAUF — BOARD MEMBER
- JAKE CUMSKY-WHITLOCK — BOARD MEMBER
- JEFF DEUTSCH — BOARD MEMBER
- JENNY COHEN — CO-VICE PRESIDENT
- JESSICA STOCKTON BAGNULO — BOARD MEMBER
- KATHY BURNETTE — BOARD MEMBER
- KELLY ESTEP — BOARD MEMBER
- LISA SWAYZE — BOARD MEMBER
- RAQUEL ROQUE — BOARD MEMBER
- TEGAN TIGANI — PRESIDENT
relationships · 21
Who they work with
- American Indian College Fund Partner — Receives donations from ABA in connection with virtual events as part of land acknowledgement and community support practices.
- An Unlikely Story Partner — Independent bookstore whose staff participated in selecting titles for the Indies Introduce program.
- Bookshop.org Partner — Provides Bookshop affiliate rates and access to the Bookshop pool for eligible ABA members.
- California Independent Booksellers Association (CALIBA) Partner — Collaborates with CALIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Friends of Library Stores Partner — Includes Friends of Library Stores as adjacent members within its membership structure.
- Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) Partner — Collaborates with GLIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- GuideStar Network — Shares previous years' Form 990 documents via the GuideStar website.
- Indies First Partner — Collaborates on organizing events during Small Business Saturday to support independent booksellers.
- Ingram Content Group Partner — Collaborates on educational sessions about ipage platform and title discoverability for booksellers.
- It's Time for Young Teen Lit Partner — Partners with advocates of the #YoungTeenLit movement to support booksellers in serving readers aged 12–15.
- Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) Partner — Collaborates with MIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA) Partner — Collaborates with MPIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Museum shops Partner — Includes museum shops as adjacent members within its membership structure.
- New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Partner — Collaborates with NAIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- New England Independent Booksellers Association (NEIBA) Partner — Collaborates with NEIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) Partner — Collaborates with PNBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Professional Booksellers School Partner — Co-presents training on measuring event ROI and using data to inform bookseller event strategy.
- Professional Booksellers School Partner — Sponsor of the Professional Booksellers School, which provides certification training for retail bookselling.
- Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA) Partner — Collaborates with SIBA on regional trade events and programming.
- Zoom Partner — Uses Zoom as the platform for hosting its Annual Meeting and Community Forum.
- independent bookstores Network — Independent bookstores are members of the American Booksellers Association and benefit from its support and resources.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Centered Bookselling Modelmethodology: community_centered_booksellingBy positioning independent bookstores as community anchors that prioritize human curation and local engagement, the organization increases public support and market differentiation because community-centered practices generate stronger reader loyalty and cultural impact than algorithm-driven retail.
- Grassroots Advocacy Infrastructuremethodology: grassroots_advocacyBy equipping booksellers with localized, ready-to-use advocacy tools and member-led DEI governance, the organization amplifies sector-wide policy influence because decentralized, values-aligned action increases scalability and legitimacy of advocacy efforts.
- Peer-Powered Capacity Buildingmethodology: peer_powered_learningBy fostering peer learning networks and member-driven governance, the organization strengthens independent bookstores' operational resilience and community relevance because shared experience and collective leadership produce more sustainable and responsive bookselling practices.