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FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY TOURISM MARKETING ASSOCIATION INC
CORNING, NY · EIN 753090966 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE S41 · Community Improvement · Small ($100K-$1M) · fingerlakeswinecountry.com
revenue
$787K
expenses
$776K
net assets
$254K
employees
2
mission · from form 990

THE MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION IS TO ESTABLISH FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY AS THE TOP-OF-MIND BRAND WITH A VISION THAT THE POTENTIAL VISITOR WILL HAVE A CLEAR IMAGE OF FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY, WHAT IT OFFERS, AND HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS EXPERIENCES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Marketing association promoting tourism in the Finger Lakes region of New York, focusing on wine, outdoor recreation, and cultural experiences. Works to position the region as a top destination through integrated campaigns across digital, social, and traditional media. Serves a five-county area with a unified regional brand.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    THE BRAND'S SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS SAW CONTINUED GROWTH IN 2024. THE FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY FACEBOOK AUDIENCE INCREASED .05% TO 79.8K LIKES; INSTAGRAM SAW THE LARGEST GROWTH FOR THE BRAND IN 2024, WITH A 7.7% INCREASE TO 20.9K FOLLOWERS. FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY CONTINUED TO BUILD ITS FOLLOWING ON TIKTOK IN 2024 AND IN ITS SECOND FULL CALENDAR YEAR ON THE DIGITAL PLATFORM, THE BRAND HAD OVER 814K VIEWS OF THEIR TIKTOK CONTENT AND GAINED 670 FOLLOWERS IN 2024 ALONE.
  2. #2 $0
    THE ORGANIZATION ADMINISTERED A TARGETED MEDIA BUY TO BUILD AWARENESS OF THE FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY BRAND IN 2024. THE CAMPAIGN RAN APRIL THROUGH AUGUST IN THE TARGET MARKETS OF PHILADELPHIA, HARRISBURG, AND BUFFALO. THE GOAL OF THE CAMPAIGN WAS TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO THE FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY WEBSITE (WWW.FINGERLAKESWINECOUNTRY.COM). CUMULATIVE ACROSS ALL CHANNELS, THE CAMPAIGN GENERATED 22.9 MILLION IMPRESSIONS AND 165,835 TOTAL ENGAGEMENTS. WEBSITE TRAFFIC IN 2024 WAS 353,460 TOTAL SESSIONS, ON PAR WITH 2023. THE ORGANIZATION ADDED 424 OPT-IN SUBSCRIBERS TO THEIR CONSUMER EMAIL DATABASE. OF ALL THE EMAIL CAMPAIGNS SENT, THE AVERAGE OPEN RATE WAS 30.4%, WITH A 4% CLICK THROUGH RATE.
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Regional Branding and Marketing
Executes an integrated marketing program including website, email, print, online magazines, and influencer relations to promote the region as a unified destination
Social Media Growth Campaign
Manages and grows the Finger Lakes Wine Country brand presence on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to increase engagement and visibility among potential visitors
Targeted Media Buy Campaign
Runs paid media campaigns in markets like Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Buffalo to drive traffic to the Finger Lakes Wine Country website and grow the consumer email list
activities · 10 groups

What they do

  • Regional Tourism Promotion 4 activities
    • Promotion of arts and culture tourism
      Supports and promotes arts and culture tourism in the Finger Lakes region, including visual arts, performing arts, music festivals, and cultural heritage sites.
    • Promotion of local food experiences
      Facilitates and promotes local food experiences, including farm-to-table dining and culinary events, as part of regional tourism programming.
    • Promotion of shopping experiences
      Facilitates and promotes shopping experiences in small towns featuring local boutiques, artisan goods, vintage stores, and specialty retail as part of regional tourism offerings.
    • Tourism promotion across the Finger Lakes region
      Provides comprehensive tourism promotion across 5 counties, 3 wine trails, and 3,065 square miles in the Finger Lakes region of New York, including coordinated marketing through digital platforms, media campaigns, and regional outreach.
  • Wine Industry Promotion & Education 2 activities
    • Event organization and promotion
      Organizes and promotes the annual Finger Lakes Wine Festival and other regional events celebrating wine, arts, and music, including themed wine and food pairing events such as chocolate, cheese, herbs, barbeque, harvest, and holiday events.
    • Wine trail passport and ticketing programs
      Offers passport programs through each of the three wine trails and provides weekend-long event tickets during wine trail events to enhance visitor access and engagement.
  • Digital Communications and Content Management 2 activities
    • Integrated marketing and media campaigns
      Implements integrated marketing programs including paid media, social media, influencer relations, press trips, and print/online magazines; conducted targeted media campaigns in 2022 and 2024 across Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Buffalo, generating millions of impressions and tens of thousands of engagements.
    • Social media management
      Manages social media channels with active growth in followers and content views across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as part of regional tourism promotion efforts.
  • Visitor Information and Trip Planning Services 2 activities
    • Operation of digital visitor planning tools
      Operates an interactive adventure-finder tool and produces comprehensive travel guides, curated itineraries, local recipes, travel tips, and regional stories to support trip planning for visitors to the Finger Lakes region.
    • Promotion of lodging options
      Provides information and promotes diverse lodging options including bed and breakfasts, cabins, resorts, and motels to support visitor stays in the Finger Lakes region.
  • Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
    • Email newsletter distribution
      Produces and distributes a monthly email newsletter to over 50,000 subscribers, sharing information about events, attractions, and experiences in Finger Lakes Wine Country.
  • Annual Financial and Activity Reporting 1 activity
    • Production of annual report
      Produces an annual report each year that details the organization's program of work, acknowledges investors and the Board of Directors, and includes audited financial statements.
  • Outdoor Recreation Access Promotion 1 activity
    • Promotion of outdoor recreation opportunities
      Provides access to and promotes hundreds of outdoor adventure opportunities across state and local parks in the Finger Lakes region, including hiking, biking, boating, and scenic driving routes.
  • Driver Training and Motorsports Education 1 activity
    • Promotion of sports and entertainment events
      Provides access to and promotes sports and entertainment events in the Finger Lakes region, including motorsports events at Watkins Glen International.
  • Craft Beverage Tourism Trails 1 activity
    • Promotion of wine and craft beverage experiences
      Facilitates and promotes wine and craft beverage tasting experiences throughout the Finger Lakes region as a core component of regional tourism offerings.
  • Website Accessibility Implementation 1 activity
    • Website accessibility compliance
      Works to achieve and maintain Level AA conformance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), including regular monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance and usability for all visitors.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$787K
Contributions & grants$773K98%
Program service revenue$13K2%
Investment income$710%
Other revenue$1K
expenses
Total expenses$776K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$245K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$376K
Cash$327K
Investments$0
Liabilities$121K
Net assets$254K
Liquid reserves5.0 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue -4.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
LAURY ELLEN WARD PRESIDENT 40 $129K
board members · 20
  • BRIELLE WOODS — DIRECTOR
  • BRITTANY WOODBURN — DIRECTOR
  • DAWN BURLEW — DIRECTOR
  • ELAINE SMITH — DIRECTOR
  • ELIZABETH DUANE — DIRECTOR
  • JAMES JOHNSON — DIRECTOR
  • JENNIFER HERRICK-MCGONIGAL — DIRECTOR
  • JESSICA BACHER — SECRETARY
  • JORDAN HARRIS — DIRECTOR
  • KEVIN PETERSON — DIRECTOR
  • LISA GILL — TREASURER
  • MEGHAN NULTY — EX-OFFICIO/NON-VOTING
  • MICHAEL LIPARI — DIRECTOR
  • MILLICENT RUFFIN — DIRECTOR
  • NIGAR HALE — VICE CHAIR
  • REBECCA MAFFEI — DIRECTOR
  • RICK PIROZZOLO — CHAIR
  • SHAWN ROSNO — DIRECTOR
  • SUSAN HAYES — DIRECTOR
  • TOM TRANTER — IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
relationships · 25

Who they work with

  • Accelerate Media Partner — Website design and coding partner for Finger Lakes Wine Country.
  • Arnot Art Museum Partner — Board member organization represented by Past Chair Rick Pirozzolo.
  • Belva Lockwood Inn Partner — Board member organization represented by Brie Woods.
  • Cayuga Lake Wine Trail Partner — Collaborates with the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail to promote wine tourism in the region.
  • Chemung County Chamber of Commerce Partner — Board member organization represented by Jennifer Herrick-McGonigal.
  • Corning Inc. Partner — Board member organization represented by Vice-Chair Millicent Ruffin and Treasurer Tom Tranter.
  • Corning Museum of Glass Partner — Board member organization represented by Beth Duane.
  • Finger Lakes Economic Development Center Partner — Board member organization represented by Michael Lipari.
  • Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance Network — Ex-officio board member organization represented by Meghan Lawton.
  • Finger Lakes Wine Country Network — Member organization promoting regional tourism through collaborative branding.
  • Finger Lakes Wine Trails Partner — Collaborates with wine trails to promote regional wine tourism across the Finger Lakes.
  • Point of the Bluff Vineyards Partner — Board member organization represented by Jordan Harris.
  • Schuyler County Partner — Board member organization represented by Shawn Rosno.
  • State of New York Government — Manages state forests and parks featured in Finger Lakes Wine Country's tourism promotion.
  • Steuben County CVB Partner — Board member organization represented by Kevin Peterson.
  • Steuben County IDA Partner — Board member organization represented by Jamie Johnson.
  • Tanglewood Nature Center & Museum Partner — Board member organization represented by Elaine Smith.
  • The Rockwell Museum Partner — Board member organization represented by Chair Lisa Gill.
  • Three distinct wine trails Network — Operates as part of the Finger Lakes Wine Country network, each managing its own events and passport programs.
  • Tioga County Partner — Board member organization represented by Brittany Woodburn.
  • Tioga County Tourism Partner — Board member organization represented by Rebecca Maffei.
  • Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce Partner — Board member organization represented by Nigar Hale.
  • Watkins Glen International Partner — Board member organization represented by Dawn Burlew.
  • Watkins Glen International Partner — Collaborates to promote motorsports events as part of regional tourism offerings.
  • Yates County Chamber of Commerce Partner — Board member organization represented by Secretary Jessica Bacher.
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.

  • Integrated Tourism Marketing
    methodology: integrated-tourism-marketing
    By combining wine experiences with broader lifestyle attractions—such as outdoor recreation, culture, dining, and shopping—the organization increases regional visitation and dwell time, because visitors are more likely to be drawn to and remain engaged with a destination that offers diverse, interconnected experiences.
  • Interest-Based Visitor Segmentation
    methodology: interest-based tourism marketing
    By tailoring tourism promotion to specific visitor interests—such as wine, food, outdoor recreation, or culture—the organization increases engagement and conversion, because personalized outreach resonates more deeply with potential visitors than one-size-fits-all messaging.
  • Regional Branding Through Storytelling
    methodology: storytelling-for-engagement
    By using immersive storytelling and authentic narratives to position the Finger Lakes as a distinctive destination brand, the organization strengthens emotional connections with visitors and residents, because compelling stories make the region more memorable and top-of-mind compared to generic promotional content.