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Nonprofit · EIN 36-4102592

ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS

Tax-exempt · LAWRENCE, KS 66049

Financials

$272K$164K2023$109K$78K2024$225K$168K2025
Revenue Expenses · by fiscal year end
Financials of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS by year, from its e-filed returns
Year endedFormRevenueExpensesNet incomeTotal assetsLiabilitiesNet assets
December 31, 2025990$225,302$167,827$57,475$744,545$12,748$731,797
December 31, 2024990$109,485$78,111$31,374$674,322$0$674,322
December 31, 2023990$271,845$163,816$108,029$652,564$9,616$642,948
Financial details: 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025

Revenue

Contributions, gifts and grants
$88,032
Membership dues
$13,530
Program service revenue
$55,862
Investment income
$22,738
Royalties
$58,670
Other revenue
$58,670

Expenses

Grants and similar amounts paid
$27,995
Compensation of officers, directors and key employees
$428
Salaries, compensation and benefits (total)
$428
Professional fundraising fees
$0
Accounting fees
$2,000
Travel
$5,352
Depreciation
$458
Program services (functional)
$160,364
Management and general (functional)
$6,708
Fundraising (functional)
$755

Balance sheet and other

Total assets, start of year
$674,322
Total assets, end of year
$744,545
Total liabilities, end of year
$12,748
Net assets, end of year
$731,797
Gross receipts
$225,302
Employees
0
Volunteers
110
Year formed
1996
State of legal domicile
IL

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
David KrechTreasurer
Trustee or director, Officer
2$428
Tenielle Fordyce-RuffPresident Elect; President
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
Jessica GunderSecretary
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
Emily GrantTreasurer
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
Robert BrainDirector; President Elect
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
David ClevelandPresident; Past President
Trustee or director, Officer
1$0
Rachel Croskery-RobertsPast President
Trustee or director, Officer
1$0
Brenda BaugesDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Kate BremDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Ann ChingDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Bonny Tavares DeanDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Meredith GellerDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Stefanie LeahyDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Alison MikkorDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Charlie OldfieldDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
4 more people on this return
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
Patricia WinogradDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Dyane O'LearyDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Jane CrossDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
Lisa MazzieDirector
Trustee or director
1$0
990 for the year ended December 31, 2024: 14 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
JESSICA GUNDERSECRETARY
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
ROBERT BRAINBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
DAVID CLEVELANDPRESIDENT
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
RACHEL CROSKERY-ROBERTSPAST PRESIDENT
Trustee or director
1$0
TENIELLE FORDYCE-RUFFPRESIDENT - ELECT
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
DAVID KRECHTREASURER
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
DYANE O'LEARYBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
BONNY TRAVARESBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
MEREDITH GELLERBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
JANE CROSSBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
LISA MAZZIEBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
KATE BREMBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
CHARLES OLDFIELDBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
ALISON MIKKORBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
990 for the year ended December 31, 2023: 14 people
NameTitleHours / weekCompensation
JESSICA GUNDERBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
ROBERT BRAINBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
DAVID CLEVELANDPRESIDENT - ELECT
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
RACHEL CROSKERY-ROBERTSPRESIDENT
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
OLYMPIA DUHARTBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
TENIELLE FORDYCE-RUFFSECRETARY
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
REBEKAH HANLEYPAST PRESIDENT
Trustee or director
1$0
DAVID KRECHTREASURER
Trustee or director, Officer
2$0
DYANE O'LEARYBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
BONNY TRAVARESBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
MEREDITH GELLERBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
JANE CROSSBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
LISA MAZZIEBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0
KATE BREMBOARD MEMBER
Trustee or director
1$0

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)
4015 W 14TH ST, LAWRENCE, KS 66049-3525
In care of
% CATHERINE WASSON
Principal officer (990 for 2025)
Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff, 6912 West Randolph Drive, Boise, ID 83709
Signed the 990
Emily Grant, Treasurer
Phone
(785) 409-2206

Mission

A professional organization that promotes leadership, scholarship, and continuing improvements in legal writing programs and pedagogy.

990 for the year ended December 31, 2025

Program accomplishments

  • Held a 3-day conference attended by approximately 200 legal-writing professionals that featured approximately 40 presentations related to leadership, scholarship, and legal-writing pedagogy, an innovative teaching workshop, a leadership academy, and opportunities for new legal-writing directors to network.
    Expenses $76,723 · revenue $125,150
  • Published a new volume of Legal Communication & Rhetoric, the scholarly journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors.
    Expenses $17,440 · revenue $1,459
  • Provided Teaching Grants to twelve legal writing professionals to explore innovative teaching ideas and produce teaching tools, materials, and curriculum that will assist others in the field.
    Expenses $15,375 · grants $15,375
  • Continued publication of the 7th edition of the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation, which is intended to improve the teaching and use of legal citation in legal documents, and began preparation of an updated 8th edition.
    Expenses $15,275 · revenue $57,211
  • The organization, jointly with the Legal Writing Institute, presented the Blackwell Award and held a reception for the recipient. The award is presented annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to improve the field of legal writing.
    Expenses $8,503 · revenue $4,633
  • Operated the organization's website, alwd.org, as a resource for its members and other members of the legal-writing profession.
    Expenses $7,714
  • Provided Distinguished Speaker Grants to three law schools to bring in legal-writing scholars for presentations to their faculty and students.
    Expenses $6,655 · grants $6,655
  • Sent a representative to meetings of the ABA's Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar to provide the organization's views on standards affecting legal education, legal-writing programs, and the organization's membership.
    Expenses $5,352
  • With the Legal Writing Institute and LexisNexis, provided Scholarship Grants to two legal-writing professionals to produce scholarly articles related to the doctrine, application, and pedagogy of legal writing.
    Expenses $3,667 · grants $3,667
  • Conducted an annual surveys of legal-writing programs and professionals, the results of which are used to assess and improve legal-writing programs and the status and working conditions of legal-writing professionals.
    Expenses $1,158 · revenue $579
  • Presented diversity awards to two recipients. The awards honor persons inside or outside the organization who have made significant accomplishments in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The award reflects the organization's conviction that meaningful inclusion of diverse voices and experiences is necessary for improving legal education and the analytic, reasoning, and writing abilities of lawyers.
    Expenses $1,000 · grants $1,000
  • Provided grants to two law schools to conduct a Scholars Forum in connection with legal-writing conferences. The fora are designed to provide legal-writing professionals with support and guidance in developing and completing scholarly articles.
    Expenses $917 · grants $917
  • The organization's Publication's Committee held writing circles that provided an opportunity to legal-writing scholars to receive feedback from other legal-writing professionals on their works-in-progress.
    Expenses $585

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in December, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

Tax yearYear endedDueIRS public records
2025December 31, 2025May 15, 2026990 on file
2024December 31, 2024May 15, 2025990 on file
2023December 31, 2023May 15, 2024990 on file

IRS record

EIN
36-4102592
Tax-exempt status
501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization
Foundation status
Publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))
Donations deductible (Pub 78)
Public charity, 50% deduction limit
Exempt since
1997
Accounting year ends
December
Files
Form 990 or 990-EZ
Assets (IRS master file)
$744,545
Income (IRS master file)
$225,302

Filing history

FormYear endedRevenueExpensesAssetsReturn
990December 2025$225,302$167,827$744,545IRS
990December 2024$109,485$78,111$674,322XML
990December 2023$271,845$163,816$652,564XML
990December 2022$87,099$71,553$535,408IRS
990December 2021–––IRS
990December 2020–––IRS
990December 2019–––IRS
990December 2018–––IRS

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 36-4102592).

Questions about ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS

What is the EIN of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS?
The employer identification number (EIN) of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS is 36-4102592.
Is ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS tax-exempt?
Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 1997.
Are donations to ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS tax-deductible?
Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).
Which annual return does ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS file?
Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.
When is the next return of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS due?
The return for tax year 2026 (the year ending December 31, 2026) is due May 17, 2027. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.
When did ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS last file with the IRS?
The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended December 2025.
Who is the principal officer of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS?
The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 names Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff.
Who are the officers and directors of ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS?
The 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 lists 19 people; 1 received compensation from the organization, the highest $428 (David Krech, Treasurer).
How much revenue does ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL WRITING DIRECTORS have?
On its 990 for the year ended December 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $225,302, expenses of $167,827 and total assets of $744,545 at year end.

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