World Shipping Council FY2021 filing

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Our mission is to provide a coordinated voice for the liner Shipping industry in its work with policymakers and other industry groups with an interest in international transportation.

501(c)(6) business league; gifts are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions.
$2.0M paid to officers and key staff.
Mission: Form 990 Part I, line 1 · Status: IRS Pub. 78 · Pay: Part VII

Before you give

FY2021 · Form 990Independent: from IRS data, not the org
Download 990
IRS status
501(c)(6)
not on the IRS revocation list
Looks good: listed by the IRS and not on the revocation list.
IRS BMF · Auto-Revocation List
Tax-deductible gifts
No
Donations are not tax-deductible
Worth a look: the IRS does not list gifts to it as deductible.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS BMF
Latest return
FY2025
latest Form 990
Looks good: the latest return is for FY2025, 1 tax year back; within 2 tax years.
IRS e-file · Filing history
Surplus or deficit
4 of 6
filings with a surplus
Average surplus $221K a year · 3% of revenue · last 6 filings
Fine: a surplus in 4 of the last 6 filings.
Pt I · Ln 19 · 6 filings
Pay to officers and key staff
$2.0M
to officers and key staff · 42% of spending
Concern: pay to officers and key staff is 42% of spending; over 30%.
Pt VII · Sec A
20 mo
of spending, in cash
Looks good: 19.9 months of spending in cash; 3 or more.
Pt X · Ln 1–2 · Pt I · Ln 18
Liabilities
$5.8M
73% of total assets
Worth a look: liabilities are 73% of assets; over 65%.
Pt X · Ln 26
Independent board members
16
of 16 voting members
Looks good: 16 of 16 voting members are independent, a majority.
Pt VI · Ln 1a–1b
Looks goodFineWorth a lookConcernNo data yetTap a box for the reason.
Revenue
$5.1M
+0.4% vs prior year
Spent
$4.7M
Net assets
$2.1M
By yearFY2020–FY2025
Revenue
$5.1M
FY2021+0.4%
Tap a bar for its year
Revenue by fiscal year
FY2020$5.1M
FY2021$5.1M
FY2022$7.4M
FY2023$8.4M
FY2024$8.9M
FY2025$9.4M
Expenses
$4.7M
FY2021▲ +9%
Tap a bar for its year
Expenses by fiscal year
FY2020$4.3M
FY2021$4.7M
FY2022$6.8M
FY2023$8.5M
FY2024$8.4M
FY2025$10.3M
Net assets
$2.1M
FY2021▲ +26%
Tap a bar for its year
Net assets by fiscal year
FY2020$1.7M
FY2021$2.1M
FY2022$2.7M
FY2023$2.6M
FY2024$3.1M
FY2025$2.2M

From the FY2021 Form 990 (year ending July 2021) · figures checked against the IRS filing · see the original

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You’re viewing the FY2021 filing — not the latest on file. See the latest (FY2025) →

Is it real?

Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2025. IRS ruling in Nov 2000.

IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File

Who runs it and what they're paid

27 people listed on the 990; $2.0M paid to officers and key staff.

Part VII, Section A · reportable compensation · most recent filed roster (FY2020); the FY2021 filing did not itemize Part VII
President/CEO
$558,408Pt VII · Sec A
Senior Vice President
$294,010Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President, Environ Policy
$276,338Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Asia
$233,333Pt VII · Sec A
Vice Pres (thru 6/30/2021)
$231,192Pt VII · Sec A
Vice President
$190,245Pt VII · Sec A
Director of Brussels Office
$177,901Pt VII · Sec A
$0Pt VII · Sec A

John Butler’s $538K as Former President and CEO is at the 97th percentile of top reported officer pay among 2832 $1–10M community development nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 8 named individuals · Part VII

NameFY2025FY2024FY2023FY2022FY2021FY2020
John W Butler—$625,000$625,000$595,833$558,408$558,560
John Butler$538,294—————
Tim Wickmann————$233,333$410,000
Bryan Wood-Thomas$409,183$304,392$296,958$286,542$276,338$265,471
Joseph Kramek$388,750$249,583$225,000$185,000——
Lars Kjaer$358,258$318,429$312,306$304,520$294,010$286,694
Anna Larsson$340,000$182,236—$257,211——
Kenneth Chia$317,354—$312,866$315,369——

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

See World Shipping Council executive salaries →

Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

  • Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
  • Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aNo

Programs and updates

Advocates for the liner shipping industry in policy and industry discussions.

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3 programs · in their own filed words · FY2020
01

Maritime Safety and Security Issues

See schedule o

Pt IX · col B
02

Liner Shipping Regulatory System

See schedule o

Pt IX · col B
03

Environmental Issues

See schedule o

Pt IX · col B

By the numbers

The FY2021 990, line by line.

1The main four
Money inPt VIII
$5.1M
Ln 12
Fees for servicesLn 2g$5.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$3K
Money outPt IX
$4.7M
Ln 25
Owns and owesPt X
$2.1M
net assets · Ln 32
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$7.8M
Total assetsLn 16$7.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$5.8M
PeoplePt VI, VII
27
listed · VII A
PaidVII A7
Voting boardVI 1a16
IndependentVI 1b16
2In more detail
Revenue in detailPt VIII
Fees for servicesLn 2g$5.1M
Investment incomeLn 3$3K
Gains on assetsLn 7$0
Total revenueLn 12$5.1M
Assets in detailPt X, end of year
CashLn 1$465K
SavingsLn 2$7.3M
Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$7.8M
Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesLn 9$28K
Intangible assetsLn 14$81K
Other assetsLn 15$42K
Total assetsLn 16$7.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$5.8M
Net assetsLn 32$2.1M
OperationsPt I, VI
EmployeesI 510
VolunteersI 620
Fiscal year endsHeaderJuly
Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aNo
Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes
Records policyVI 14Yes
3Year over year
Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B
LineStart FY21End FY21
Cash and savingsLn 1–2$5.1M$7.8M
InvestmentsLn 11–13$0$0
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$0$0
Total assetsLn 16$5.2M$7.9M
LiabilitiesLn 26$3.5M$5.8M
Net assetsLn 32$1.7M$2.1M
4Every line
Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line
LineTotalProgramsManagementFundraising
Grants to domestic organizationsLn 1$0
Grants to domestic individualsLn 2$0
Grants and assistance to foreign recipientsLn 3$0
Benefits paid to or for membersLn 4$0
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5$1.9M
Pay of disqualified personsLn 6$0
Other salaries and wagesLn 7$1.1M
Pension plan contributionsLn 8$46K
Other employee benefitsLn 9$39K
Payroll taxesLn 10$87K
Management feesLn 11a$0
Legal feesLn 11b$710K
Accounting feesLn 11c$31K
Lobbying feesLn 11d$212K
Professional fundraising feesLn 11e$0
Investment management feesLn 11f$0
Other fees for servicesLn 11g$110K
Advertising and promotionLn 12$0
Office expensesLn 13$130K
Information technologyLn 14$55K
RoyaltiesLn 15$0
OccupancyLn 16$274K
TravelLn 17$4K
Travel and entertainment for public officialsLn 18$0
Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19$995
InterestLn 20$0
Payments to affiliatesLn 21$0
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22$2K
InsuranceLn 23$6K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24$44K
Total functional expensesLn 25$4.7M

Filing history

YearMoney inMoney outIn minus outNet assetsDownload
FY2025 LatestFiled with the IRS Jun 15, 2026 $9.4M$10.3M−$900K$2.2M 990 PDF
FY2024Filed with the IRS Jun 16, 2025 $8.9M$8.4M$506K$3.1M 990 PDF
FY2023Filed with the IRS Jun 13, 2024 $8.4M$8.5M−$58K$2.6M 990 PDF
FY2022Filed with the IRS Jun 13, 2023 $7.4M$6.8M$552K$2.7M 990 PDF
FY2021 ViewingFiled with the IRS Jun 15, 2022 $5.1M$4.7M$432K$2.1M 990 PDF
FY2020Filed with the IRS Jun 15, 2021 $5.1M$4.3M$793K$1.7M 990 PDF

Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support J · Pay O · Explanations
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $5,137,483 revenue, 12 lines filed
I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $0$0
I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $5,106,945$5,134,402
I-10 Investment incomePrior year $8,487$3,081
I-11 Other revenuePrior year $0$0
I-12 Total revenuePrior year $5,115,432$5,137,483
I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0
I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0
I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $2,516,048$3,127,988
I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0
I-17 Other expensesPrior year $1,806,748$1,577,853
I-18 Total expensesPrior year $4,322,796$4,705,841
I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $792,636$431,642
Part VI · Governance 16 of 16 board members independent, 2 to look at
VI-1a Voting members of the governing body16
VI-1b Independent voting members16
VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyNo
VI-15a Process for setting top official's payNo
VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo
VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes
VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $5,137,483 across 8 lines filed
VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$0
VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $5,134,402$5,134,402
VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $3,081$3,081
VIII-5 Royalties$0
VIII-6 Net rental income or loss$0
VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assets$0
VIII-8 Net income from fundraising events$0
VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $5,134,402 · Excluded from tax $3,081$5,137,483
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,705,841 across 30 lines filed
IX-1 Grants to domestic organizations$0
IX-2 Grants to domestic individuals$0
IX-3 Grants and assistance to foreign recipients$0
IX-4 Benefits paid to or for members$0
IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staff$1,904,134
IX-6 Pay of disqualified persons$0
IX-7 Other salaries and wages$1,052,044
IX-8 Pension plan contributions$45,544
IX-9 Other employee benefits$39,068
IX-10 Payroll taxes$87,198
IX-11a Management fees$0
IX-11b Legal fees$709,967
IX-11c Accounting fees$31,259
IX-11d Lobbying fees$211,704
IX-11f Investment management fees$0
IX-11g Other fees for services$109,764
IX-12 Advertising and promotion$0
IX-13 Office expenses$130,183
IX-14 Information technology$54,668
IX-15 Royalties$0
IX-16 Occupancy$274,160
IX-17 Travel$3,640
IX-18 Travel and entertainment for public officials$0
IX-19 Conferences, conventions and meetings$995
IX-20 Interest$0
IX-21 Payments to affiliates$0
IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortization$2,309
IX-23 Insurance$5,672
IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)$43,532
IX-25 Total functional expenses$4,705,841
Part X · Balance sheet $7,943,701 assets, 30 lines filed
X-1 Cash, non-interest-bearingStart of year $148,156$465,244
X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $4,948,972$7,326,936
X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $0$0
X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $0$0
X-5 Loans to officers and key peopleStart of year $0$0
X-6 Loans to other insidersStart of year $0$0
X-7 Notes and loans receivableStart of year $0$0
X-8 Inventories for sale or useStart of year $0$0
X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $23,478$28,209
X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $0$0
X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $0$0
X-13 Program-related investmentsStart of year $0$0
X-14 Intangible assetsStart of year $0$80,821
X-15 Other assetsStart of year $42,491$42,491
X-16 Total assetsStart of year $5,163,097$7,943,701
X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $138,915$155,740
X-18 Grants payableStart of year $0$0
X-19 Deferred revenueStart of year $3,279,480$5,593,422
X-20 Tax-exempt bond liabilitiesStart of year $0$0
X-21 Escrow or custodial accountsStart of year $0$0
X-22 Loans from officers and insidersStart of year $0$0
X-23 Secured mortgages and notes payableStart of year $0$0
X-24 Unsecured notes and loans payableStart of year $0$0
X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $54,971$73,166
X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $3,473,366$5,822,328
X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $1,689,731$2,121,373
X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $0$0
X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $1,689,731$2,121,373
X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $5,163,097$7,943,701
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $2,121,373 net assets at year end
XI-1 Total revenue$5,137,483
XI-2 Total expenses$4,705,841
XI-3 Revenue less expenses$431,642
XI-4 Net assets at start of year$1,689,731
XI-10 Net assets at end of year$2,121,373

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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