Wendell Gilley Museum of Bird Carving

Overview

Mission

The wendell gilley museum is a community center that celebrates the life and work of wendell gilley, a pioneer in the field of decorative bird carving. It teaches the art of bird carving as well as other hands-on creative programs. The museum also presents art exhibitions and educational programs with a special focus on people, nature and art. The museum endeavors to inspire appreciation of the visual arts, engagement in artistic creativity, and respect and care for the natural world.

What it reported doing in 2024

Natural history programs - natural history and environmental education programs are offered year-round to school groups, homeschoolers, and other adult and children's groups. Examples of currently offered programs are owl ecology, "my changing neighborhood" storyboard, and "build-a-bird." during museum visiting hours, films, personal tours and carving demonstrations are regular features. The museum library is available for public use with specialized historical resources as well as current publications focused on birds of the world and the world of bird carving. A collection of mounted birds is maintained as reference material for artists and naturalists. The museum gift shop stocks local bird carvings, carving tools and supplies, original blanks, and instruction books, as well as bird-related books, audio-visual guides, binoculars, and other items of interest to avian aficionados. The museum staff works with school teachers, other educators and community organizations to create customized tours and workshops for students and adults of all ages.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
010368574
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Southwest Harbor, ME, USA
Phone
2072447555
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Art Museums

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 79
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 92.1%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 66.2%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.58 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -29%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.01; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 16.8%; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 92.1% of revenue deployed · 66.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $379K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $96K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 annual filings from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • SEAN C CHARETTE (MUSEUM DIREC): $96,450 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.