Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper Inc

Overview

Mission

Buffalo niagara waterkeeper protects and restores our water and surrounding ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. We protect clean water. We restore the health of ecosystems. We connect people to water. We inspire economic growth and community engagement.

What it reported doing in 2024

Community engagement ($272,230): we train and educate people in environmental science and stewardship to encourage a new generation that work to protect wny's waterways. Our regionally focused programs provide an immersive experience for youth and adult audiences, resulting in an increased awareness of great lakes and local waterway resources and issues. Scajaquada creek: ($205,467): we coordinate the efforts of a diverse group of stakeholders and partners in the scajaquada creek watershed with the goal of implementing a comprehensive, community-driven restoration effort of the entire creek system. We do this through leading restoration projects, meaningfully engaging the community, completing technical and planning studies, and securing funding for implementation of this restoration vision. Through these efforts, scajaquada creek will once again become a thriving waterway with healthy habitats and reconnected communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent revenue detail to tell how this nonprofit funds its work.
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.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
222993054
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
Buffalo, NY, USA
Phone
7168527483
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management

Official website

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 70
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.1%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 65.4%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $14.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • 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: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 1.9%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.59; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.86; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.1%; rating input score 19; 19th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.1% of revenue deployed · 65.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $2.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $254K · 18 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $796K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 13 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • JILL JEDLICKA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $253,677 total reported compensation
  • KERRIE GALLO (DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $152,714 total reported compensation
  • KELLY MAYER (DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $144,866 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.