American Songbird Management and Recovery

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
853664649
IRS 990 coverage
2021–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2020
Location
Ahmeek, MI, USA
Phone
9063703248
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Bird Sanctuary, Preserve

Reported finances

Revenue
$638,110
Expenses
$1,552,547
Assets
$16,348,480
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Susan K Lafferty (Secretary Chair)
  • Art Davenport (Treasurer)
  • Randee Smitth (Vice-chair)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Protect restore create and maintain native songbird habitat including fee simple or conservation easement ownership of real property and donations to and trades with other nonprofits with similar goals. Research survey monitor and manage songbird populations and their breeding biology with an emphasis on the recovery re-expansion and reintroduction of rare declining threatened and endangered songbirds but including all avian species. Remove non-native parasitic brown-headed cowbirds primarily through topical trapping to protect native songbirds.

What it reported doing in 2024

Coastal Conservation Lake Superior CC LS: Donation contributed by a Nonprofit 501c3s targeted to help protect keystone properties within several Coastal Conservation Areas on Lake Superior. The natural lands protected lie on the coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula an area that is nationally known to ornithologists especially for nesting wood warblers and large numbers of migrating birds songbirds raptors ducks geese and shorebirds. The lands along the lakeshore are the most threatened by development and all contributions received were designated for new acquisitions that linked to already protected natural areas thereby creating landscape level protection including continuous corridors of native habitat for birds and other wildlife. Expenses include closing costs on a land trade with non cash contribution in part to American Songbird 83 acres Deed title insurance prorated CFR taxes; see also 4b.

Operating model

Revenue model
Investment-supported. 84% of the money available for current operations came from recurring investment income.
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.

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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 48
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -143.3%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.53; rating input score 92; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -26.4% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -108.2% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -2.8% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 43 of 43 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2021 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 1/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.