Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
522118540
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Pocomoke City, MD, USA
Phone
4109579933
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
History Museums

Reported finances

Revenue
$323,477
Expenses
$350,837
Assets
$622,698
Liabilities
$143,848

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTINE GORDON (COO): $55,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To foster appreciation of delmarva's unique natural and cultural heritage through education, exploration and enjoyment.

What it reported doing in 2024

The delmarva discovery center & museum is open seven days a week, year round. We welcome visitors of all ages to explore our 16,000 square feet of universally-accessible exhibits featuring the natural and cultural histories of delmarva. One of our most popular exhibits is the wally gordon river otter habitat where our two playful otters, mac and tuck, frolic in their 6,000 gallon aquarium and extensive land area. Another is our touch pool where visitors get an up-close look - and touch - of horseshoe crabs, whelks, eels, and other marine creatures of delmarva. Other attractions include a walk-through replica steamboat, native american exhibit, life-size beaver lodge, decoy shed, boat building display, and a variety of additional live animals. An adjacent nature trail offers excellent hiking and beaver and bird watching opportunities.we also offer educational programs for school groups, scouts, summer camps, and other youth organizations. For adult groups, we offer guided tours of our extensive exhibits. In addition, we host a variety of public programs and special events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 89
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 33
  • Growth: 40

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; 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -8.5%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.77; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.7%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.6% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -8.8% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $351K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $55K · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 28 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • 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.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 23/100.