Flying Deer Nature Center
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 371592636
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012
- Location
- East Chatham, NY, USA
- Phone
- 2482594693
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,072,355
- Expenses
- $964,979
- Assets
- $2,148,018
- Liabilities
- $122,277
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JAKE HALL (PRESIDENT)
- JACLYN SINAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- JACLYN SINAY (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $63,815 total reported compensation
- MICHELLE APLAND (DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR): $40,313 total reported compensation
- VANESSA BAEHR (DIRECTOR): $18,811 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 mentor children, youth, adults and families in deep connection to nature, self, and others.
What it reported doing in 2024
School year programs: include "homeschool, "kindergarten, and "vacation camps." "homeschool" is a program that runs 10-12 weeks each fall and spring, and 4 weeks each winter, serving ages 7-17. "kindergarten" is a program that runs for 12 weeks each fall and spring, and 4 weeks each winter, serving ages 4-6. "vacation camps" is a 4 day long program that runs twice a year, once in december and once in february, serving ages 4-12.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 62% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- 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
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 59
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 86
- Sustainability: 58
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 60.3%; rating input score 60
- Program expense ratio: 68.4%; rating input score 68
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.6 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
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: 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 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 10%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.23; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.2%; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 11.8% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 16% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 60.3% of revenue deployed · 68.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 6 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $660K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $64K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 6 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 29/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 9 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 27/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.