Friends of Robinson Gardens Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
953797323
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Phone
3105502068
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$759,856
Expenses
$668,036
Assets
$1,620,949
Liabilities
$13,418

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • LYNN WHITAKER (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • BETTY GOLDSTEIN (CO-PRESIDENT)
  • ELAIN STEIN (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • EVELYN CARLSON (TREASURER): $49,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Virginia robinson gardens is a unique historic estate, a cultural jewel that transports the visitor back to the birthplace of beverly hills. Built in 1911, it was once the residence of retail giants Virginia and harry robinson. The friends of robinson gardens volunteer their time and resources to raise funds for the maintenance of the beautiful six-acre property, which contains five breathtaking display gardens, mansion and pool pavilion, and to fulfill mrs. Robinson's intention, expressed through her will and gift of the estate to the county of los angeles, that her estate be open to the public for its enjoyment and education. The friends also provide educational classes for the community and school children's tours with special emphasis on children from low-income areas.

What it reported doing in 2024

Restoration - the organization raises money for the restoration and maintenance of the Virginia robinson gardens estate. During the fiscal year that ended june 30, 2025, the organization funded the reupholstery of the chairs in the dining room and the armchairs and sofa in the library, the repairs to several historic balustrades and walls along the great lawn, and the restoration of the marble ionic column side tables in the billiard room and the marble fireplace in the library. The wood baseboards of the french doors to the back terrazzo terrace were refinished, stained, and sealed. Damaged by a windstorm in january 2025, the pink candelabra in the loggia was (miraculously) restored by a specialty craftsman. The organization provided underwriting for the restoration of the fern garden next to the waterfall in the king palm forest as well as several visits by a landscaping company to augment the work of the county gardeners in the cutting rose garden, the italian terrace garden, and the king palm forest. Annual tree trimming and servicing of water features throughout the estate, replacement of the kitchen faucet in the main house, installation of a new automatic earthquake shut-off valve for the main house, new locks installed by a specialty locksmith, and numerous electrical and other small repair projects were also financed by the organization.

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.
  • 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 92
  • Sustainability: 65
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 79.5%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 86.6%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.77 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th 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: 95%; rating input score 95; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 12.1%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.43; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 79.5% of revenue deployed · 86.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $579K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $49K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Whistleblower policy not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 46/100.