Friends of Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 391231819
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Phone
- 4143522880
- Rating
- 80
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Standard
- Sector
- Single Organization Support
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,631,339
- Expenses
- $4,097,909
- Assets
- $8,812,398
- Liabilities
- $986,161
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
17 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BENJAMIN T PAVLIK (PRESIDENT)
- HELEN BOOMSMA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- HELEN BOOMSMA (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $171,708 total reported compensation
- LISA TROST (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $98,902 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Schlitz audubon nature center conserves our land's diverse habitats on lake Michigan and provides meaningful experiences and environmental education for all.
What it reported doing in 2024
Environmental education: the center offers programs for people of all ages and abilities. We serve over 30,000 children and adults annually through on-site and off-site programs ranging from environmental education, summer camps, and nature art classes to our master naturalist course. The center also offers programming for special needs individuals such as the visually impaired, young cancer survivors, and older adults with cognitive challenges. In addition, we offer the most comprehensive raptor education program in the midwest, with 16 resident birds of prey who cannot be released back into the wild. Our feathered ambassadors reached over 168,000 people during the year.the raptors, especially our eagles, have been participating in sporting events such as basketball and baseball games which has really increased the reach.
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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 73
- Transparency & Controls: 76
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 61
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 77.2%; rating input score 77
- Program expense ratio: 81.1%; rating input score 81
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th 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: Missing
- Compensation survey or study: Missing
- Board or committee approval: Pass
- Foreign activity oversight: Limited
- Grant itemization coverage: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 9 of 9 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: 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: 11.5%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.15; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 6.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.2% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 77.2% of revenue deployed · 81.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 12 of 12 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $3.3M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $172K · 17 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
- 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 27/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 44/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.