Friends of State Parks Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581634155
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-N 2009
Location
Bethania, NC, USA
Phone
9103262400
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$447,555
Expenses
$449,719
Assets
$1,006,234
Liabilities
$25,095

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • FRED SCHACHTER (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHELLE LEONARD (EXECUTIVE DI): $83,400 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Friends of state parks is a citizen's group dedicated to the understanding, enjoyment and protection of North Carolina's state parks. Friends of state parks supports the mission of the nc parks and recreation division: to protect and manage the unique biological, geological, archaeological, recreational and scenic resources of the state. Friends of state parks promotes public awareness of the immense contributions of these natural areas to the quality of life for north carolinians of present and future generations.

What it reported doing in 2025

Friends of state parks provides support and services to all of North Carolina's state parks, and reports and manages the individual funds for 12 local chapters. These friends of state parks chapters support their respective parks with funding for volunteer projects that include educational, recreational, hostorical, conservation, maintenance, and beautification activities. In 2025, friends of state parks engaged an accessibility consultant to provide training for state park employees and volunteers and to provide adpative participant experiences in order to facilitate access to parks by individuals with disabilities. The prgram allows individuals with disabilities to particpate in activities such as hiking, kayaking, and rock climbing. In 2025, 59 adaptive programs and trainings were delivered providing outdoor recreation experiences for 565 participants, including 118 family members, friends, volunteers and supporters.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 92% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 62% for direct work, and 38% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - 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 expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 80
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.8%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 69.7%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 62.1%; rating input score 62; 47th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.5%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.24; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 18.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.8% of revenue deployed · 69.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $314K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $83K · 18 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 32 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 43/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 34/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 20/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.