Friends of the St Marks Wildlife Refuge

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
592811456
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2020
Location
St Marks, FL, USA
Phone
8509256121
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$278,770
Expenses
$177,941
Assets
$581,594
Liabilities
$146

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

Leadership & pay

10 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KATASHA GRUVER (PRESIDENT)
  • MYRTLE BAILEY (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • KATASHA GRUVER (PRESIDENT)
  • MYRTLE BAILEY (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ROBIN WILL (SECRETARY)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To promote better understanding, appreciation, and conservation of the natural history, cultural history and natural environment of the st. Marks national wildlife refuge.

What it reported doing in 2024

Our gift/book store in the st. Marks national wildlife refuge visitor center enhances refuge visitor experience. Several public festivals and events at the refuge provided funding/ supplies for an environmental education program. Funding for a newsletter distributed by the wildlife refuge to the public. Provided supplies and equipment needed for the biology staff at the refuge and funding for wildlife refuge staff and volunteers to attend training and networking conferences with other national wildlife refuges. Expanded the monach/milkweed propagation with availability of native milkweed species needed for monarch butterfly reproduction. Preservation of the historic st. Marks lighthouse.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 60% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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 total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 76
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 57%; rating input score 57
  • Program expense ratio: 88.3%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $84.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings

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: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 86
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 36.2%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.27; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.5% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 57% of revenue deployed · 88.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $157K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 10 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 58/100.