Great Basin Bird Observatory
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 860852927
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Reno, NV, USA
- Phone
- 7753234226
- Rating
- 84
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Bird Sanctuary, Preserve
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,634,012
- Expenses
- $2,654,185
- Assets
- $1,038,629
- Liabilities
- $96,086
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- WILLIAM MOLINI (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- ELISABETH AMMON (EXECUTIVE DI): $85,442 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats in the great basin and the northern mojave desert.
What it reported doing in 2024
Monitoring program: multiple initiatives were continued to monitor all landbirds for various projects, pinyon jays and desert thrashers for several projects, using current technology to integrate these efforts across multi-disciplinary monitoring efforts. In addition, several projects addressed effectiveness monitoring, such as mortality monitoring at green energy sites and monitoring of habitat management projects. Conservation assistance program: gbbo has been an active participant in range wide, regional and local working groups for conservation initiatives, particularly partners in flight and associated programs. Specifically, all larger and smaller working groups for pinyon jay and desert thrasher conservation initiatives were in gbbo's focus, but also providing assistance directly to partners in flight through the national science committee and the western working group. In addition, gbbo has hosted several workshops addressing land managers' needs for conservation assistance. Outreach and education program: gbbo has significantly increased its efforts toward this program by holding regular member, volunteer, and supporter events, such as bird education field trips, webinars, volunteer training for community science projects, and outreach to rural communities.
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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 81
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 33
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 92.2%; rating input score 92
- Program expense ratio: 91.3%; rating input score 91
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 7th 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: 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: -0.8%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.39; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 3.2%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 7.7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 1.4% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 92.2% of revenue deployed · 91.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $2.4M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $85K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 13/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.