Greenwood Gardens

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
800038573
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Short Hills, NJ, USA
Phone
9732584026
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Beautification and Aesthetics

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,883,236
Expenses
$2,429,123
Assets
$34,848,304
Liabilities
$101,098

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ARTHUR T VANDERBILT (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • ABBY O'NEILL (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

People named in this filing

  • LOUISE MOOS (CHAIRMAN)
  • ARTHUR T VANDERBILT (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • THEODOR TED KUNDTZ (TREASURER)

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

Open for visitation since 2013, greenwood gardens is a 28-acre public garden whose mission is "connecting people with nature and the arts in a historic garden oasis" through self-guided and group tours, and programs in horticulture, history, and the arts.

What it reported doing in 2024

Greenwood gardens is guided by a new five-year strategic plan whose three key goals focus on raising greenwood's profile as a destination for nature, the arts, and history; investing in the beauty, health, and sustainability of our gardens and historic buildings; and increasing the contributed support that sustains greenwood's mission and accessibility. Greenwood reached a milestone in visitation during the 2024 season, welcoming a record 11,610 visitors who experienced the peace and beauty of this historic garden. Our roster of programs and events, fifty in total, was met with great enthusiasm including four sold-out performances of our music and dance in the garden series as were our special tours, walks, and lectures.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 82% 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 - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 83
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 64.4%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 72.7%; rating input score 73
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.29 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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: 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: Fail
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.8%; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.35; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 64.4% of revenue deployed · 72.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 6 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 19 people listed
  • Consistency: 30 of 30 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Document-retention policy not reported.