Leach Garden Friends

What it reported doing in 2024

Visitor services - as the garden's front door, visitor services creates the first and often most memorable connection between guests and leach botanical garden. Our team welcomes visitors from all walks of life, ensuring that everyone feels at home and that cost is never a barrier to enjoying nature, beauty and community. In fy25, the garden welcomed 33,471 total garden guests.now in its third year, garden for all remains a cornerstone of leach's mission to ensure equitable access. In fy25 alone, 1,485 guests enjoyed complimentary admission. Continued on schedule o.when combined with other free entry days, a total of around 3,600 visitors received free entry. Of all garden for all visitors to date, 75% are Oregon residents, and 36% live in our neighboring southeast portland zip codes (97206, 97266, 97236). Volunteers - we currently have over 75 volunteers whose contributions are essential to having a thriving, welcoming, well maintained garden. Volunteers assist with numerous tasks, including garden maintenance, habitat restoration, event and fundraising support, gift shop sales, garden tours, serving on the leach garden friend's board, and more. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated, positive, and hard-working crew of volunteers! The garden gift shop is staffed year-round by a capable volunteer team who handled $128,718 in sales during the 24-25 fiscal year (up from $94,864 for the 23-24 fiscal year). The shop is an essential and welcoming hub of information for visitors to the historic lower garden, as well as providing carefully selected nature-themed merchandise with a focus on locally produced items. Volunteers provided assistance for several very successful fundraising events, including the 2024 winterfest and wreath sale, and the 2025 spring garden fair, feast in the garden, boo bash, and more. Our knowledgeable volunteer docents led visitors on a variety of unique tours, including the social life of trees, the romantic tour, and the garden highlights tour.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 65%; rating input score 65
• Program expense ratio: 58.6%; rating input score 59
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.3 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 19; 19th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • 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: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -4.9%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.69; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.15; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6.5%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.7% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.9% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings