Marin Audubon Society

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
946076664
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Mill Valley, CA, USA
Phone
4159246057
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,200,421
Expenses
$690,971
Assets
$9,513,977
Liabilities
$86,188

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

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DOUG WATERMAN (Vice President)
  • BARBARA SALZMAN (President)

People named in this filing

  • MARTHA JAROCKI (Treasurer)
  • Cary Sparks (Director)
  • ROBERT HINZ (Director)

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

The marin audubon society is dedicated to active participation in conservation, environmental education, and enjoyment of our natural heritage. We advocate sound land and water resource planning, and act to restore, enhance, and safeguard our wetlands and other natural habitats. Birds and other wildlife are the indicators of the health or our environment, and we remain committed to their protection and preservation.

What it reported doing in 2024

CONSERVATION: We continued work on a sea-level rise adaptation project to expand marsh habitat and increase flood protection and provide public access for nearby underserved communities. The project, to be completed on our 20-acre property in San Rafael, includes refining design, coordinating among agencies and conducting public outreach.Our continued stewardship activities on our other properties (comprising over 500 acres), includes revegetation with over 5,000 native plants, and removal of Non-native Limonium. We also are involved in the recruitment of local high school students to help restore habitat.We advocated for the protection of wildlife and habitats on proposed projects and activities having potential impact on natural resources.We partnered with other organizations in legal efforts to protect wildlife in GGNRA and Pt Reyes National Seashore, including providing financial support to the Protection of Farallon Islands.We act as a fiscal sponsor for two independent charitable projects, the Marin County Breeding Bird Atlas and the Marin Baylands Advocates. These projects operate under our oversight. The Breeding Bird Atlas is a multi-year project that is mapping the distribution of birds that nest in Marin County, with a goal of determining the current distribution and composition of breeding birds. The Marin Baylands Advocates is an all-volunteer group dedicated to permanently protecting Baylands by raising funds to purchase Baylands at risk of being lost and educating decision-makers and the public about the value of Baylands.

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 93% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 61
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 93
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 32.7%; rating input score 33
  • Program expense ratio: 96.3%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: $225.16 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 92; 92nd 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; 72nd 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • 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: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 68.6%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.77; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 32.7% of revenue deployed · 96.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 7 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $665K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 13 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $148K reported
  • Consistency: 24 of 24 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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: Mission deployment rate scored 33/100.