Memorial Park Conservancy Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
760655841
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Houston, TX, USA
Phone
7138638403
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$22,029,272
Expenses
$12,338,534
Assets
$57,641,319
Liabilities
$1,392,486

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

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Shellye Arnold (President & CEO (thru 10/24))
  • Chris Ballard (COO, President & CEO)
  • Holli Clements (Vice President of Engagement)

Highest reported compensation

  • Shellye Arnold (President & CEO (thru 10/24)): $516,148 total reported compensation
  • Chris Ballard (COO, President & CEO): $264,157 total reported compensation
  • Holli Clements (Vice President of Engagement): $213,514 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Memorial Park Conservancy is committed to preserving, restoring, & enhancing Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians, today and tomorrow. This supports public use, recreation, & education in accordance with conditions of conveyance to the City of Houston.

What it reported doing in 2024

Operating and Maintaining the Park: The Conservancy operates and maintains 1,100 acres of Memorial Park's 1,500 acres, aspiring to implement the principles of exceptional park management and stewardship. The Conservancy furthers its mission by enhancing park amenities, backing forestry management initiatives, planting native species, maintaining both natural and paved trails, and tending to landscaped areas within the Park.Continued on Schedule O.FY25 Highlights include:-Vale Asche Playground Area improvements such as a new swing set beds with safety surfacing, new wood installed on picnic tables, and installation of parking blocks.-Stretching Deck Improvements such as a new deck, fitness equipment, additional water fountain, and new trees. -Automatic gates installed at Running Complex and Picnic Loop.-Safety bollards installed on the Commuter Trail at Picnic Loop and the pedestrian path at Crestwood and Memorial Drive.-Over 50 trees in the Clay Family Eastern Glades and more than 30 in the Sports Complex were pruned to promote healthy tree structure.- More than 100 trees across the Park were fertilized using targeted amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to improve tree health.At Memorial Park Conservancy, volunteers play a crucial role in the restoration and maintenance of the Park. FY25 Volunteer Highlights include:- Volunteers dedicated a total of 910 hours, engaging in diverse projects throughout the Park.- Volunteers assisted in collecting 3 cubic yards of trash, removing 46 cubic yards of invasive species, spread 16 cubic yards of mulch and relocated 2,600 plants.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 74% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 53
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 80
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 43.2%; rating input score 43
  • Program expense ratio: 71.1%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $15.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 44%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.67; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.5%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 14.8% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.2% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 43.2% of revenue deployed · 71.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 25 of 25 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $8.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $516K · 32 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.2M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 43/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 50/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.