New York City Bird Alliance Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133057954
IRS 990 coverage
2014–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
2126917483
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Reported finances

Revenue
$2,015,148
Expenses
$2,215,078
Assets
$1,551,673
Liabilities
$130,904

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

Leadership & pay

32 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MICHAEL YUAN (PRESIDENT)
  • LINDA FREEMAN (EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTIAN COOPER (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • MICHAEL TANNEN (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • RICHARD VEIT (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • KAREN BENFIELD (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JESSICA G WILSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $228,464 total reported compensation
  • DUSTIN PARTRIDGE (DIRECTOR OF CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE): $150,826 total reported compensation
  • MATTHEW COODY (DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT): $126,677 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Nyc bird alliance is a grassroots community that protects wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all new yorkers.

What it reported doing in 2024

Advocacy and engagement - nyc bird alliance's public programs engage tens of thousands of new yorkers annually in learning about and appreciating urban wildlife through guided bird outings, classes, festivals, and an online lecture series. In fiscal year 2025 our accomplishments included (1) hosting nearly 400 guided bird outings most of them free and several in multiple languages including spanish and mandarin (2) expanded our "nycha in nature" program that engages low-income residents of the city's public housing with birds and nature, and (3) organized a record-breaking christmas bird count, engaging more than 400 community science volunteers and conducting the city's first spanish language count. (cont'd on sch o)our advocacy efforts work to mobilize new yorkers to make the city more sustainable and healthier for wildlife and for people. In fiscal year 2025, we helped secure the renewal of the state's green roof tax abatement, continued our efforts to reduce bird collisions by championing laws and policies that make buildings safer for birds, and worked to enforce protections for the waterbirds of New York harbor.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 62% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 72
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.3%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 79.3%; rating input score 79
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • 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: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -9.9%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.7; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 28.4%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.8% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.3% of revenue deployed · 79.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $228K · 32 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2014 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 24/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 26/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.