Orange Audubon Society Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Citizen science, conservation and nature education programs: in fiscal year 2024-25, orange audubon society, inc. (orange audubon) continued to serve its membership of 2,000 households and approximately 20,000 members of the public by offering educational classes, field trips, bird surveys, a birding festival and guest speaker presentations including online weekly 'bird chats with orange audubon.' central to communications with our community is a monthly 8-page, illustrated electronic newsletter announcing upcoming educational programs, providing conservation information and interesting birding articles, and that is opened by over 65% of recipients. Orange audubon also had an outreach presence at six local events. Hiring a half-time education coordinator in january 2022 enabled orange audubon to expand its reach, especially to elementary school students and their teachers, this year engaging and enthralling approximately 5,000 children and 1,000 adults (in-person) with bird-oriented programs. At title i schools with underserved populations, orange audubon's education coordinator has started three after school birding clubs, the first in 2022. With the lake apopka north shore restoration area being a primary conservation focus, the education coordinator is developing environmental education programs including stem curricula aligned with sunshine state standards suitable for elementary school children. To bring in college-age participants, orange audubon has participated in audubon Florida's conservation leadership initiative program (chapter leaders paired with college students as co-mentors) since the program's inception. Orange audubon's young birders club (for youth ages 8-17) has grown since its founding in 2021 and now has bimonthly field trips. Several former young birders who have aged out are now pursuing degrees in conservation and lead field trips. The following are additional mission-driven programs: 1) wildlife surveys and citizen science efforts: orange audubon and about 100 orange audubon volunteers conducted wildlife surveys on city, county and state public lands. Some of these surveys supported efforts by national audubon and the cornell lab of ornithology and others were specific to local parks and preserves, set up to provide bird population data to land managers. These included christmas bird counts; the 4th of july butterfly count; audubon Florida's eaglewatch and jay watch programs; cornell lab of ornithology's backyard bird count, feederwatch and nestwatch programs. Orange audubon promoted participation in a now international bioblitz using the inaturalist phone app, called the city nature challenge. Bird surveys had been carried out by orange audubon volunteers for many years, but a new series was started in 2019 with monthly surveys at wekiwa springs state park to document the increase in birds as a result of the park's prescribed burning program. Surveys expanded to include quarterly surveys at oakland nature preserve and rock springs run state reserve, and in this fiscal year, orange audubon initiated monthly surveys at the apopka birding park and on the lake apopka north shore. Data on wildlife populations provides critical information that enables land managers to make better-informed decisions, thereby enhancing the ability of birds and other wildlife to survive and thrive. Orange audubon's bird surveys welcome participation by all, create engagement and have brought about 100 volunteers into the orange audubon fold. Orange audubon participated in the ideal (inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and leadership) program, sponsored by the national science foundation and national audubon, which supported efforts to draw people of different ages and ethnicities, representative of local demographics, into community science activities. Binocular grants: the ideal program, an earlier diversity training program from national audubon and collaborative grants from national audubon allowed purchase of excellen

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 14.9%; rating input score 15
• Program expense ratio: 76.4%; rating input score 76
• Fundraising efficiency: $37.84 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 77.1%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 30.68; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 18.6% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -4.6% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings