Orca Network

What it reported doing in 2024

Whale sighting network and orcasound listening project: the whale sighting network provided researchers, government agencies, and the public with detailed whale sighting reports gathered by staff, volunteers, and the general public. Through our continued involvement with the orcasound listening project we provide researchers, government agencies, and the public with the ability to monitor whales and ship traffic noise through hydrophones using the orcasound hydrophone system (including our own bush point hydrophone site) and collecting and sharing whale reports via an online app, social media, emails, phone/text, and website. Our sightings outreach increased to include 16,200 on our sightings network email list, over 275,900 on our two orca network wsn facebook social media pages, and 1372 on our whale sighting text alert list - 3,543 alerts sent out to share whalesightings to researchers, volunteers and community scientists in Washington state in 2024. Data from whale sightings collected by those watching from shore, assisted by the alerts they receive from orca network, provides trends in habitat use, population status, and the health of endangered orcas in the pacific nw. Orca network collected and shared over 17,663 whale reports in 2024, collected by staff and 2811 citizen scientists and volunteers. We have continued with a four-person sighting network staff, with one staff change, and now have one staff member with her masters degree and another just completing her doctorate. We continue participating in quiet sound's efforts to slow shipping traffic in puget sound to protect southern resident orcas, as well as with noaa fisheries, us navy nw region, and other agencies to assist with, track, and protect orcas and other whales in the salish sea.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 71%; rating input score 71
• Program expense ratio: 86.7%; rating input score 87
• Fundraising efficiency: $40.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 74; 74th 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: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 25.8%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.58; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 8.9%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 14.2% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 16.8% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 24.2% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings