Ornithological Council

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
521793547
IRS 990-EZ coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990-EZ 2025
Location
Bar Harbor, ME, USA
Phone
2029059141
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Professional Societies, Associations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$42,543
Expenses
$39,432
Assets
$37,386
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Paty Feria (Chair)
  • Susan Elbin (Director)
  • Jeff Spendelow (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-EZ. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists. The research conducted by their members spans the globe and their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management.

What it reported doing in 2025

Provide knowledge and tools for ornithologists about federal and state policies pertaining to their research, represent ornithologists to gov't agencies re: regulations and policies that affect the conduct of their research. Benefits approx 5,000 people. Provide scientific info about birds to govt, industry, landowners.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 100% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Cannot be determined from the filing. The filing does not provide enough consistent spending detail to tell whether the nonprofit works directly or through others.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filed totals do not add up and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 98
  • Transparency & Controls: 82
  • Sustainability: 55
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.1%; rating input score 96
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 7.3%; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.95; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.1% per year; rating input score 0; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -9.9% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.8% per year; rating input score 0; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.1% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: Filed governance answers
  • Accomplishments: 1 filed program accomplishment · $41K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 8 of 9 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Part III program expenses within total did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 57/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.