Riverwood Therapeutic Riding Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
561941069
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Tobaccoville, NC, USA
Phone
3369226426
Rating
89
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Centers to Support the Independence of Specific Populations

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$490,953
Expenses
$606,955
Assets
$814,323
Liabilities
$4,833

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SONJA MURRAY END MAY (PRESIDENT)
  • JENNIFER KIRBY (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • MICHELE CARTER BEG JUNE (EXECUTIVE DI): $63,333 total reported compensation
  • ANDREA KURTZ END MAY (EXECUTIVE DI): $42,667 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Riverwood therapeutic riding center provides certified equine-assisted services and farm-based learning opportunities for individuals with diverse capabilities. Clients served included those with development disabilities, disabilities resulting from trauma, acquired chronic conditions, social/emotional disabilities and diagnosed mental health disorders.

What it reported doing in 2025

Riverwood therapeutic riding center provides certified equine-assisted services and farm-based learning opportunities for individuals with diverse capabilities. Programs include: therapeutic riding, equine assisted psychotherapy and equine assisted learning. Riverwood is a premier accredited center under the guidelines of the professional association of therapeutic horsemanship, international. Clients served included those with development disabilities, disabilities resulting from trauma, acquired chronic conditions, social/emotional disabilities and diagnosed mental health disorders. All services that are provided include a thorough assessment of the individual and their needs, a physician's statement and appropriate releases and emergency medical documents. A treatment plan and individual short and long term goals are set for each client along with ongoing progress notes. Riverwood operates on a year-round schedule serving more than 200 clients each year including those that come through our local school systems. Clients are either referred by physicians, therapists, educators or by word of mouth. Riverwood uses newsletters, web site, e- mail and social media to communicate information regarding programming activities, news and events.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 61% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - 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: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 27
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 81.9%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $9.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 37; 37th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: -23.6%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.34; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 17.5%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 81.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $497K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $63K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 37/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 10/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 49/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 21/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 43/100.