Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841079882
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Brighton, CO, USA
Phone
3036594348
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Bird Sanctuary, Preserve

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,103,618
Expenses
$9,386,397
Assets
$7,733,234
Liabilities
$836,383

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

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TAMMY VERCAUTEREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • TAMMY VERCAUTEREN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $169,000 total reported compensation
  • ELINDA DENNIS (CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER): $156,766 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS RYDER (CHIEF CONSERVATION SCIENTIST): $151,356 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Our mission is to conserve birds and their habitats through an integrated approach of science, education and land stewardship. We envision a future where birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature. Our mission is to conserve birds and their habitats through an integrated approach of science, education and land stewardship. We envision a future where birds are forever abundant, contributing to healthy landscapes and inspiring human curiosity and love of nature. Our work radiates from the rockies to the great plains, mexico and beyond. Our efforts are advanced by sound science, achieved through empowering people, realized through stewardship and sustained through partnerships. Together, we are improving native bird populations, the land and the lives of people.

What it reported doing in 2025

Cgri - bird conservancy of the rockies catalyzed the central grassland roadmap initiative including hiring the first-ever central grassland roadmap director to increase communication, coordination and collaboration across the region. The initiative is designed to lift all voices including tribal nations, us, mexico and canada as well as 7-sectors: private landowners, state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry, foundations and academia and create a movement to save our grasslands across the central great plains. We are striving to ensure healthy grasslands, human communities and wildlife for generations to come. Our three pillars of focus include: policy and funding, partnerships and engagement, and research and evaluation. Together we can change the story and trajectory of our grasslands.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 61% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
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 most voting board members are independent. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and the filing does not identify recipients for some grant dollars.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 51
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 72.4%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 85.7%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $39.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
  • 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 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: 15.5%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.82; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.11; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 6.4%; rating input score 47; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.3% per year; rating input score 100; 55th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.9% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.4% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 72.4% of revenue deployed · 85.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 13 of 13 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $169K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 3 contractors listed · $418K reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
  • High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 47/100.