Save the Bay Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
050343046
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Providence, RI, USA
Phone
4012723540
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,894,808
Expenses
$5,449,208
Assets
$19,898,752
Liabilities
$1,641,187

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GEORGE SHUSTER (PRESIDENT)
  • ROBIN BOSS (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CHRIS LEE (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • CHRISTOPHER HAMBLETT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHRISTOPHER HAMBLETT (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $209,367 total reported compensation
  • MAUREEN FOGARTY (DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS): $160,674 total reported compensation
  • BRIDGET PRESCOTT (DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION): $106,536 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Save the bay protects, restores, and improves the ecological health of the narragansett bay region, including its watershed and adjacent coastal waters, through an ecosystem-based approach to environmental action; defends the right of the public to use and enjoy the bay and its surrounding waters; and fosters an ethic of environmental stewardship among people who live in or visit the narragansett bay region.

What it reported doing in 2024

Save the bay's policy, advocacy and restoration programs have been a core function of the organization since its inception in 1970. We champion public policies that protect and improve narragansett bay, its tributaries and the coast. Save the bay works at the local, state and federal level on initiatives that protect water quality, restore bay habitats, and defend the public's right to use and enjoy our coastal waters. Our advocacy is based on the best available science, which is essential in an era when climate change is fundamentally changing the bay's ecology and posing new challenges to our coastal communities. We are a collaborative partner and leader whose role is multi-faceted: educator, watchdog, advocate, and scientist. On a broad level, save the bay fosters an ethic of stewardship for the narragansett bay region by enhancing understanding of the impacts of human activity on the bay and surrounding waters, and engaging the public in direct actions that protect the bay.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
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

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: 82
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 40
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.6%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 82.3%; rating input score 82
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -11.3%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.65; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.08; rating input score 62; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.7%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 3.9% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.6% of revenue deployed · 82.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $4.5M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $209K · 24 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $683K reported
  • Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 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.

Key Signals

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

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 12/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.