Save the Frogs

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262655709
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2023, Form 990-N 2008
Location
Laguna Beach, CA, USA
Phone
4158786525
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Protection of Endangered Species

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$227,928
Expenses
$166,030
Assets
$127,331
Liabilities
$617

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

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KERRY KRIGER (President)

People named in this filing

  • MICHAEL HORTON (Director)
  • JOHN BOHRMAN (Director)
  • NICK ROSATI (Treasurer)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

SAVE THE FROGS is the world's leading amphibian conservation organization. Our mission is to protect amphibian populations and to promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. We work in California, across the USA, and around the world to prevent the extinction of amphibians, and to create a better planet for humans and wildlife.

What it reported doing in 2024

Save The Frogs DayConceived and coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS!, Save The Frogs Day is the worlds largest day of amphibian education and conservation action. Celebrated annually on April 28th, Save The Frogs Day has taken place every year since 2009.The 16th Annual Save The Frogs Day was celebrated on April 28th, 2024. Over 100 in-person educational events took place in at least 14 countries (Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, United Kingdom and the USA), reaching at least 6,000 participants and volunteers. The online impact was significant as well, with a multitude of large organizations posting about the event to millions of combined followers. https://savethefrogs.com/dayGrants & AwardsSAVE THE FROGS! provided $31,252 in grants to 30 amphibian conservationists representing 14 countries (Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan and the USA), to assist their efforts protecting amphibian populations and educating citizens in their home countries. https://savethefrogs.com/grantsSAVE THE FROGS! Website & AcademyThe SAVE THE FROGS! website has educated millions of visitors worldwide about amphibians. The site is fully translated in 12 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, and Russian), helping ensure a worldwide impact.In 2024, SAVE THE FROGS! published 55 articles and 19 lessons about amphibians and ways to save them from extinction. The SAVE THE FROGS! website received 181,922 visitors from 52 countries, who spent 5,508 hours on the site. The top country was USA, with 70,800+ visitors, which was 70% of total site traffic. https://savethefrogs.com https://savethefrogs.com/academyOnline Educational PresentationsIn 2024, SAVE THE FROGS! staff and volunteers held 31 free online educational events, directly reaching and connecting 400+ participants. https://savethefrogs.com/eventsSAVE THE FROGS! Art ContestConceived and coordinated by SAVE THE FROGS! annually since 2009, the SAVE THE FROGS! Art Contest contest raises awareness of the amphibian extinction problem by getting people involved and interested in amphibian conservation. The artwork is used on t-shirts, stickers and posters, and in greeting cards and books, to publicize our cause.The 2024 SAVE THE FROGS! Art Contest received 2,722 entries, from 2,499 participants in 74 countries! https://savethefrogs.com/artEcotoursSAVE THE FROGS! Ecotours help spread the word of the importance of rainforests, amphibians and ecotourism, and have been featured in National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler magazines.In 2024, SAVE THE FROGS! led two groups of nature enthusiasts (22 participants) on ecological journeys through Malaysia. We visited frog habitats, learned about amphibians, and contributed to the communities that protect the rainforests and cloud forests. https://savethefrogs.com/ecotoursScholarshipsIn 2024, SAVE THE FROGS! awarded $47,668 in scholarships to 63 amphibian conservationists in 20 countries: (Argentina, Bangladesh, Benin, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, United Kingdom, USA and Zambia). https://savethefrogs.com/scholarshipsWetland Construction & RestorationIn 2024, SAVE THE FROGS! continued to educate land owners and land managers about wetland construction and restoration techniques via our SAVE THE FROGS! Academy Wetlands course. https://savethefrogs.com/wetlands

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 80% for direct work, and 20% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 78
  • Transparency & Controls: 66
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 68.8%; rating input score 69
  • Program expense ratio: 92.6%; rating input score 93
  • Fundraising efficiency: $42.47 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 19th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 50%; rating input score 50; 42nd 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: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • 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: 27.2%; rating input score 80; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.77; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3.4% per year; rating input score 0; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.6% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 68.8% of revenue deployed · 92.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $154K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 24 of 25 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
  • Filing history: 3 filing years from 2016 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 6 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 50/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 34/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 50/100.