Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
650227883
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
North Miami Beach, FL, USA
Phone
3056659959
Rating
73
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Surgery Specialties

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$581,836
Expenses
$682,299
Assets
$745,600
Liabilities
$30,297

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

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • RAYMOND J LANZAFAME (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • SHARONA ROSS (PRESIDENT)
  • IAN A HODGDON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • RADHA SYED (IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • RAYMOND J LANZAFAME (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $60,000 total reported compensation
  • MICHAEL S KAVIC (EX OFFICIO): $20,000 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Sls endeavors to improve patient care and promote the highest standards of practice through education, training, and information distribution. Sls provides a forum for the introduction, discussion and dissemination of new and established ideas, techniques and therapies in laparoscopic, endoscopic, robotic, and minimally invasive surgical techniques and technologies. A fundamental goal is to ensure that its members have access to the newest ideas and approaches in these evolving fields. Sls' unique multispecialty focus provides a comprehensive view of minimal access therapies to promote improved patient outcomes. Sls has focused on developing educational activities that use research, scientific case studies, and techniques from multiple specialties to broaden participants' scope of knowledge, provide strategies to bring new ideas and improvements into their practices, and empower change. The ultimate goal is to make our learners better surgeons and improve outcomes for their patients.

What it reported doing in 2025

General programs: the organization was formed for the benefit of surgeons who perform operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. The organization has successfully solicited the membership of approximately 2,000 practitioners of this medical specialty. The organization's accomplishments the result of several activities. The society's activities are designed to accomplish the following objectives: 1. To teach, demonstrate, instruct, exchange ideas, distribute literature and hold meetings, seminars and conferences related to operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. 2. Stimulate interest in operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. 3. Maintain and improve medical standards for operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery in medical schools and hospitals. 4. Maintain and improve ethics, practice, and efficiency of the medical practice pertaining to operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. 5. To improve medical surgical techniques, as well as provide information and knowledge to interested parties and governmental agencies. 6. To conduct medical research in the area of operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery and to publish medical and scientific literature pertaining to such field. 7. To share information among all surgeons and medical specialties which practice operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery. 8. To recognize individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of operative laparoscopy/endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery.

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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Expenses are high relative to revenue and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 68
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 65.8%; rating input score 66
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -17.3%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.09; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 11.7%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -11.1% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.6% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -6.6% per year; rating input score 0; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 82% of revenue deployed · 65.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 16 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $449K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $60K · 16 people listed
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 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.
  • 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 46/100.