Species360

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411637575
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Minneapolis, MN, USA
Phone
9522238030
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,510,799
Expenses
$7,851,477
Assets
$9,220,882
Liabilities
$4,328,059

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

Leadership & pay

25 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JIM GUENTER (CEO, EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEE)

Highest reported compensation

  • JIM GUENTER (CEO, EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEE): $477,835 total reported compensation
  • CLINT PIDLUBNY (DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY): $292,016 total reported compensation
  • SANDRA TRAUTWEIN (DIRECTOR OF AQUATICS CONSE): $195,779 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Species360 is a global nonprofit organization that provides integrated information services to zoological institutions worldwide. Through its platforms, the species360 zoological information management system (zims) and the species conservation toolkit initiative (scti), species360 supports over 1,300 zoological institutions in managing animal records, veterinary medical data, collection planning, population management, and conservation science. As the steward of the world's largest shared knowledge database on animals in human care, containing data on more than 13.8 million animals across 26,000 species, species360 empowers its members to make informed decisions that advance animal care, population management, and conservation outcomes. Its tools are used daily by conservation professionals, wildlife managers, and researchers to support evidence-based practices in zoos, aquariums, and field conservation programs around the world. The species conservation toolkit initiative (s

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024, species360 continued to serve as a global leader in conservation data management, supporting over 1,300 zoos, aquariums, and wildlife institutions across more than 100 countries. Through its flagship platform, the zoological information management system (zims), species360 enabled members to record and analyze data on over 10 million animals, advancing best practices in animal care, veterinary medicine, and population management. The organization expanded its impact through the species conservation toolkit initiative (scti), providing tools like pmx and vortex to support conservation breeding and population viability analysis. The conservation science alliance (csa) further strengthened species360's role in research, collaborating with global partners to apply aggregated data to pressing conservation questions, including illegal wildlife trade and species risk assessments. Species360 also enhanced its medical and husbandry modules, supported aquatic and botanical data initiatives, and promoted data-driven decision-making through the species360 insights program. These efforts were underpinned by a commitment to collaboration, transparency, and innovation, ensuring that the world's largest wildlife data resource continues to inform and empower animal welfare and conservation action worldwide.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 91% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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 - 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: 69
  • Transparency & Controls: 48
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 26
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 77.3%; rating input score 77
  • Program expense ratio: 76.9%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $2.12 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 17th 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: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
  • Grant itemization coverage: 0%; rating input score 0; 6th 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: 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: -4.5%; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.17; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.47; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 27.9%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.9% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -0.3% per year; rating input score 0; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 77.3% of revenue deployed · 76.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $478K · 25 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 2 contractors listed · $694K reported
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 10 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 5/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 21/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 43/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 23/100.