The Charleston Parks Conservancy

What it reported doing in 2025

GARDEN EXPERIENCES: The Charleston Parks Conservancy brings its mission to life through Garden Experiences, catalyzing horticulture and gardening for connection, learning, stewardship, and community. Through Garden in the Parks and Gather & Garden, volunteers and residents actively engage in caring for, growing in, and learning in Charleston's city parks. Our Food Forests connect productive landscapes with food access, education, and ecological health. Horticultural Renovations continually renew and enhance our parks and gardens portfolio through thoughtful, resilient, environment and ecology-based design and management.(Continued on Schedule O) Together, these efforts create beautiful, welcoming, and dynamic public landscapes while empowering the community to actively participate in their care and experience the many ways gardens enrich our city and people. Events and educational activations within these spaces only further emphasize and showcase their importance, impact, and opportunities for engagement and connection. In 2025 partnering with the City of Charleston and the community we renovated Colonial Lake, one of Charleston's most precious public parks. For 2026 and and 2027 we are actively planning for and well start renovations at Hazel Parker Playground and Allan Park. VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT: The Charleston Parks Conservancy engages volunteers across the 26 parks we operate through meaningful, hands-on experiences in horticulture, community events, and other park stewardship activities. Our Conservancy Stewards are recurring, consistent volunteers who engage with us on a weekly or monthly basis, while external volunteers, including corporate and community groups, typically participate through one-time service opportunities. Together, our volunteers contribute countless hours alongside our staff each year, helping care for our parks, support community events, and strengthen the Conservancy's connection with the communities we serve.EVENTS: The Charleston Parks Conservancy hosts a variety of community, educational, and fundraising events throughout the year that create opportunities for people to experience, enjoy, and connect with Charleston's city parks. Community events activate park spaces, foster connection, and build pride and enjoyment, while fundraising events generate financial support for the Conservancy's stewardship, programming, and ongoing improvement of public parks. Collectively, the events program supports the Conservancy's mission to cultivate exceptional public gardens and experiences in Charleston's city parks.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 70.3%; rating input score 70
• Fundraising efficiency: $5.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -35.1%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.16; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.05; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 9.3%; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.9% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -1% per year; rating input score 0; 8th percentile among comparable filings