The Merwin Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 270444223
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2014
- Forms available
- Form 990 2014
- Location
- Haiku, HI, USA
- Phone
- 8085798876
- Rating
- 58
- Verdict
- MIXED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Botanical Gardens, Arboreta and Botanical Organizations
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $517,642
- Expenses
- $182,510
- Assets
- $534,805
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
11 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- JASON DENHART (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- KAREN BOURIS (CULTURAL DIRECTOR): $42,900 total reported compensation
- JASON DENHART (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $42,768 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2014. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To hold, manage, preserve, promote the use of, and retain the essential
What it reported doing in 2014
The documenting, cataloging, digitization, management and maintenance of a botanical catalog of nearly 3,000 palm trees, over 125 palm genera, over 480 palm species and over 800 horticultural varieties located upon the merwin's 18-acre haiku, maui, hawai'i property. The chronicles rendered by this project are available to botanists, horticulturalists and scientists worldwide for further study and critique of the palm species and this unique ecosystem.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 97% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- 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
MIXED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 17
- Transparency & Controls: 100
- Accountability: 84
- Sustainability: 79
- Growth: NotEnoughData
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 11.4%; rating input score 11
- Program expense ratio: 32.4%; rating input score 32
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 62
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Pass
- Other executive compensation review process: Limited
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 64.7%; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.93; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 46.9%; rating input score 2; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: Limited
- Asset growth: Limited
Details
- Where the money goes: 11.4% of revenue deployed · 32.4% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 7 of 7 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $59K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $43K · 11 people listed
- Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
Key Signals
Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 11/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 32/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 2/100.