The Zoological Society of the Palm Beaches Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
591259270
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Phone
5615330887
Rating
76
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Zoo, Zoological Society

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$26,669,019
Expenses
$14,594,913
Assets
$68,182,329
Liabilities
$3,031,712

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MARGO MCKNIGHT (PRESIDENT/CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • MARGO MCKNIGHT (PRESIDENT/CEO): $257,907 total reported compensation
  • KATHLEEN BRELAND (CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $185,864 total reported compensation
  • CASEY COY (CHIEF OPERATING & SECURITY OFFICER): $157,517 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The zoological society of the palm beaches, inc. Exists to inspire people to act on behalf of wildlife and the natural world. We advance our conservation mission through endangered species propagation, education and support of conservation initiatives in the field. Our commitment to sustainable business practices elevates our capacity to inspire others.

What it reported doing in 2024

Conservation programs: the zoo is committed to conservation of animals in the wild and their homes in the wild. We participate in projects in the field that align with our mission by providing monetary support to other conservation organizations through our grant program as well as performing hands on conservation work both within our local community as well as other wild areas of the world. These programs include support of avian research & conservation institute's swallow tail kite and snail kite programs and the belize zoo & tropical education center's jaguar conservation programs.our staff works directly in our community in conservation programs including the swallow tail kite and snail kite programs in association with palm beach county's department of environmental protection, coral monitoring off the east coast of Florida in cooperation with the Florida wildlife commission and shedd aquarium, citizen science programs including frog watch and other smaller programs that are saving wildlife.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 66% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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

SUPPORTED - 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 82
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 45.6%; rating input score 46
  • Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $13.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 94.4%; rating input score 94; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Limited
    • Conducts field audits: Limited
    • May suspend future funding: Limited
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Pass
    • Requires grant agreements: Limited
    • May require repayment: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 66th 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: 45.3%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.67; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.4%; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 9.6% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 1.8% per year; rating input score 100; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 45.6% of revenue deployed · 78.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $11.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $258K · 24 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $107K reported
  • Consistency: 40 of 41 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 11 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 4 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 34/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.