Thunderbirds Charities

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
860560664
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Phoenix, AZ, USA
Phone
6028700163
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Public Foundations

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,425,404
Expenses
$11,107,530
Assets
$11,267,028
Liabilities
$1,749

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

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GEORGE THIMSEN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • CHANCE COZBY (EXEC. DIRECTOR): $768,259 total reported compensation
  • MICHELLE SIMPSON (CFO): $380,279 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 thunderbirds charities corporation conducts business in the state of Arizona serving as the host organization for the pga tour event that is conducted annually in the phoenix metropolitan area, and through donations to Arizona based organizations, (cont'd sched o) providing assistance to families, children, and others in need and improving the overall quality of life of Arizona's communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

In addition to the contributions the organization made through the birdies for charity program, described below, thunderbirds charities made total contributions in the amount of $9,620,500 to various 501(c)(3) organizations. The following is a summary of the different types of organizations and the total donations made to each of the five different categories: 1) community outreach/quality of life: total awards $1,118,500; 3 organizations received a total of $535,000 for capital projects and 18 organizations received a total of $583,500 for program funding. (cont'd on sch o)2) at-risk youth & families: total awards $3,195,000; 2 organizations received a total of $370,000 for capital projects and 36 organizations received a total of $2,825,000 for program funding. 3) domestic violence/homeless/poverty: total awards $2,155,000; 20 organizations received a total of $2,155,000 for program funding. 4) education: total awards $1,190,000; 1 organization received a total of $500,000 for capital projects and 21 organizations received a total of $690,000 for program funding. 5) improving the lives of the physically & mentally challenged: total awards $1,962,000; 2 organizations received a total of $400,000 for capital projects and 23 organizations received a total $1,562,000 for program funding.

Operating model

Revenue model
Affiliate-supported. 88% of the money available for current operations came from contributions from related organizations.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 98
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 96.5%; rating input score 97
  • Program expense ratio: 99.3%; rating input score 99
  • Fundraising efficiency: $1,562.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.5%; rating input score 100; 34th 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 2.8%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.01; rating input score 37; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 97; 97th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 96.5% of revenue deployed · 99.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $11M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $768K · 17 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 19 of 19 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 150 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 152 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.

  • High — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 37/100.