Wild Things Unlimited
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 810514851
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2013
- Forms available
- Form 990 2013, Form 990-EZ 2012
- Location
- Bozeman, MT, USA
- Phone
- 4065229825
- Rating
- 62
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Research Institutes and/or Public Policy Analysis
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $257,505
- Expenses
- $198,838
- Assets
- $71,174
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
8 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BILL BIERER (PRESIDENT)
- ELIZABETH ROBINSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- ELIZABETH ROBINSON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $38,736 total reported compensation
- STEVE GEHMAN (PROGRAM DIRECTOR): $38,736 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2013. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The purpose of wild things unlimited is to increase the effectiveness of wildlife and habitat management in the rocky mountains through two campaigns: 1.conducting vital wildlife research that is not being accomplished in a comprehensive manner by government agencies or private entities, and 2.increasing the public's awareness of and participation in natural resource issues through education and outreach programs that provide individuals with a greater connection to the natural world.
What it reported doing in 2013
Education: this is an on-going effort to educate the general public about wildlife and to involve the public in helping to locate wildlife species and collect information while people are out recreating. This year consisted of teaching 10 citizen science workshops to teach people how to look for animal sign, and record and then report their sightings on our web site. We also conducted several slide programs around the region in several schools and organizations, teaching people the importance of wildlife and of landscape corridors to allow animals to move around.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
- 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 total spending goes to programs and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 65
- Transparency & Controls: 55
- Accountability: 72
- Sustainability: 55
- Growth: 40
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 57.2%; rating input score 57
- Program expense ratio: 74%; rating input score 74
- Fundraising efficiency: $39.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 76; 76th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: Limited
- Foreign activity oversight: Scored; rating input score 0
- Grant itemization coverage: Scored; rating input score 0
- 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: 3 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 33
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 22.8%; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.36; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 39%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: Limited
- Revenue growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: -12.6% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 57.2% of revenue deployed · 74% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 3 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $147K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $39K · 8 people listed
- Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and foreign activity
- 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.
Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight scored 0/100.
- High — Transparency & Controls: Grant itemization coverage scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 5 of 8 not reported.
- High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 20/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.
- High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.