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PO BOX 662
East Aurora NY 14052-0662
East Aurora NY | IRS ruling year: 1996 | EIN: 16-1395421
EVERY LIVING THING ON OUR PLANET HAS A PURPOSE - FULFILLING THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. AT HAWK CREEK WILDLIFE CENTER, OUR MISSION IS TO EDUCATE, EMPOWER AND PRESERVE SO THA ... (More)
EVERY LIVING THING ON OUR PLANET HAS A PURPOSE - FULFILLING THE CIRCLE OF LIFE. AT HAWK CREEK WILDLIFE CENTER, OUR MISSION IS TO EDUCATE, EMPOWER AND PRESERVE SO THAT WE WILL ALL THRIVE TOGETHER. WE INSIPRE MINDS TO BECOME ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS AND CONSERVE WILDLIFE TO FULFILL THE CIRCLE OF LIFE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 91%, earning it a Four-Star rating. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence.
This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores: 95% Accountability & Finance, 5% Culture & Community. Learn more about our criteria and methodology.
We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charity’s success. The percentage each beacon contributes to the organization’s overall rating depends on the number of beacons an organization has earned.
Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have.
Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. has earned a 90% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2019, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Not ApplicableBoard Composition - 18/18 - 35/35 ptsBoard Composition - 18/18 - 35/35 pts
Charity Navigator looks for at least 3 board members, with more than 50% of those members identified as independent (not salaried).
The presence of an independent governing body is strongly recommended by many industry professionals to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters.
Source: IRS Form 990
Independent Audit or Financial Review - N/A - 0/0 ptsIndependent Audit or Financial Review - N/A - 0/0 pts
An Audit, Review, or Compilation provides important information about financial accountability and accuracy. Organizations are scored based on their Total Revenue Amount:
| Total Revenue Amount | Expectation to Receive Credit |
|---|---|
| $1 million or higher | Expected to complete an audit |
| $500,000 - $1 million | Expected to complete an audit, review, or compilation |
| Less than $500,000 | No expectation (removed from scoring methodology) |
Source: IRS Form 990
Conflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 5/5 ptsConflict of Interest Policy - Listed - 5/5 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy protects the organization and by extension those it serves, when it is considering entering into a transaction that may benefit the private interest of an officer, director and/or key employee of the organization.
Source: IRS Form 990
Board Meeting Minutes - Documented - 5/5 ptsBoard Meeting Minutes - Documented - 5/5 pts
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990 that the organization has this process in place as an accountability and transparency measure.
An official record of the events that take place during a board meeting ensures that a contemporaneous document exists for future reference.
Source: IRS Form 990
Document Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/5 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Missing - 0/5 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy establishes guidelines for the handling, backing up, archiving and destruction of documents. These guidelines foster good record keeping procedures that promote data integrity.
Source: IRS Form 990
Whistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/5 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Missing - 0/5 pts
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency measure.
This policy outlines procedures for handling employee complaints, as well as a confidential way for employees to report financial or other types of mismanagement.
Source: IRS Form 990
Website - Listed - 5/5 ptsWebsite - Listed - 5/5 pts
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the Form 990 as an accountability and transparency metric.
Nonprofits act in the public trust and reporting publicly on activities is an important component.
Source: IRS Form 990
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 6.54% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 6.54% - 15/15 pts
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization’s solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
| Liabilities to Assets Ratio | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| Less than 50% | Full Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Partial Credit |
| 60% or more | No Credit |
Source: IRS Form 990
Program Expense Ratio - 88.97% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 88.97% - 25/25 pts
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
| Program Expense Percentage | Amount of Credit Received |
|---|---|
| 70% or higher | Full Credit |
| 60% - 69.9% | Partial Credit |
| 50% - 59.9% | Zero Points for Program Expense Score |
| Below 50% | Zero Points for Both Program Expense AND Liabilities to Assets Scores |
Source: IRS Form 990
This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990.
Presented here are up to five of this organization's highest compensated employees. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses, and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2019
Below are some key data points from the Exempt Organization IRS Business Master File (BMF) for this organization. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website
Activities:
Wildlife sanctuary or refuge (BMF activity code: 355)
Foundation Status:
Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15)
Affiliation:
Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). (BMF affiliation code: 3)
The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. We leverage finance and accountability data from it to form Encompass ratings. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). Simply enter the organization's name (Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc.) or EIN (161395421) in the 'Search Term' field.
This organization was impacted by COVID-19 in a way that effected their financial health in 2020. This normally would have reduced their star rating. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. Charities may submit their own pandemic responses through their nonprofit portal.
Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
Fundraising Capacity
Revenue
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Onsite events, offiste events, our retail store, educational programs, civic exhibits, the New York State Fair and festivals, and all other opportunities for contact with the public were cancelled resulting in 50% loss of revenue. Donations also decreased due to financial stress on individuals. Volunteerism also dropped which resulted in an added strain on our small staff. We received a PPP loan and took out a small business loan so we were able to maintain a full staff.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
Due to lock downs, social distancing, and the health of our animal collection that can contract COVID, in-person programming was ceased. In 2021 we designed smaller programs that could accommodate social distancing restrictions to protect our visitors, our staff, and our animals. We created free online programs to continue education during this time. We are now functioning and available for all programming and events onsite, however some offsite functions that we regularly attended are not. The reduced number of offsite programs are still impacting us financially.
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
We implemented free virtual programming to continue our mission of educating others during the pandemic, particularly for children that would not have had access to our programs during that period of time. These programs were so well-received by those that were housebound that we did as many as we could with our limited staff. We also increased onsite experiences for small groups or families to facilitate meaningful connections with animals.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
We re-formatted a few events to encourage social distancing with spread-out flight demos instead of our established flying bird shows. These were successful and well-received so we are continuing to utilize those in our programming along with the shows. Animal experiences onsite have also seen continued success.
Not Currently Scored
Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. reported its largest program on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS- THROUGH OVER 2500 EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND 500 ANIMAL PATIENTS EACH YEAR, HAWK CREEK RECONNECTS HUMANS TO THE NATURAL WORLD AND INSPIRES AN APPRECIATION OF NATURE. HAWK CREEK PUTS ... (More)
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS- THROUGH OVER 2500 EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND 500 ANIMAL PATIENTS EACH YEAR, HAWK CREEK RECONNECTS HUMANS TO THE NATURAL WORLD AND INSPIRES AN APPRECIATION OF NATURE. HAWK CREEK PUTS THE WILD IN WILDLIFE EDUCATION. OUR KNOWLEDGE, PROFESSIONAL, AND PASSIONATE STAFF WILL ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE THROUGH CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH REAL LIVE ANIMALS. NOTHING HAS A GREATER IMPACT THAN THE SIGHT OF A GREAT HORNED OWL OR RED-TAILED HAWK JUST FEET AWAY. A FULLY LICENSED AND INSURED FACILITY, ALL EDUCATIONAL AMBASSADORS ARE ISSUED A YEARLY HEALTH CERTIFICATE BY A QUALIFIED VETERNARIAN. (Less)
Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. has earned a 100% for the Culture & Community beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditNot ApplicableConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 ptsConstituent Feedback - Data Available - 100/100 pts
100% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations that engage in inclusive practices, such as collecting feedback from the people and communities they serve, may be more effective.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
We primarily serve the community of WNY through school programs and onsite events. Through the New York State Fair and our online presence we also educate people throughout the state, country, and worldwide. We aim to serve people of all backgrounds, races, economic status, and ages.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Suggestion box/email, Other means
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve?
Our staff, Our board, Our community partners
How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them?
One group of people that we serve is our own volunteers. By asking for feedback and gathering information on the value that they find in tasks, we are able to strengthen our relationship and foster relationships with dedicated volunteers for years.
What challenges does your organization face in collecting feedback from the people you serve?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don't have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
We implemented new programs and ideas due to pandemic restrictions that were meant to be temporary but were met with such positive feedback those programs have continued even after restrictions were lifted.
Equity Practices - No Data Available - UnscoredEquity Practices - No Data Available - Unscored
This organization has not provided information regarding the Equity Practices it is presently implementing. As such, the organization has not earned a score on this metric. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness.
Hawk Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Leadership & Adaptability methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes.
Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization.
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Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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