Zoological Society of New Jersey Inc.
Zoological Society of New Jersey Inc.
West Orange NJ | IRS ruling year: 1978 | EIN: 22-2137384
Organization Mission
PROMOTE ESSEX COUNTY TURTLE BACK ZOO THROUGH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH.
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West Orange NJ | IRS ruling year: 1978 | EIN: 22-2137384
Organization Mission
PROMOTE ESSEX COUNTY TURTLE BACK ZOO THROUGH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH.
Great
This charity's score is 96%, 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, weighted as follows: 90% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability. 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.
Charity Navigator's ratings previously did not consider Leadership & Adaptability, Culture & Community, or Impact & Results. The historic rating mainly reflects a version of today’s Accountability and Finance score. More information on our previous rating methodologies can be found on our rating methodology page.
Rating histories are available for a growing number of rated organizations. Check back later to see if this organization has a rating history!
Score
Most Recent Fiscal Year:
FY 2022
This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies.
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Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. We check to see that a majority of board members are identified as independent on their tax form.
Source: IRS Form 990
Industry professionals strongly recommend an independent governing body to allow for full deliberation and diversity of thinking on governance and other organizational matters. For most organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least three independent board members. For large, donor-funded organizations, we check to see if the organization has at least five independent board members
Source: IRS Form 990
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 |
$2 million or higher and 40% or higher donor support | Expected to complete an audit and have an audit oversight committee |
$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
A diversion of assets — any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft — also can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. We review the charity's most recent IRS Form 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
Source: IRS Form 990
Charity Navigator looks for a website on the IRS 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
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a conflict of interest policy on the IRS 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
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a whistleblower policy per the IRS 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
Charity Navigator looks for the existence of a document retention and destruction policy per the IRS 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
Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the IRS 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
For almost all charities, we check the charity's IRS Form 990 to see if it discloses that the Form 990 is available on the charity's website. As with the audited financial statement, donors need easy access to this financial report to help determine if the organization is managing its financial resources well.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent IRS Form 990). This ratio is an indicator of an organization's solvency and/or long-term sustainability.
Source: IRS Form 990
The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three IRS Forms 990). This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver.
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
Adam Kerins, Executive Dir.
$131,938
Adam Olszowy, Vice President
Compensation not entered
Kerri Levine, Trustee
Compensation not entered
Kevin Coyne, Treasurer
Compensation not entered
Jason Young, Secretary
Compensation not entered
Source: IRS Form 990 (page 7), filing year 2022
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
Foundation Status:
Organization that normally receives no more than one-third of its support from gross investment income and unrelated business income and at the same time more than one-third of its support from contributions, fees, and gross receipts related to exempt purposes. 509(a)(2) (BMF foundation code: 16)
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 (Zoological Society of New Jersey Inc.) or EIN (222137384) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Zoological Society of New Jersey 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.
Not Currently Scored
Zoological Society of New Jersey Inc. cannot currently be evaluated by our Culture & Community methodology because we have not received data from the charity regarding its Constituent Feedback or Equity Practices strategies.
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.
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's leadership capacity, strategic thinking and planning, and ability to innovate or respond to changes in constituent demand/need or other relevant social and economic conditions to achieve the organization's mission.
Learn more
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
PROMOTE ESSEX COUNTY TURTLE BACK ZOO THROUGH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH.
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Safeguarding wildlife by inspiring the public’s interest in wildlife conservation, and leading by ex
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Collaborate with Turtle Back Zoo to provide enriching experiences to visitors, engaging them on wildlife education & conservation issues and inspiring them towards stewardship of wildlife & nature.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: Stimulate the public’s interest in the growth, improvement, and development of Turtle Back Zoo, via education and via the opportunities and services provided by our membership program.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Goal Three: Maintain/expand our Zoo Team Go Conservation Fieldwork Program, which addresses conservation needs in local communities, protecting/preserving local environments via cleanups by volunteers & staff.
Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
The Zoological Society of New Jersey participates in a justice equity Diversity and Inclusion Committee; in addition, the Society seeds a professional development fund for Zoological Society employees to pursue education and leadership opportunities.
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Strategic Partnerships
Raising Awareness
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
All activities of the Z. Society are dictated by a commitment to the mission of the organization. In our focus towards our ideals of conservation, education and inspiration, we have worked with several conservation partners to achieve our goals. Additionally, we use the power of the Zoo's advocates to support our efforts in raising awareness of our mission; we use marketing to spread awareness of the need for wildlife conservation.
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
With less revenue coming in as a result of the pandemic, the Zoological Society of New Jersey has had to do more activities as a result of restrictions on visitor capacity -- we have had to step up our fundraising and grant seeking efforts.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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