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Cashiers NC | IRS ruling year: 2011 | EIN: 27-3758868
Organization Mission
The mission of Friends of Panthertown is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to enable ... (More)
The mission of Friends of Panthertown is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to enable sustainable recreation. (Less)
Ratings are calculated from one or more beacon scores. Currently, we require either an Accountability & Finance beacon or an Impact & Results beacon to be eligible for a Charity Navigator rating. Note: The absence of a rating does not indicate a positive or negative assessment; it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated this organization.
See rating report below to learn why this organization is not currently eligible.
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Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned.
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Not Currently Scored
Friends of Panthertown cannot currently be evaluated by our Accountability & Finance methodology due to only having one year of electronically-filed IRS Form 990 data.
To ensure year-to-year consistency the Encompass Rating System's Finance & Accountability beacon analyzes the three-year average of some data provided through the IRS 990.
Charity Navigator currently only has one year of consecutive e-filed Forms 990 from the IRS for Friends of Panthertown under the EIN: 27-3758868.
Before Charity Navigator can evaluate Friends of Panthertown, Friends of Panthertown will need to e-file for additional fiscal years.
No Data Available
Revenue and expense data is not available for this organization. This data is only available if this organization has at least one year of electronically-filed Form 990 data filed within the last $six years.
No Data Available
Salary data is coming soon.
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 (Friends of Panthertown) or EIN (273758868) in the 'Search Term' field.
Not Currently Scored
Friends of Panthertown 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.
Score
This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves.
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Full Credit
Partial Credit
No CreditConstituent Feedback - Data Available100/100 points Constituent Feedback - Data Available100/100 points
30% of beacon score
This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. The methodology leveraged for Constituent Feedback is based on The Core Principles of Constituent Feedback, which describes listening and responding well to feedback. Charity Navigator participates in a consortium with other feedback experts and leading nonprofit infrastructure platforms to drive Constituent Feedback's advancement, promotion, and data collection.
Who are the people you serve with your mission? Describe briefly.
Annually, more than 40,000 visitors of varied demographics explore Panthertown Valley, a backcountry recreation area within Nantahala National Forest. We serve those who visit, and we serve the 55,000+ residents of the towns adjacent to these public lands. We teach Leave No Trace and Bear Wise best practices in our community, work in partnership with our local schools and summer camps to provide stewardship education, and we work directly with youth organizations such as Boys & Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide service learning opportunities and interpretive experiences for their participants. Overall, we impact and serve tens of thousands of residents and visitors to Jackson County and Transylvania County, North Carolina each year.
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys, Community meetings or town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Suggestion box/email
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?
The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, 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?
We regularly ask the people we serve for their feedback, and we try to make it as easy as possible for them to share their feedback with us. By encouraging and enabling those we serve to be able to provide feedback we have received valuable insights into how our organization is impacting their lives. Each person who participates in any way is welcomed to be part of our work, to see how we operate, and to take co-ownership in our shared stewardship mission. This transparency and conservation culture has allowed us to work with volunteers and participants from all demographics, and incorporate the feedback we receive from them into our programs.
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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Based on feedback we received from the people we serve, we have added education as a part of our conservation mission, offered additional much needed trainings and interpretive opportunities for those we serve. We also switched from a "membership" based organization to one where all of our donors, volunteers, participants, and staff are considered to be "Friends", and are all invited to take part in our mission, including serving on our board, on our committees, and as community advisors.
Equity Practices - Data Available100/100 points Equity Practices - Data Available100/100 points
70% of beacon score
This organization's score of 100 is a passing score. The organization reported that it is implementing 14 Equity Practices.
This assessment demonstrates the importance of implementing practices that contribute positively to an organization's overall culture, both internally and with respect to community engagement. Furthermore, equity centered frameworks and similar approaches have drawn much attention from donors, experts, and sector leaders who underscore its value to the nonprofit's overall health and capacity for mission success. Currently, the Equity Strategies Checklist assessment consists of practices and policies that promote racial equity in their operations and programs (per the Equity Strategies checklist administered by Candid). As we refine our DEI assessment, Charity Navigator partners with DEI consultants and field experts to broaden and deepen this work.
| Equity Practices (7/7) | |
We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. | |
We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and/or portfolios. | |
We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization/'s programs, portfolios, and the populations served. | |
We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. | |
We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. | |
We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured | |
We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. | |
| Equity Policies and Procedures (7/7) | |
We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity. | |
We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. | |
We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization. | |
We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board. | |
We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. | |
We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. | |
We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within 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
Full CreditPartial CreditNo CreditMission 10/10 points Mission 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
The mission of Friends of Panthertown is to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to conserve Panthertown as a backcountry natural resource and to enable sustainable recreation.
Vision 10/10 points Vision 10/10 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
Protecting and maintaining Panthertown Valley
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals 20/20 points Goals 20/20 points
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Conserve & Educate – The conservation of Panthertown is our primary objective. We also educate our constituencies about Leave No Trace practices, stewardship and conservation of Panthertown.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Two: Engage Stakeholders & Enable Programs – Connect with our constituencies and provide quality education, recreation, and backcountry stewardship programs to visitors of Panthertown.
Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core.
Leadership Development 15/15 points Leadership Development 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Describe an investment in leadership
In the past 12-18 months: Our Executive Director attended and graduated from Leadership Cashiers, a regional professional development leadership training. Our Trail Stewardship Director completed a Leave No Trace Master Educator's course, Sustainable Trails leadership training. Staff have participated in Wilderness First Aid and CPR trainings.
Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points Mobilizing for Mission 15/15 points
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?
We work in collaboratively and cooperatively in partnerships with local, regional, and national organizations and agencies to accomplish our mission. We work with hundreds of volunteers each season to maintain trails in Panthertown and provide educational and recreational opportunities. Friends of Panthertown works in partnership with U.S. Forest Service, Leave No Trace, National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, American Trails, American Hiking Society, Boys & Girls Club, Mainspring Conservation Trust, and many others. Our conservation and stewardship programs are funded with the support of our donors, and by grants awarded in 2021 from our funding partners: the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Cullasaja Women’s Outreach, Cedar Creek Club, Wade Hampton Golf Club, National Environmental Education Foundation, Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Adaptability Story 30/30 points Adaptability Story 30/30 points
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Friends of Panthertown is the only organization dedicated to protecting and maintaining this special place. Our staff and volunteers work throughout the year to maintain and improve the public trail system, monitor the fragile ecosystems in Panthertown, repair bridges and structures, remove invasive species, provide public education on the Leave No Trace principles of outdoor ethics, and share about the importance of forest stewardship. With the Covid-19 pandemic, this year has found more people coming to Panthertown Valley than ever before. Visitation to Panthertown is currently at an all-time high. Unlike many natural places, recreation areas, campsites, and trails in our region, Panthertown remained open to the public throughout 2020, and has welcomed many more visitors and residents than usual this year, giving them a place to de-stress, get exercise, and experience nature in a remarkable setting. With more people in Panthertown, our work has increased exponentially. Over the past year Friends of Panthertown has provided funding and volunteers for conservation and trail maintenance projects throughout Panthertown, expanded our stewardship and Leave No Trace educational program for students aged 6-14 attending Boys & Girls Club with a hands-on service learning trail work component for older students. We have advocated for and executed many crucial trail and trailhead improvements with the U.S. Forest Service, participated as a stakeholder with the Nantahala National Forest natural resource management plan revision process, provided forest stewardship outreach and education to visitors and residents, and maintained and improved the Salt Rock Gap parking area we built closest to Cashiers’ entrance to Panthertown.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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