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PO BOX 37655
Raleigh NC 27627-7655
Raleigh NC | IRS ruling year: 1986 | EIN: 58-1634155
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS IS A CITIZEN'S GROUP DEDICATED TO THE UNDERSTANDING, ENJOYMENT AND PROTECTION OF NORTH CAROLINA'S STATE PARKS. FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS SUPPORTS ... (More)
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS IS A CITIZEN'S GROUP DEDICATED TO THE UNDERSTANDING, ENJOYMENT AND PROTECTION OF NORTH CAROLINA'S STATE PARKS. FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS SUPPORTS THE MISSION OF THE NC PARKS AND RECREATION DIVISION: TO PROTECT AND MANAGE THE UNIQUE BIOLOGICAL, GEOLOGICAL, ARCHAEOLOGICAL, RECREATIONAL AND SCENIC RESOURCES OF THE STATE. FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS PROMOTES PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMMENSE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THESE NATURAL AREAS TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS OF PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. (Less)
Great
This charity's score is 100%, 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: 85% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 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 As a result, the Accountability & Finance score for Friends of State Parks Inc. is outdated and the overall rating may not be representative of its current operations.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.
Friends of State Parks Inc. has earned a 100% 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 - 15/15 - 35/35 ptsBoard Composition - 15/15 - 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 - Listed - 5/5 ptsDocument Retention and Destruction - Listed - 5/5 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 - Listed - 5/5 ptsWhistleblower Policy - Listed - 5/5 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 - 21.30% - 15/15 ptsLiabilities to Assets Ratio - 21.30% - 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 - 89.81% - 25/25 ptsProgram Expense Ratio - 89.81% - 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:
Preservation of natural resources (conservation) (BMF activity code: 350)
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 State Parks Inc.) or EIN (581634155) 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.
Friends of State Parks Inc. reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways:
Program Delivery
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially:
Park visitation was up but we were not able to provide grants for school field trips through our YIP-EE program or our Schools in Parks program.
How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs:
School field trips were cancelled
How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19:
Our board meetings were changed to virtual meetings and then hybrid meetings.
Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic:
online meetings and training
Not Currently Scored
Friends of State Parks 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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Friends of State Parks Inc. reported its three largest programs on its FY 2019 Form 990 as:
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. PROVIDES A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM TO PROMOTE THE USE, ENJOYMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE PARKS SYSTEM IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING DIRECT GRANT FUNDING TO VARIOU ... (More)
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. PROVIDES A MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM TO PROMOTE THE USE, ENJOYMENT AND PROTECTION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE PARKS SYSTEM IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING DIRECT GRANT FUNDING TO VARIOUS NORTH CAROLINA STATE PARKS, STATE AGENCIES AND SIMILAR NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT THEIR INDIVIDUAL PLANNED EVENTS AND PROJECTS. IN 2019, THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED 18 GRANTS FOR SUCH PURPOSES. (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. PROVIDES FOR THE JUNIOR RANGER AND YOUTH IN PARKS - ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (YIP-EE) PROGRAMS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN PARK EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, ENCOURAGE OUT ... (More)
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. PROVIDES FOR THE JUNIOR RANGER AND YOUTH IN PARKS - ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (YIP-EE) PROGRAMS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN PARK EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, ENCOURAGE OUTDOOR LEARNING OF GEOLOGY, ECOLOGY AND CULTURAL HISTORY, (Less)
Spent in most recent FY
Percent of program expenses
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. REPORTS AND MANAGES THE ACTIVITIES OF 16 INDIVIDUAL STATE PARK CHAPTER FUNDS, INCLUDING THOSE SUPPORTING CARVER'S CREEK, THE HAW RIVER, MORROW MOUNTAIN, AND RAVEN ROCK STA ... (More)
FRIENDS OF STATE PARKS, INC. REPORTS AND MANAGES THE ACTIVITIES OF 16 INDIVIDUAL STATE PARK CHAPTER FUNDS, INCLUDING THOSE SUPPORTING CARVER'S CREEK, THE HAW RIVER, MORROW MOUNTAIN, AND RAVEN ROCK STATE PARK. STATE PARK CHAPTERS PROVIDE FUNDING TO INDIVIDU (Less)
Friends of State Parks 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.
North Carolina State Park system, park visitors, North Carolina Schools
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
SMS text surveys, Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees
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 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?
Recently Friends of State Parks elected a new Board of Directors who are diverse and from across the state representing a variety of stakeholders and interest groups. The new FSP Board is interested intends to listen to communications and feedback.
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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to get honest feedback from our clients, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve.
Friends of State Parks recently decided to hire a communications and marketing manager to better communicate with the local groups and members who support us.
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.
Friends of State Parks Inc. has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. See the metrics below for more information.
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 CreditNot ApplicableMission - 10/10 ptsMission - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission
Mission Statement - NCFSP and its local chapters protect and care for North Carolina state parks through advocacy, support and education. Purpose - To serve the mission and needs of the North Carolina state park system as an independent, nonprofit advocate, provide support at a local level through NCFSP chapters, and act as a source of park information and environmental education to the general public.
Vision - 10/10 ptsVision - 10/10 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization’s vision.
A beautiful, healthy and accessible North Carolina state park system for the enjoyment and appreciation of all.
Source: Nonprofit submitted responses
Goals - 20/20 ptsGoals - 20/20 pts
The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals.
Goal One: Hire staff for administrative, marketing and communication, and fund development positions.
Goal Type: Invest in the capacity of our organization (financial, management, technical, etc.).
Goal Two: Leverage independent, nonprofit capabilities to address needs in areas where government action may be restricted.
Goal Type: This goal reflects our commitment to further our advocacy work for our organization and or cause area.
Goal Three: Encourage youth involvement in parks through environmental education programs.
Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.
Leadership Development - 15/15 ptsLeadership Development - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development
Key leadership goes to the National Association of Recreation and Parks conference every year. FSP leadership was instrumental in organizing the National Association of State Parks Foundations where support group leadership from around the country get together and share best practices.
Mobilizing for Mission - 15/15 ptsMobilizing for Mission - 15/15 pts
The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission.
Strategic Partnerships
Networks of Collective Impact Efforts
Thought Leadership
Raising Awareness
Community Building
Policy Advocacy
Leadership is actively involved in advocating with state and national leaders to promote the mission of state park support groups nationally. We actively engage with local support groups at NC State Parks to fund and plan events and programs. Our Facebook group page has grown significantly and Facebook marketing agencies have reached out to us for interviews on local television and print media.
Adaptability Story - 30/30 ptsAdaptability Story - 30/30 pts
The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year.
Due to Covid-19 FSP board and membership meetings were not allow to be held in State Parks, so leadership organized meetings virtually and as meeting space became limited our leadership arranged for hybrid meeting to be held. In the spring of 2020 school field trips were cancelled and state park leadership arranged for virtual field trips for schools. Leadership is currently working with UNC Chapel Hill to hold teacher training to be taught along the NC Education Curriculum. FSP will provide a stipend for each teacher to attend the training and take their school class on a field trip to a State Park. This program will have a virtual in classroom segment as well as a hands on in the park segment. This will allow environmental education to continue as public spaces open up to in person attendance.
Impact & Results
Accountability & Finance
Culture & Community
Leadership & Adaptability
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