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Animals : Wildlife Conservation

The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Saving One Animal May Not Change The World... But Surely, For That One Animal... The World Will Change Forever!

four stars

92.92

1946 County Road 53 Keenesburg, CO 80643
tel: (303) 536-0118   Web Site
EIN: 84-1351483

Board Leadership
Toni Scalera
Chair

CEO
Pat Craig
Executive Director

 
 
  Score
(out of 100) 		Rating
Overall Score & Rating 92.92 four stars
  Financial 90.00 four stars
  Accountability & Transparency 100.00 four stars
This rating was published 03/01/2020 and includes data from FY2018, the most recent 990 received at that time.
Why isn't this based on more recent data?

The Wild Animal Sanctuary was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1980, and has been operating for more than 39 years. The refuge is open to supporters daily, and is run by staff and volunteers. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is one of only a handful of true sanctuaries for abused and abandoned great cats and bears in the United States, where the animals are not bred, sold, or otherwise commercially exploited in any way. The Sanctuary is located in Colorado and utilizes more than 10,473 acres to shelter 500 lions, tigers, bears, leopards, mountain lions, wolves and other large carnivores. The Sanctuary is the largest carnivore refuge in the world, as well as the only sanctuary that provides large acreage (5 to 300 acres in size) species-specific habitats for its rescued animals. The Sanctuary also provides direct education to more than 200,000 people per year concerning the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

The Wild Animal Sanctuary was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1980, and has been operating for more than 39 years. The refuge is open to supporters daily, and is run by staff and volunteers. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is one of only a handful of true sanctuaries for abused and abandoned great cats and bears in the United States, where the animals are not bred, sold, or otherwise commercially exploited in any way. The Sanctuary is located in Colorado and utilizes more than 10,473 acres to shelter 500 lions, tigers, bears, leopards, mountain lions, wolves and other large carnivores. The Sanctuary is the largest carnivore refuge in the world, as well as the only sanctuary that provides large acreage (5 to 300 acres in size) species-specific habitats for its rescued animals. The Sanctuary also provides direct education to more than 200,000 people per year concerning the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

Impact Information

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GuideStar is Charity Navigator's trusted partner in sharing information on how this organization seeks impact.  GuideStar has recognized this organization with a Platinum Seal of Transparency for voluntarily and publicly sharing information about how they measure their progress and results.  Learn More about Impact Information.
Reported Results
Showing 3 of 19
Total in 2018
Number of animals with freedom from hunger and thirst
500
Total number of acres of area indirectly controlled under cultivation
10,473
Number of animals with freedom from discomfort
500
Total number of fields trips
147
Average number of dollars given by new donors
4,786,690
Dollars donated to support advocacy efforts
20,000,000
Number of advocate or trained spokesperson citations in the media
10
Number of audience members with favorable attitudes towards the issue or interest
1,300,000
Number of individuals attending community events or trainings
178,000
Number of invitations for advocates to speak as experts
32
Number of list subscribers
284,000
Number of outreach attempts to reporters
27
Number of overall donors
284,000
Number of curricula designed
13
Number of assessment guides accessed
4
Number of external speaking requests for members of the organization
32
Number of sector award nominations earned by the organization
3
Number of animals with freedom to express normal behavior
500
Number of individuals in the target audience that expresses intent to adopt (or continue) desired behavior
4,800
This organization has earned a GuideStar's Platinum Seal of Transparency by voluntarily sharing the measures of progress and results they use to pursue their mission. Organizations earn Platinum Seals by selecting from a catalog of over 900 expert recognized metrics or by creating a new metric that best fits their work. This information is reported by the organization and displayed publicly on their GuideStar Nonprofit Profile. With over 1.6 million Nonprofit Profiles, 9 million annual visitors and over 200 data partners, GuideStar is the world's leading source of information about nonprofit organizations. A nonprofit itself, GuideStar is dedicated to providing better data for better decisions for a better world.
This impact information is current as of January 2020, when it was provided to us by GuideStar. At this time, Impact information published on this organization's page has no effect on its rating per our methodology.

Learn more about how we calculate the overall score and rating.

Financial

four stars

90.00

Accountability & Transparency

four stars

100.00

This rating was published 03/01/2020 and includes data from FY2018, the most recent 990 received at that time.
Why isn't this based on more recent data?
Overall Rating Chart
  Program Expenses
(Percent of the charity's total expenses spent on the programs
and services it delivers)		 90.1%
  Administrative Expenses 4.4%
  Fundraising Expenses 5.4%
  Fundraising Efficiency $0.04
  Working Capital Ratio (years) 0.84
  Program Expenses Growth 20.9%
  Liabilities to Assets 50.6%
All data for Financial Performance Metrics calculations was provided by The Wild Animal Sanctuary on recent 990s filed with the IRS.
All data for Financial Performance Metrics calculations was provided by The Wild Animal Sanctuary on recent 990s filed with the IRS.
Information Provided on the Form 990  
  Independent Voting Board Members
  No Material diversion of assets
  Audited financials prepared by independent accountant
  Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From related parties
  Documents Board Meeting Minutes
  Provided copy of Form 990 to organization's governing body in advance of filing
  Conflict of Interest Policy
  Whistleblower Policy
  Records Retention and Destruction Policy
  CEO listed with salary
  Process for determining CEO compensation
  Board Listed / Board Members Not Compensated
Is the following information easily accessible on the charity's website?  
  Donor Privacy Policy
  Board Members Listed
  Audited Financials
  Form 990
  Key staff listed

Highly Rated

Charity Name & State Overall Score Overall Rating
The Wild Animal Sanctuary (CO) 92.92 four stars
Big Cat Rescue (FL) 100.00 four stars
The Wildcat Sanctuary (MN) 95.03 four stars
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust USA (CA) 91.45 four stars
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (PA) 88.64 three stars

Compare These Charities (Highly Rated)

REVENUE  
Contributions  
   Contributions, Gifts & Grants $20,434,531
   Federated Campaigns $0
   Membership Dues $0
   Fundraising Events $0
   Related Organizations $0
   Government Grants $0
Total Contributions $20,434,531
   Program Service Revenue $0
Total Primary Revenue $20,434,531
   Other Revenue $318,699
TOTAL REVENUE $20,753,230
   
EXPENSES  
   Program Expenses $16,614,479
   Administrative Expenses $1,178,372
   Fundraising Expenses $890,825
TOTAL FUNCTIONAL EXPENSES $18,683,676
   
Payments to Affiliates $0
Excess (or Deficit) for the year $2,069,554
   
Net Assets $13,249,810

Program names and associated costs are listed for the top programs as reported on the charity's most recently filed Form 990. The top programs displayed will include the largest three programs, or those programs covering at least 60% of the charity's total expenses, whichever comes first.

Program Name Amount Spent % of Program Expenses
Animal Care $12,500,362 75.2%
Public Education $3,906,810 23.5%
Animal Rescue $207,307 1.2%

Ratings History
The Wild Animal Sanctuary has received 9 consecutive 4-star ratings from Charity Navigator.

Form 990 FYE Date Published Overall Score Overall Rating
CN 2.1
2018-12 03/01/2020 92.92 four stars
2017-12 06/01/2019 92.92 four stars
2017-12 05/01/2019 92.38 four stars
2017-12 03/01/2019 91.36 four stars
2016-12 05/01/2018 92.92 four stars
2015-12 08/01/2017 94.69 four stars
2014-12 06/01/2016 94.69 four stars
 
CN 2.0
2014-12 12/22/2015 97.56 four stars
2013-12 06/01/2015 96.26 four stars
2012-12 06/01/2014 92.18 four stars
2011-12 07/01/2013 94.30 four stars
2010-12 11/06/2012 96.23 four stars
2010-12 03/01/2012 81.44 three stars

The data displayed on this tab is provided by the IRS in the form of Publication 78 and the Business Master File (BMF).

EIN 84-1351483
Name in IRS Master File THE WILD ANIMAL SANCTUARY A COLORADO NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
NTEE Code D34
NTEE Classification Wildlife Sanctuary, Refuge
NTEE Type Animal-Related
Classification Charitable Organization
Subsection 501(c)(3)  (View the list of codes)
Activities
Foundation Status Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public   170(b)(1)(A)(vi)
Deductibility Contributions are deductible
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).
Group Name [Not Applicable]
Ruling Date June, 1999
Filing Requirement 990 (all other) or 990EZ return
Fiscal Year End December
IRS Forms 990
(provided courtesy of Foundation Center)		 (Log In or Register Now to View Forms 990!)
  • December, 2017
  • December, 2016
  • December, 2015
  • December, 2014
  • December, 2013
Compensation % of Expenses Paid to Title
$258,029 1.38% Patrick L. Craig Executive Director

Highly Rated

Charity Name & State Overall Score Overall Rating
The Wild Animal Sanctuary (CO) 92.92 four stars
Big Cat Rescue (FL) 100.00 four stars
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust USA (CA) 91.45 four stars
American Eagle Foundation (TN) 97.03 four stars
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (PA) 88.64 three stars

Compare These Charities (Highly Rated)

This charity has an official representative registered with Charity Navigator.

Charity Contact Info

The Wild Animal Sanctuary
1946 County Road 53
Keenesburg, CO 80643
tel: (303) 536-0118
EIN: 84-1351483

Visit Web Site

Board Leadership

Toni Scalera
Chair

CEO

Pat Craig
Executive Director

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