This is the third in a series of blogs that will look at the finances of the various environmental activist groups that are involved in lawsuits that have had and will have a profound effect on our islands.
We will look at Form 990, the form that non-profit, tax-exempt organizations must file with the Internal Revenue Service.
In these blogs, we will be all about the numbers only, such as income, expenses, salaries, and program expenses.
We will present the numbers without comment, though I?m sure many of you will find, as I have, that some of those numbers are attention getting. Others are just?.well, interesting.
The numbers is this blog don?t reflect everything on the tax return, but there will be a link to the entire Form 990 for each group if you are interested in digging further.
The first week, we looked at the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is the tie that binds the others. SELC is based in Charlottesville, Va., with an office in Chapel Hill, N.C., and is representing the other environmental groups in three major lawsuits in the federal courts that have or will affect our life and lifestyle and economy.
All three are in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. They are:
- A lawsuit Defenders of Wildlife and the National Audubon Society filed in 2011 against the National Park Service for its lack of an ORV management plan, which the groups claimed resulted in inadequate protections for nesting shorebirds and turtles. It was settled by a 2008 consent decree but is still being ?overseen? by federal Judge Terrence Boyle.
- A lawsuit that Defenders of Wildlife and the National Wildlife Refuge Association filed against the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and others to stop the plan to replace the aging Bonner Bridge over Oregon Inlet. A federal judge ruled in favor or DOT on Sept. 16. The plaintiffs have 60 days to appeal the decision. In addition, SELC, on behalf of its clients, is challenging a state-issued Major CAMA Permit in the state judicial system.
- A lawsuit in which Defenders of Wildlife and the National Parks Conservation Association are defendant-intervenors on the side of the federal government. In this case, filed in February 2012, the Cape Hatteras Preservation Alliance sued the Department of Interior, the National Park Service, and others to overturn the Park Service?s ORV plan and final rule. This case is currently also before federal Judge Terrence Boyle.
Last week, we looked at the National Audubon Society, the richest of these groups in income and the amount of assets it is sitting on.
In the coming weeks, we?ll examine the IRS returns of the National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Parks Conservation Association.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE?S 2011 FORM 990
Defenders of Wildlife is the only group that is a plaintiff in all three of the lawsuits affecting the Bonner Bridge and beach access.
With headquarters in Washington, D.C., Defenders is definitely the poor cousin of the National Audubon Society, its fellow plaintiff against the Park Service
In its latest Form 990 filing, Defenders had income of only $24.8 million, about a quarter of what Audubon took in during the same tax year — $96.2 million.
Defenders? 2011 Form 990 covers the tax year beginning Oct. 1, 2011 and ending on Sept. 30, 2012.
Here are some of the details:
Total revenue for the tax year was $24.8 million, down from $30.2 million the previous year.
Total expenses for the tax year were $27.2 million, down from $30 million the previous year.
Revenue minus expenses (what we would call profit or loss) is -$2.4 million. So Defenders has a loss for the year.
However, the group had total assets of $32.3 million and liabilities of about $10 million, so total assets or fund balances are $22.3 million.
Defenders has a board of directors of 27 people, 24 of which are independent and are not paid by the group.
The group reported 173 employees for the tax year and nine volunteers.
Some revenue details:
Revenue includes fundraising events ($158,145), government grants ($245,891), and all other contributions, gifts, grants ($23.3 million). Also listed are $190,401 in investment income and $649,109 in royalties.
Gifts, grants, contributions and membership fees for the tax years 2007-2011 totaled $137.2 million.
Endowment funds at the end of the tax year totaled $7.4 million.
Expense detail:
Compensation of officers, directors, trustees, and key employees: $1.03 million.
Other employee compensation: $8.2 million.
Pension plan contributions: $531,960.
All other employee benefits: $1.06 million.
Payroll taxes: $674,050.
Professional fundraising: $1.5 million.
Advertising and promotion: $83,208.
Office expenses: $3.9 million.
Printing and publications: $2.8 million.
Travel: $419,621.
Conferences, conventions, and meetings: $129,208.
Total lobbying expenditures: $315,055.
Total lobbying expenditures from 2008-2011: $1.8 million
A total of 19 independent contractors received more than $100,000 in compensation.
The top five independent contractors were all listed of providing services of public education and constituent development.
They are:
SCA Direct of Fairfax, Va.: $4.6 million.
Production Solutions Inc. of Vienna, Va.: $607,215.
Automated Mailing Inc. if Alexandria, Va.: $535,183.
Public Interest Communications of Falls Church Va.: $513,588.
Image Direct LLC of Frederick, Md.: $479,012.
Most highly compensated employees listed in the 2011 Form 990:
Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and chief executive officer: $330,088.
Elizabeth Christen, senior vice-president for finance and administration: $177,361.
Diane Clifford, senior vice-president for marketing and constituent development: $179,649.
Peter Tardif, vice-president for online marketing: $171,740.
Jessie Brinkley, vice-president for development: $167,447.
Robert L. Dewey, vice-president for government relations and external affairs: $165,539.
Sajjad Ahrabi, vice-president for information systems: $155,589.
Michael Senatore, vice-president for conservation law and general counsel: $154,677.
Rodger O. Schlickeisen, former president: $308,565.
Click here to see all of Defenders of Wildlife?s Form 990.
