Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
EIN: 66-0463113
Mission
The Friends of Virgin Islands National Park is dedicated to the protection and preservation of the natural and cultural resources of Virgin Islands National Park and promotes the responsible enjoyment of this unique national treasure.
Ruling year
1991
Principal Officer
Ms. Tonia Lovejoy
Main address
PO Box 811
St. John, VI 00831 USA
EIN
66-0463113
Parks
Natural history museums
Environment
Cultural awareness
Population served
Ethnic and racial groups
NTEE code
Environmental Quality, Protection, and Beautification N.E.C. (C99)
Natural History, Natural Science Museums (A56)
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs (C60)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Protecting and conserving the cultural and natural resources of the Virgin Islands National Park for generations to come.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Protecting Cultural and Natural Resources
Friends of V.I. National Park's programs include the funding and management of projects and activities that further protection of natural resources, preservation of cultural resources and enhancement of cultural awareness. Examples include sponsorship of major pre-Columbian archeology dig at Cinnamon Bay, St. John, the site of a Taino Indian village; installation of 200 boat moorings in Park waters to eliminate damage to coral reefs from boat anchors; raise funds to purchase in-holdings of private property within the borders of the national park, which are threatened with development; sponsor environmental education camps for youth; and, conduct seminars in natural and cultural history, in areas such as marine biology, coastal ecology, archeology, botany, astronomy, and West Indian history.
Natural Resource Protection
Includes construction of handicap-accessible trails, repair and maintenance of hiking trails, installation of boat moorings
Cultural Resource Preservation
Includes archelogical research, historic building stabilization, development of museum displays and exhibits, and cultural presentations
Environmental Education
Program focuses on getting school children into the park on ranger-led activities, providing an environmentally focused summer camp experience for children and providing university scholarships for those studying the natural sciences.
Trails Program
The Virgin Islands National Park Trails Program managed and funded by Friends of Virgin
Islands National Park runs annually from November to August and is essential to
keeping the Park accessible and safe. The program aims to protect natural and cultural
resources by maintaining all 27 miles of hiking trails and over 30 historic sites in the park,
restoring native plants, and removing trash and debris. This year, the program included 411
volunteers, who contributed 5,033 hours of labor towards the improvement of Virgin
Islands National Park with additional hours contributed by the Summer Trail Crew youth
program.
School Kids in the Park
The School Kids In The Park (SKIP) program aims to encourage educators to utilize the Park as a “living classroom” by facilitating visits to the Park and working to remove barriers that may limit students' participation like transportation costs. These trips to the Park offer options for your class to explore and learn in the park and include beach talks about sea turtles, visits to the Annaberg historic district, bird walks, nature and plant walks, and hiking the National Park Service Network to Freedom trail in Leinster Bay.
Following best practices in STEM education, SKIP is structured to offer interactive learning experiences that build cognitive development, critical thinking, math and science skills. The program aims to encourage empathy for plant and animal life and promote environmental stewardship and community engagement.
Iconic Sea Turtle Protection
The Virgin Islands National Park Sea Turtle Monitoring and Protection Program aims to protect sea turtle nests, facilitate research projects, and spread awareness of sea turtle conservation in Virgin Islands National Park and its surrounding waters including the Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. The program funded by Friends of Virgin Islands National Park is managed by Program Managers, Willow Melamet and Katie Ayres working with Park Rangers and a team of some 90 volunteers. Work encompasses:
Nest Protection - Nests are protected and monitored throughout incubation and excavated upon emergence. Hatchlings found during excavations are released to the ocean.
Volunteer Beach Monitoring - Volunteers walk assigned beaches from June to November looking for signs of sea turtle nesting activity.
Research - Independent research as well as collaborations with other programs and institutions help us gain a better understanding of the sea turtles utilizing the waters and beaches o
Where we work
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
School Kids in the Park
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Friends assists and advises the National Park Service in assuring the Park's unique terrestrial and marine resources are protected, the Virgin Island's cultural treasures in the Park are preserved, and visitors and community are connected to their Park through volunteerism, education, and advocacy.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
By advancing partnerships with governmental, university, and other NGOs, we will expand marine ecosystem research, protection, restoration, and enforcement programming. We can offer facilitation and thought leadership supported by science, convening capacity and fundraising experience.
By using our network of relationships inside and outside our community, we will broaden the constituency for marine education and conservation and will help motivate the next generation of environmental stewards.
Building on more than three decades of accumulated knowledge and program development and implementation experience in the Park, we will improve current programs to ensure they continue to be as efficient and effective as possible. While we are sustaining and improving current programs to provide critical stability and optimized impacts, we will develop new initiatives to bring lessons learned to bear on new areas of need.
By exploring and considering new opportunities, we will enhance our mission impact, drive innovation, and promote continuous improvement. By embracing a culture of exploration and experimentation, we can continuously learn, evaluate, and improve operations, programs, and sustainability.
Protecting and preserving the terrestrial assets in the Park is essential for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, cultural heritage, recreation and climate resilience, ensuring the sustainability and well- being of both natural ecosystems and human communities.
By connecting and inspiring people to the Park we can promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the importance of protecting these precious ecosystems for future generations.
By strengthening and sustaining terrestrial assets in the Park, these efforts will contribute to the long-term sustainability and well-being of both the Park and surrounding ecosystems.
By being a nimble and dynamic organization we can further safeguard the unique biodiversity, ecological resilience, cultural heritage and recreational opportunities for current and future generations. These efforts can contribute to long-term sustainability amid evolving environmental changes.
By leveraging the strengths of local communities and cultural traditions we believe partnership with the Park would benefit from enhanced conservation outcomes, deeper connections between people and the natural world. Collaboration, creativity, education, and inclusivity are essential for realizing a shared vision of sustainable conservation and cultural heritage preservation in the Park.
Building relationships, creating opportunities for education, valuing local knowledge and traditions is integral to protecting the long term success of a cherished landscape that benefits both nature and people.
By investing in and fostering cultural continuity, community cohesion, environmental stewardship and youth leadership capacity we will help secure long-term sustainability, relevance and resilience for
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
45.28
Months of cash in 2022 info
7.2
Fringe rate in 2022 info
22%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitionsFiscal Year: Oct 01 - Sep 30
This snapshot of Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$1,400,309 | $173,897 | $116,691 | $489,653 | -$275,732 |
| As % of expenses | -122.8% | 13.8% | 10.1% | 45.8% | -19.2% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$1,407,952 | $169,138 | $112,586 | $487,294 | -$276,135 |
| As % of expenses | -122.6% | 13.4% | 9.8% | 45.5% | -19.2% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,245,558 | $993,631 | $1,343,148 | $1,831,236 | $1,795,739 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -53.9% | -20.2% | 35.2% | 36.3% | -1.9% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 1.4% | 5.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| Membership dues | 3.5% | 4.8% | 4.5% | 1.6% | 1.7% |
| Investment income | 5.8% | 14.1% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 6.3% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 90.2% | 93.6% | 84.7% | 82.5% | 83.9% |
| Other revenue | 0.5% | -13.8% | 0.8% | 11.4% | 7.7% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,140,426 | $1,259,151 | $1,149,918 | $1,068,115 | $1,435,092 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 9.3% | 10.4% | -8.7% | -7.1% | 34.4% |
| Personnel | 57.0% | 45.3% | 54.7% | 54.6% | 39.8% |
| Professional fees | 5.2% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 9.2% | 7.1% |
| Occupancy | 1.9% | 2.5% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 2.4% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Pass-through | 0.3% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 5.2% | 4.2% |
| All other expenses | 35.6% | 46.1% | 33.8% | 27.8% | 46.4% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,148,069 | $1,263,910 | $1,154,023 | $1,070,474 | $1,435,495 |
| One month of savings | $95,036 | $104,929 | $95,827 | $89,010 | $119,591 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1 | $146,782 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,243,105 | $1,368,839 | $1,249,850 | $1,159,485 | $1,701,868 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 5.0 | 3.2 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 7.2 |
| Months of cash and investments | 32.3 | 26.3 | 31.8 | 45.7 | 30.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 12.7 | 13.2 | 15.7 | 22.4 | 14.3 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $479,553 | $335,638 | $775,410 | $589,076 | $860,201 |
| Investments | $2,589,325 | $2,423,477 | $2,272,712 | $3,483,079 | $2,770,116 |
| Receivables | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $65,000 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $1,471,762 | $1,467,865 | $1,467,865 | $1,467,865 | $1,467,865 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 2.4% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.1% | 0.2% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 1.5% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $2,646,783 | $2,815,921 | $2,928,507 | $3,415,801 | $3,139,666 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $1,961,390 | $1,464,179 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $1,961,390 | $1,464,179 | $1,475,691 | $1,918,284 | $2,003,496 |
| Total net assets | $4,608,173 | $4,280,100 | $4,404,198 | $5,334,085 | $5,143,162 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Principal Officer
Ms. Tonia Lovejoy
Tonia Lovejoy happily joined the Friends in 2016 as Director of Development bringing with her a wealth of experience in nonprofit business development. She has been the Executive Director since October 2021 and is dedicated to growing Friends endeavors on St. John, and fostering the next generation of conservationists! Tonia's introduction to St. John and the park were from the vantage of the sea aboard a sailing vessel and she can still be found on the water whenever possible.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park
Board of directorsas of 08/30/2024
Board of directors data
Audrey Penn
Cruz Bay Watersports
Miles Stair
None
John Fuller
None
Andy Rutnik
None
Curtis Penn
None
Rafe Boulon
Lila Uzzell
Lani Clark
Shakima Jones-Sprauve
Paul Jobsis
Tammy Donnelly
David DiGiacomo
Adrian Davis
Audrey Penn
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/02/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- 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.
- 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.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingGuideStar Pro Reports
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- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2022, 2021, 2020
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