Ontario Nature

214 King Street West, Suite 612
Toronto, ON M5H 3S6
Executive Director: Caroline Shultz
President: Kevin Thomason

Website: www.ontarionature.org
Charitable Reg. #: 10737 8952 RR0001

Sector: Environment

Operating Charity

Charity Rating

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Donor Accountability

Grade: B

The grade is based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

Financial Transparency

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity's website [ Audited financial statement for most recent year ]

Need for Funding

Funding Reserves Program Costs

Spending Breakdown

Cents to The Cause

♦	♦	♦
			95¢



			75¢
			avg
			65¢


			50¢

2014	2015	2016

For a dollar donated, cents funding the cause after fundraising and admin costs, excluding surplus.

Full-time staff #19

Avg. Compensation $56,675

Top 10 Staff Salary Range

$350k +	0
$300k - $350k	0
$250k - $300k	0
$200k - $250k	0
$160k - $200k	0
$120k - $160k	1
$80k - $120k	2
$40k - $80k	7
< $40k	0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2016

About Ontario Nature:

Founded in 1931, Ontario Nature protects wildlife and wild spaces in Ontario. It has a Nature Network of 150 Ontario conservation groups that help with the charity’s conservation and research projects. Ontario Nature has three core programs: habitat & species conservation, conservation education and public engagement. The charity also advocates for environmental law and policy changes to increase the level of land and wildlife protection in Ontario. Ontario Nature’s current conservation campaigns include improving the Endangered Species Act, reducing bird mortality due to glass window collisions, increasing protection of the Great Boreal Forest (only 12% is currently protected in Ontario), and restoring Ontario’s wetlands.

Ontario Nature’s conservation activities include a Nature Reserves program that protects Ontario’s vulnerable habitats based on the charity’s protection priorities. Ontario Nature currently maintains 25 reserves with this program, protecting 2,939 hectares of land. In 2016, Ontario nature surveyed over 1,000 hectares of land across 13 of its nature reserves and found 22 species at risk. The charity also blazed 1.6km of sustainable hiking trails at Reilly Bird and increased the size of Kinghurst Forest by 16.5 hectares. The charity’s Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas (ORAA) project tracks distributions of reptiles and amphibians in the province over time to gain greater knowledge on the animal populations. In 2016 Ontario Nature received 25,522 submissions related to reptile observations, bringing the cumulative total to over 350,000.

Ontario Nature’s Education programming explains the importance of nature conservation in Ontario to the public. Included is its Nature Guardians program, which educates Ontario youth aged 5 to 18 through hands-on conservation activities. Nature Guardians activities are guided by a Youth Council, which consists of 70 teens and represents the largest youth group that the charity has ever had.

Ontario Nature’s public engagement program connects people with nature by supporting local conservation groups and distributing educational materials such as its ON Nature magazine. The magazine’s publication expenses accounted for 12% of total program costs in F2016.

Financial Review:

Ontario Nature is a medium-sized charity with total donations of $2.4m in F2016. Administrative costs are 11% of revenues and fundraising costs are 17% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.72 goes towards its programs, which falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Ontario Nature’s funding reserves of $2.3m can cover annual program costs for 1.4 years.

Ontario Nature uses external fundraisers as part of its fundraising activities. The charity reports spending $4k on external fundraisers that raised $13k in F2016, producing an external fundraising cost ratio of 31%.

This charity report is an update that is currently being reviewed by Ontario Nature. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 20, 2017 by Katie Khodawandi.

Financial Ratios Fiscal year ending February	2016	2015	2014
Administrative costs as % of revenues	10.8%	11.2%	14.5%
Fundraising costs as % of donations	17.0%	18.9%	20.6%
Program cost coverage (%)	141.9%	123.0%	166.9%

Summary Financial Statements All figures in $s	2016	2015	2014
Donations	2,355,528	2,268,488	1,964,082
Goods in kind	200,000	220,000	0
Fees for service	135,251	167,713	156,924
Investment income	(78,041)	240,521	299,971
Other income	40,110	19,562	36,254
Total revenues	2,652,848	2,916,284	2,457,231
Program costs	1,656,178	1,944,716	1,649,783
Administrative costs	294,273	299,262	313,288
Fundraising costs	399,870	427,741	405,289
Cash flow from operations	302,527	244,565	88,871
Funding reserves	2,349,381	2,392,135	2,754,186

Note: Ci reported donated capital assets in donated goods in kind, decreasing donations by $200k in F2016 and $220k in F2015. Ci reported unrealized gains (loss) in investment income, affecting revenues by ($285k) in F2016, $72k in F2015 and $210k in F2014. Ci reported public relations and communications in program costs. To report on a cash basis, Ci backed out amortization on a pro-rata basis from program, administrative and fundraising costs.

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