THE SONORAN INSTITUTE INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE SONORAN INSTITUTE INC

EIN 86-0684610 · Education N.E.C. (B99)

What they do

THE SONORAN INSTITUTES MISSION is to CONNECT PEOPLE and COMMUNITIES WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCES THAT NOURISH and SUSTAIN THEM. WE WORK AT THE NEXUS of COMMERCE, COMMUNITY, and CONSERVATION to HELP PEOPLE IN THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST BUILD THE COMMUNITIES THEY WANT to LIVE IN WHILE PRESERVING THE VALUES WHICH BROUGHT THEM HERE. WE ENVISION A WEST WHERE CIVIL DIALOGUE and COLLABORATION ARE HALLMARKS of DECISION MAKING, WHERE PEOPLE and WILDLIFE LIVE IN HARMONY, and WHERE CLEAN WATER, AIR, and ENERGY ARE ASSURED.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $84.40 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders25 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

89.35%of revenue went to mission work84.4% of expenses · Program services

6.47%of revenue went to fundraising6.1% of expenses

$105.91spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

10.09%of revenue went to management and office costs9.5% of expenses

$0.89in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

64.5%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $277,767 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $173,511 for MICHAEL ZELLNER (CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$4,699,716

Mission workProgram services$4,199,09889.35% of revenue84.4% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$474,26310.09% of revenue9.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$304,1226.47% of revenue6.1% of expenses

Total expenses$4,977,483105.91% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 84.4% mission · 9.5% management · 6.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.91% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 82.3% mission · 10.6% management · 7.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 108.77% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 73.3% mission · 16.2% management · 10.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 68.70% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 74.6% mission · 16.2% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.65% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 71.0% mission · 18.1% management · 10.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 93.88% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 74.8% mission · 18.5% management · 6.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.29% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 73.5% mission · 18.4% management · 8.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 109.92% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 76.9% mission · 14.9% management · 8.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.52% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,699,716

Expenses$4,977,483

Annual shortfall $277,767 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$4,199,098 · 84.4% of expenses

Management and office costs$474,263 · 9.5% of expenses

Fundraising$304,122 · 6.1% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$4,699,716

Expenses$4,977,483

Assets$4,430,981

Income$5,032,354

Contributions$3,031,354

Mission work (program services)$4,199,098

Fundraising$304,122

Grants given$276,910

Average grant$13,186

Management and general$474,263

Stocks and bonds$1,861,548

Accounting fees$36,762

Investing fees$20,612

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

MICHAEL ZELLNERCEO · 40 hrs/week $173,511Base $163,069 · Other $10,442

KIM EGITACFAO · 40 hrs/week $141,882Base $132,028 · Other $9,854

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (25)

MICHAEL ZELLNERCEO

KIM EGITACFAO

TIM QUINNDIRECTOR

ALAN DENNISDIRECTOR

SKYLAR BEGAYDIRECTOR

SHAINA SHAYDIRECTOR

ROBERTO SALMONDIRECTOR

RICHARD SCHAEFERDIRECTOR

MATT TEETERSTREASURER

LORETTA PINEDADIRECTOR

LINDA FRIARDIRECTOR

LEE LEACHMANDIRECTOR

LAURINDA OSWALDSECRETARY

KRISTINE ZEIGLERDIRECTOR

KEN ABRAHAMSDIRECTOR

JOE KALTVICE CHAIR

GABRIELA LUKEN MARCEDIRECTOR

DAVID WEGNERDIRECTOR

DAVID BAUMGARTENDIRECTOR

DAN KIMBALLCHAIR

CESAR PONCE GAMEZDIRECTOR

BARBARA GREENDIRECTOR

ANNA HILL PRICEDIRECTOR

ANNA MURVEITDIRECTOR

ALLISON GREENDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1995
Location: 5049 E BROADWAY BLVD STE 127, TUCSON, AZ 85711-3656
County: Pima
In care of: MICHAEL ZELLNER
Primary officer: MICHAEL ZELLNER, CEO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(520) 290-0828

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: LUDWIG KLEWER & RUDNER PLLC
NTEE classification: Education N.E.C. (B99)
IRS tax category: Education N.E.C.
Grant-giving organization: Yes