ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO

EIN 95-1648219 · Animal-Related (D500)

What they do

AN INTERNATIONAL, NONPROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION WITH TWO FRONT DOORS: THE SAN DIEGO ZOO and THE SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK, WE INTEGRATE WILDLIFE HEALTH and CARE, SCIENCE, and EDUCATION to DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION SOLUTIONS.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $85.00 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 leaders26 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

75.98%of revenue went to mission work85.0% of expenses · Program services

1.97%of revenue went to fundraising2.2% of expenses

$89.43spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

11.48%of revenue went to management and office costs12.8% of expenses

$2.67in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

19.2%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.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $2,056,676 for PAUL BARIBAULT (PRESIDENT/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$437,607,695

Mission workProgram services$332,486,60275.98% of revenue85.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$50,234,39711.48% of revenue12.8% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$8,633,0001.97% of revenue2.2% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$46,253,69610.57% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$391,353,99989.43% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

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: 85.0% mission · 12.8% management · 2.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.43% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 86.3% mission · 11.5% management · 2.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 88.81% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 89.9% mission · 7.3% management · 2.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 89.80% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 87.8% mission · 9.5% management · 2.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.92% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 80.3% mission · 16.5% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 117.18% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 85.7% mission · 11.2% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 71.91% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 86.6% mission · 10.3% management · 3.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 85.39% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 85.8% mission · 11.0% management · 3.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 78.53% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$437,607,695

Expenses$391,353,999

Annual surplus $46,253,696 Revenue was higher than expenses 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)$332,486,602 · 85.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$50,234,397 · 12.8% of expenses

Fundraising$8,633,000 · 2.2% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$437,607,695

Expenses$391,353,999

Assets$1,046,146,042

Income$547,384,955

Contributions$84,029,973

Mission work (program services)$332,486,602

Fundraising$8,633,000

Grants given$11,017,467

Average grant$54,542

Management and general$50,234,397

Stocks and bonds$297,206,000

Accounting fees$581,696

Investing fees$539,077

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

PAUL BARIBAULTPRESIDENT/CEO · 50 hrs/week $2,056,676Base $1,993,422 · Other $63,254

SHAWN DIXONCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $870,869Base $820,184 · Other $50,685

DAVID FRANCOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $800,008Base $757,377 · Other $42,631

DAVID GILLIGCHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $660,257Base $631,492 · Other $28,765

LISA PETERSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAFARI PARK · 50 hrs/week $533,525Base $495,003 · Other $38,522

ERIKA KOHLEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAN DIEGO ZOO · 50 hrs/week $519,369Base $479,637 · Other $39,732

DAVID MILLERCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $499,711Base $450,014 · Other $49,697

NADINE LAMBERSKICHIEF CONSERVATION/WILDLIFE · 50 hrs/week $494,573Base $478,428 · Other $16,145

AIDA ROSACHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER · 50 hrs/week $448,615Base $420,205 · Other $28,410

WENDY BULGERGENERAL COUNSEL · 50 hrs/week $447,787Base $457,283 · Other -$9,496

EAMONN FARRELLVP, CONSTRUCTION & ARCHITECTURE · 50 hrs/week $292,430Base $260,796 · Other $31,634

KAREN BHATTVICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES · 50 hrs/week $286,258Base $265,868 · Other $20,390

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 (26)

PAUL BARIBAULTPRESIDENT/CEO

SHAWN DIXONCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

DAVID FRANCOCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

DAVID GILLIGCHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER

LISA PETERSONEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAFARI PARK

ERIKA KOHLEREXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAN DIEGO ZOO

DAVID MILLERCHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

NADINE LAMBERSKICHIEF CONSERVATION/WILDLIFE

AIDA ROSACHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER

WENDY BULGERGENERAL COUNSEL

EAMONN FARRELLVP, CONSTRUCTION & ARCHITECTURE

KAREN BHATTVICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES

GARY KNELLVC (UNTIL 9/24)/TREAS (AS OF 9/24)

JANE FINLEYTRUSTEE (UNT 9/24)/SEC (AS OF 9/24)

JAVADE CHAUDHRICHAIR (UNT 9/24)/TRUST. (AS OF 9/24)

KATHLEEN CAIN CARRITHERSTRUSTEE

KENJI PRICETRUSTEE

LINDA LOWENSTINETRUSTEE (OUTGOING)

CLIFFORD HAGUETRUSTEE

BRYAN MINTRUSTEE

RICHARD GULLEYSECRETARY (UNTIL 9/24)

ROLF BENIRSCHKETRUSTEE (UNTIL 9/24)/VC (AS OF 9/24)

AULANI WILHELMTRUSTEE

STEVE SIMPSONTREAS (UNT 9/24)/CHAIR (AS OF 9/24)

STEVEN G TAPPANVICE CHAIRMAN

ADAM DAYTRUSTEE

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1942
Location: PO BOX 120551, SAN DIEGO, CA 92112-0551
County: San Diego
In care of: DAVID FRANCO
Primary officer: DAVID FRANCO, CFO

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(619) 231-1515

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: COHNREZNICK ADVISORY LLC
NTEE classification: Animal-Related (D500)
Grant-giving organization: Yes