Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 corporation funded yearly by membership dues, donations, and grants. Our total revenue also includes the proceeds from medium and longer-term investments. Friends of Edgewood’s federal EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 94-3188191.
Program Efficiency
A very high percentage of funds are spent on programs supporting native plant and wildlife preservation, nature education, and habitat restoration at Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve, San Mateo County’s only natural preserve. Friends of Edgewood is an all-volunteer organization, and we endeavor to keep our management and overhead expenses low.
2024 Treasurer’s Report
Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization with the mission to protect Edgewood’s extraordinary biodiversity and foster lasting connections with Edgewood and the larger natural world. Our volunteers participate in 25 programs which we group into three broad categories: land & wildlife stewardship, nature education, and interpretive programs. Additionally, there are 12 on-going activities related to governance and organizational infrastructure.
- Land & Wildlife Stewardship. We protect and restore the animal and plant habitat of Edgewood County Natural Preserve in partnership with the San Mateo County Parks Dept., engaging volunteers and professional habitat restoration ecologists. Activities include habitat restoration, seed amplification, weeding of non-native plants, blue bird box monitoring, camera trapping, adopt-a-highway volunteers, plant mapping, and county weed management area liaison.
- Nature Education. We provide volunteers to staff the Bill and Jean Lane Education Center at Edgewood, update exhibits, and maintain the office. We provide a quarterly newsletter for all members and other subscribers. Additional activities include the native garden, weekly wildflower surveys, maintaining a display of plants in flower, and an online field guide of plants and animals found at Edgewood. We also participate in educational outreach at local events.
- Interpretive Programs. We conduct free, docent-led hikes for the public in Edgewood, which are supported by trainings and enrichment sessions for new and continuing docents each year. Additional activities include trail ambassadors and trail signage. In 2025, we will launch a new field trips for kids program in partnership with community-based organizations in the county.
Our largest expenditure in 2024 was land and wildlife stewardship (Managed as “Project 467”), including the Green Grass 2.0 initiative, Edgewood Farms (seed propagation), and San Mateo thornmint and white-rayed pentachaeta restorations. The Green Grass 2.0 team continued dethatching and reseeding selected plots, with a long-term goal to restore 50 acres of Edgewood’s fertile grasslands to 75% native cover by 2050. For the convenience of preserve visitors, including those on our docent-led hikes, we rented a portable toilet, which was located near the Sunset Gate during the busiest months. We participated in educational outreach activities at the San Carlos Hometown Days, the Redwood City July 4 festival, and the San Mateo County Parks SummerFest. If you visit Edgewood Natural Preserve when the Educational Center is open, check out the 2024 T-shirts featuring some favorite plants (and a butterfly) found at Edgewood, along with the Friends of Edgewood logo.
2024 was great year for revenue, allowing us to pay land and wildlife stewardship expenses without running a deficit. Membership dues and other gifts amounted to around 90% of (non-investment) revenue. We also received generous grants to support our programs. Donations include donations from Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs).
In 2024, the majority (56%) of our expense budget was for land and wildlife stewardship. Our nature education programs, including the Bill and Jean Lane Education Center, and printing and mailing the quarterly newsletter, accounted for 10%. Another 7% went to our interpretive programs which included free docent-led walks. 4% was spent on updating our supply of T-shirts with the FoE logo available in the Education Center. We also granted 4% to our strategic nonprofit partners. The remaining expenses were related to the administration of incoming donations, insurance, and other general operating activities.
As a mature, all-volunteer run non-profit, the Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve endeavors to use our financial resources wisely; to spend our yearly funding within our means and to invest for the longer term, to support the continuation and growth of our programs. Our 2024 Annual Report can be found on our website at friendsofedgewood.org/annual-report.
Thank you again to our volunteers, members, donors, and friends for your generous support. We appreciate your contributions of money and time to ensure that Edgewood be a resilient place of extraordinary biodiversity that is appreciated and protected forever.
Angela Mallett
Treasurer
2024 Annual Report Recap*
| Annual report | |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| Assets | $827,787 |
| Change in assets | $113,664 |
| Revenue, unrestricted | $92,888 |
| Revenue, restricted | $8,482 |
| Investment profit/loss (net unrealized) | $79,397 |
| Liabilities | $0 |
| Change in liabilities | $0 |
| Expenses, general | $27,739 |
| Expenses, restricted | $39,364 |
*Financial numbers are preliminary and subject to change up to IRS deadlines in May 2025.
If you have questions about Friends of Edgewood financials, please email [email protected].