Is National Recreation & Park Association Legit?

The National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) demonstrates generally sound financial health, with consistent revenue generation and asset growth over the past decade. In the latest filing (202306), the organization reported revenues of $20,842,167 against expenses of $19,928,136, indicating a positive operating margin. Their assets have steadily increased, reaching $24,572,227 in 2023, providing a solid financial foundation. The organization's liabilities have remained manageable relative to its assets, suggesting good financial stewardship. Regarding spending efficiency, the NRPA appears to prioritize its programmatic activities. While specific breakdowns for program, administrative, and fundraising expenses are not provided in the summary data, the overall financial picture suggests a focus on mission delivery. The consistent growth in revenue and assets, alongside a positive operating margin in most recent years, indicates effective resource management. The absence of reported officer compensation in the provided data is notable and suggests a different compensation structure or reporting method for key executives. Transparency is generally good, with a consistent filing history of 13 IRS 990 forms. The publicly available data allows for an overview of their financial operations. However, without detailed breakdowns of functional expenses (program, administrative, fundraising) from the 990s, a precise assessment of spending efficiency is limited. Further scrutiny of the full 990 forms would be necessary to fully evaluate their allocation of resources across these categories.