87/ 100
WarmTier 2Enriched
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park
An Onondaga County-operated, AZA-accredited zoo in Syracuse, supported by the separate Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo nonprofit and its catering subsidiary.
Research snapshot2026-08-2116 cited sources · 5/6 modules complete Open PDF Report
ICP score87/1002026-08-21 · Warm, evidence-gated qualification.
Annual zoo attendance330,547Calendar 2024 · Owned zoo attendance; no 2025 total found.
Friends support and revenue$5.94MFY2025 · Friends plus catering subsidiary, not county zoo operations.
Marketing impressions34.22M2025 · Friends-reported marketing aggregate.
Active member households9,6302025 · Friends membership base.
Visible openings32026-08-21 · Official careers-page count.
Visual evidence profile
What supports the opportunity
Source composition and verified operating momentum at a glance.
Evidence mix16 cited sources
Six-segment module readiness strip
Verified growth trendFriends total support and revenue
Audited support and revenue increased 22.2%, partly because of a $656,534 Employee Retention Credit and higher restricted support.
Visual intelligence map
Research coverage
Each branch maps directly to a required module in the plugin’s canonical report schema.
Why this lead fits CTM
Verified visitor scale, current events, an identifiable marketing owner, audited support capacity and trackable event/member programs support high-priority fit. The score is held below hot because the county-Friends authority path, exact CTM availability, current-customer status and 2025 zoo attendance remain unresolved.
Fit reasons
The zoo reports 330,547 annual guests and year-round admission in a Central New York visitor market.
Current 2026 events and a strong 2025 event portfolio create time-bound campaign options.
Andrew Brazill combines marketing leadership with interim executive authority at Friends.
Audited Friends capacity and measurable membership/event revenue support a realistic pilot discussion.
Risks and unknowns
Onondaga County operates the zoo while Friends manages several commercial/support functions, creating a multi-party buying path.
The $5.94 million FY2025 figure is Friends plus catering support and revenue, not county zoo operating revenue.
Exact CTM coverage, inventory, pricing, current-customer status and attribution access are unverified.
Evidence modules
Lead intelligence structure
Each module uses a view tailored to its canonical evidence type—reports, momentum, channels, leaders, roles, or demand.
01Analyzed reportsThe 2025 annual report, audited FY2025 statements and 2024 annual report provide a current, comparable view of Friends finances, visitor scale, membership, events, marketing and operating priorities.Complete
Reported Performance9 verified metrics
Membership dues$635,8392025 · Friends membership revenue.
Total contributions and grants$1.41MFY2025 · Audited Friends and catering consolidation.
Rental and catering income, net$824,615FY2025 · Net of direct cost of sales in the audited statement.
Active member households9,6302025
Holiday Nights attendance7,1442025 event
Marketing impressions34.22M2025 · Friends-reported aggregate across marketing activity.
Reviewed Reports2 records
annual impact and operating report · Calendar 20252025 Annual Report
Friends-issued report covering fundraising, events, membership, education, retail, catering, marketing, social reach and selected zoo-support investments.
audited financial statements · FY2025 with FY2024 comparisonConsolidated Financial Statements, December 31, 2025
Audited consolidation of the Friends nonprofit and its wholly owned catering subsidiary; the notes explicitly state that Onondaga County operates the zoo.
The Friends ended 2025 with 9,630 active member households, a 66% overall renewal rate and 2,070 new members.
Holiday Nights drew 7,144 attendees and raised $67,182; Zoo Boo drew 13,945 attendees.
The marketing team reported 289,334 total followers, up 2.7%, and 34,215,688 impressions, up 32.3% from 2024.
Additional Evidence13 items
Additional Metrics
Total support and revenue$5.94MFY2025 · Friends plus catering subsidiary.
Total expenses$4.51MFY2025
Net assets$8.90MFY2025
Additional Signals
The report describes a zoo display at Syracuse airport and a major physical brand presence at Destiny USA.
Use data-led marketing to grow event attendance and membership acquisition.
Expand conservation education, accessible visitor programs and digital/physical storytelling.
The report does not disclose total 2025 zoo attendance, so event and Friends metrics must not be substituted for annual zoo visits.
FY2025 total support and revenue was $5.94 million, compared with $4.86 million in FY2024.
FY2025 expenses were $4.51 million and year-end net assets were $8.90 million.
The Friends is treated as a component unit because Onondaga County operates the zoo; the statements are not county zoo operating accounts.
Support zoo programs while operating membership, gift shop, education, catering and fundraising functions.
Employee Retention Credit revenue of $656,534 materially boosted FY2025; total growth is not purely recurring operating expansion.
Research Boundaries
No audited Onondaga County zoo operating statement was included; all audited dollar values are labeled as Friends plus Catering at the Zoo.
02Growth signalsGrowth is strongest in audited support/revenue, catering and marketing impressions; membership households and dues softened, while zoo attendance lacks a comparable 2025 total.Complete
A new county-Friends MOU establishes a current framework for planned exhibits, guest-experience upgrades and expanded conservation/education initiatives.
The current careers surface is hiring an education director and two catering/event roles.
Yoga with the Elephants and the Rosamond Cup provide immediate late-August 2026 campaign windows.
Prioritize a measurable evergreen admissions message and one confirmed event message while validating authority and inventory.
Additional Evidence2 items
Additional Signals
A large portion of audited growth was nonrecurring or restricted, and 2025 zoo-wide attendance is absent.
Research Boundaries
No comparable 2025 annual zoo attendance value was found; visitor trend conclusions stop at the 2024 count.
03Social activityCurrent profile values show a meaningful multi-platform presence, while the 2025 annual report supplies aggregate reach. Public interfaces did not expose a dependable current post sample, so cadence and current engagement remain partial.Partial
Additional Evidence1 items
Research Boundaries
Instagram did not expose posts and the newest visible X post was from February 2025; current channel cadence and engagement are not claimed.
04C-suite activityFresh 2026 official evidence identifies both the county zoo director and the Friends marketing/interim executive lead, with a newly formalized governance framework.Complete
Director of Marketing and Communications / Interim Executive Director, Friends of the Rosamond Gifford ZooAndrew Brazill
Lead with a bounded Syracuse visitor test that complements existing data-led marketing and physical gateway visibility.
Zoo DirectorDan Meates
Align the pilot with current events and visitor experience without increasing zoo staff operational burden.
Decision PathPublic buying signals
Dan Meates was appointed Zoo Director on March 10, 2026 after serving as interim director.
The 2025 annual report named Carrie Large as executive director, while the current official team page and April 2026 MOU name Andrew Brazill as interim executive director; the older title is stale for outreach.
Marketing, community storytelling, member/event acquisition and organizational stability under the county-Friends agreement.
Additional Evidence4 items
Additional Signals
Strong initial commercial buyer because the official page assigns current marketing leadership and interim executive authority.
Animal collection management, exhibits, animal care, conservation education and guest experience.
Likely county zoo executive sponsor for visitor-experience fit; paid-media and procurement authority remain unverified.
Research Boundaries
Public roles do not establish final county procurement or media-budget authority.
05Hiring activityThree accepting roles were visible on the official careers page, led by education strategy and catering/event delivery.Complete
3Visible RolesPublic openings connected to this lead
Education · Syracuse, NYDirector of Education
Role owns year-round education, camps, virtual programs, school partnerships, youth pipelines, budgets and grants.
Catering at the Zoo · Syracuse, NYCatering Sous Chef
Supports banquet and event execution capacity.
Catering at the Zoo · Syracuse, NYCatering Event Staff
Supports current event setup, service and teardown volume.
Education leadership plus two catering roles indicate parallel investment in mission programming and event operations.
Additional Evidence1 items
Research Boundaries
Posting dates and all employment types were not displayed; refresh within 14 days of outreach.
06Visitor activityOwned evidence establishes 330,547 zoo guests in 2024 and large event audiences in 2025. Syracuse airport passenger activity is presented separately as a gateway proxy.Complete
Demand & DistributionOwned metrics remain distinct from market proxies
Rosamond Gifford Zoo attendance330,547Calendar 2024 · Owned zoo attendance.
Canine Champions for Conservation attendance32,555July 17-August 11, 2025 · Owned event-series attendance, not unique annual visitors.
Zoo Boo attendance13,945October 2025 · Owned event attendance.
Syracuse airport passengers2.87MFY2026 · Gateway market proxy - not zoo footfall.
The zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with discounted admission in January and February.
The 2025 calendar shows a summer show series, October Zoo Boo and six December Holiday Nights dates.
Yoga with the Elephants and the Rosamond Cup were current late-August 2026 events at the research date.
Syracuse airport provides a large gateway audience, but public sources do not disclose zoo visitor origin, trip purpose or airport-to-zoo conversion.
Additional Evidence4 items
Additional Signals
General March-December admission is $9 for adults and $5 for youth/seniors; winter pricing drops to $5/$2/$2.50, supporting seasonal creative.
The 2025 annual report describes a zoo display at Syracuse airport and a large Destiny USA placement, demonstrating active physical visitor-marketing use.
CTM describes placements in hotels, visitor centers, airports, attractions and travel corridors; exact Syracuse availability requires confirmation.
Research Boundaries
The FY2026 airport count is a market proxy and must not be labeled as zoo attendance; no 2025 zoo-wide count was found.
A bounded arrival-stage campaign could extend Rosamond Gifford Zoo discovery beyond its owned followers and existing airport/mall placements into confirmed Syracuse visitor environments.
Recommended solution
Evaluate a 6-8 week brochure or rack-card test, optionally paired with available digital placements, using one year-round value message and one time-bound event message.
Pilot hypothesis
If high-intent Syracuse visitors encounter distinct admissions and event creative in confirmed visitor environments, trackable event registrations, membership actions or qualified visit-page sessions should improve versus a matched baseline.
Measurement plan
Use separate QR codes and UTMs for evergreen admission and the selected event.
Track distribution, replenishment, scans, qualified sessions, event registrations, membership purchases and revenue where analytics access permits.
Compare matched weekday/weekend and winter/summer periods before interpreting lift.