Western Reserve Land Conservancy

What it reported doing in 2024

Urban revitalization, reforestation, and greening: western reserve land conservancy's thriving communities urban program helps remove blighted structures, plant trees, and create parks and new green spaces in urban areas, transforming neighborhoods into safer, more attractive, and more vibrant places. Program initiatives include the establishment of nearly 70 land banks throughout Ohio to provide much-needed ability to quickly acquire foreclosed and vacant properties and return them to productive use. The program also advances urban reforestation and greening by leading efforts to restore the urban tree canopy through expert assistance to cities, community organizations, and neighborhood groups, and by providing hands-on tree planting and maintenance training, resulting in more than 18,000 trees planted and distributed. In addition, the land conservancy conducts on-the-ground property inventories to provide cities with critical information about the current condition of parcels and their structures, enabling more effective targeting of demolition and rehabilitation resources. Altogether, the land conservancy has helped raise billions of dollars for communities across Ohio to demolish more than 35,000 dilapidated and vacant homes, making neighborhoods safer and more vibrant.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 71.2%; rating input score 71
• Program expense ratio: 94.6%; rating input score 95
• Fundraising efficiency: $29.73 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 17th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 66th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 25.8%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.63; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.09; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.5%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.5% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 56th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.2% per year; rating input score 100; 44th percentile among comparable filings