Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture Inc

Overview

Mission

We believe that local, prosperous, and diverse farms are essential to the economic health and environmental quality of the region; that an informed and engaged community is essential to the long-term sustainability of our local farms; and that all members of the community should have access to locally-grown food. Our mission is to strengthen farms and engage the community to build the local food economy. Our programs work to bring that mission to reality.

What it reported doing in 2024

Cisa's local hero program educates the community about the many benefits of local agriculture. The local hero program markets local farm products through social media, cisa's website, and press outlets. In 2024, members in cisa's local hero program included 278 farms and 119 retailers, restaurants, institutions, and specialty producers. In 2024, cisa's highlights of local farms were featured in articles, radio, and tv news stories; in over 400 radio, tv, and print ads and psa's; and over 2 million impressions via online advertising. Over 20,000 people receive monthly email or social media updates. Cisa's website played a critical role in connecting people to local farms and had 72,000 users and 173,000 page views.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043416862
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Headquarters
South Deerfield, MA, USA
Phone
4136657100
Rating
88
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Farmland Preservation

Official website

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 84
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 36
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.7%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 83.1%; rating input score 83
  • Fundraising efficiency: $11.67 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • 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; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -9.6%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.57; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 11% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.7% of revenue deployed · 83.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $122K · 16 people listed
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $174K reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 15 annual filings from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Leadership & pay

16 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • KELLY COLEMAN (INTERIM EXEC): $122,222 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.