Urban Sustainability Directors Network

Overview

Mission

To connect local government leaders in the united states, canada and abroad to accelerate sustainability practices.

What it reported doing in 2024

The urban sustainability directors network (usdn) proposes a five-year program to strengthen the field of urban forestry, increase equitable access to urban tree canopy in disadvantaged communities, broaden community engagement in urban forest planning, and expand best management and maintenance practices to improve resilience to climate change and extreme heat. Through pass-through tree-planting funds and programmatic technical assistance, accelerating urban forestry as equity-centered climate action and sustainable community development will support communities by re-granting funding for urban forestry projects and providing capacity-building programs through an urban forestry as community development accelerator.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 68% for direct work, and 32% for grants.

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
825015863
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2018
Headquarters
Sanford, NC, USA
Phone
2488801745
Rating
79
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Energy Resources Conservation and Development

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 64
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 16
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 86.4%; rating input score 86
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.31 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 2 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 25
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 53.7%; rating input score 54; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: -64.9%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.9; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.5; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.8%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 25% per year; rating input score 100; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 19.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 9.8% per year; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 86.4% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 6 filed program accomplishments · $16.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $214K · 18 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2M reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 33 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 6 annual filings from 2019 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 27 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 18 filed related-organization links
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Highest reported compensation

  • MEGAN JAMISON (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SSDN): $214,111 total reported compensation
  • LAURENE HAMILTON (CHIEF MEMBERSHIP EXP OFFICER): $202,413 total reported compensation
  • KIRSTEN MAYNARD (MANAGING DIRECTOR): $189,742 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: FY2024.