Backbone Campaign

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
931271427
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2010
Location
Vashon, WA, USA
Phone
2064601795
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Victims' Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$762,462
Expenses
$424,572
Assets
$811,532
Liabilities
$12,739

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • WILLIAM MOYER (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • WILLIAM MOYER (Executive Director): $75,261 total reported compensation
  • AMY MORRISON (Managing Director): $64,574 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Backbone Campaign amplifies the aspirations of "We the People" with creative strategies & artful activism to manifest a world where life, community, nature, and our obligations for future generations are honored as sacred.

What it reported doing in 2024

Artful Activism. Our artful activism work builds and deploys creative props to animate community values. We teach community groups how to use creative tools and we support nonviolent actions that are media- genic and foster meaning and joy while protecting the people, places and beings cherished in a community. One example is the wild salmon and Southern Resident orca of the Salish Sea. Our new inflatable salmon, life-size inflatable orca, and our giant human Orca Mural are activities that amplify our love for the orca and salmon with whom we share this home.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 99% 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.

The verdict

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 100
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 47.4%; rating input score 47
  • Program expense ratio: 83.8%; rating input score 84
  • Fundraising efficiency: $74.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 44.3%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.91; rating input score 63; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 32.9%; rating input score 6; 6th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.9% per year; rating input score 0; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 19.8% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 47.4% of revenue deployed · 83.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 9 of 9 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $356K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $75K · 11 people listed
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 13 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 47/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 6/100.