Berkshire Natural Resources Council Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
042430091
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Lenox, MA, USA
Phone
4134990596
Rating
67
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Land Resources Conservation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,313,770
Expenses
$2,798,328
Assets
$42,102,646
Liabilities
$803,440

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JENNY HANSELL (PRESIDENT)
  • JOHN MANCIA (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • JENNY HANSELL (PRESIDENT): $179,075 total reported compensation
  • SUSAN STRANO (DIRECTOR OF FINANCE): $97,146 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

See scheudle oberkshire natural resources council, inc. (bnrc) works with the community to protect and preserve the natural beauty and ecological health of the berkshires for public benefit and enjoyment. Bnrc places special emphasis on keeping land productive and open for public benefit, through initiatives such as creating walking trails, restoring wildlife habitat and supporting community-based agricultural initiatives. Bnrc seeks to ensure all feel welcome in nature, and that our wild and undeveloped areas are protected to ensure habitat for animals, plants, pollinators and other species, and to promote climate resilience.

What it reported doing in 2024

See schedule oprovide information and assistance to private individuals seeking to place land under perpetual preservation, whether by conveyance of fee or conveyance of interest in land, by gift or sale; acquire land and interests in land by gift or purchase for perpetual conservation; provide information, assistance and support to governmental conservation agencies pursuing perpetual conservation acquisitions; manage and enforce conservation easements; manage fee-owned land for purposes of public recreation, educational access, wildlife habitat, ecological integrity and agricultural/silvicultural productivity; provide formal and informal opportunities for public recreational and educational activities on conserved land; support and collaborate with public agencies and non-governmental organizations whose missions complement bnrc's.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 83% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 43
  • Transparency & Controls: 67
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 85
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 35.1%; rating input score 35
  • Program expense ratio: 60.6%; rating input score 61
  • Fundraising efficiency: $8.49 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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; 63rd 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: 55.7%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 15.05; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 47th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 35.1% of revenue deployed · 60.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 18 of 18 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $179K · 20 people listed · 1 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 35/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.