Bluestem Communications

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391965183
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2020
Forms available
Form 990 2020
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
3127540402
Rating confidence
Limited
Sector
Natural Resources Conservation and Protection

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$0
Expenses
$15,815
Assets
$4,561
Liabilities
$0

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

3 people listed

People named in this filing

  • Susan Malter (Chair)
  • Patrick Williams (Treasurer)
  • Theresa Salus (Secretary)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2020. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The Organization researches, designs, implements, and evaluates communication and education strategies for environment causes. The Organization partners with other nonprofit organizations, coalitions, and agencies to improve their internal and external communications to advance their environmental goals. The Organization is funded by contributions from the general public, private foundations, and governmental agencies.

What it reported doing in 2020

Bluestem Communications is dedicated to protecting our natural resources through compelling communications and strong coalitions. We research, design, implement and evaluate communication and education strategies to connect existing personal values to environmental causes. Our work motivates targeted audiences--like homeowners, business owners and elected officials--to value the role healthy ecosystems play in sustaining quality of life and to take action to protect and restore Earth's naturalresources. We partner with other nonprofit organizations, coalitions and agencies to improve their internal and external communications to advance their environmental goals.

Operating model

Revenue model
No positive adjusted resources. The filing reports no positive adjusted operating resources.
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.

The verdict

- The available evidence is not sufficient to produce an overall rating for this filing. This is not a warning sign.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 75
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 18
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: Limited
  • Program expense ratio: 99.6%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: Limited
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.29; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -37.3% per year; rating input score 0; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -12.6% per year; rating input score 0; 31st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -22% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $16K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 3 people listed
  • Consistency: 13 of 13 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 9 filing years from 2010 to 2020
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • 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.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 10/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.