Bolder Options

What it reported doing in 2025

Bolder Options is a Minnesota-based youth mentoring organization serving youth ages 10-14 in the Twin Cities and Rochester communities through one-to-one, community-based mentoring relationships. The organization's core mentoring program pairs each youth participant with a trained adult volunteer mentor for a one-year commitment focused on relationship building, physical wellness, social-emotional development, and positive youth development.Mentor-mentee pairs meet weekly for 2-4 hours and participate in structured activities and monthly group events designed to promote healthy lifestyles, goal setting, leadership development, and community engagement. Physical activity and wellness remain foundational components of the mentoring model, with youth and mentors participating together in active recreational opportunities, outdoor experiences, and personal wellness goal setting.Following completion of the first-year mentoring program, youth may continue participating in Bolder Options' alumni programming, which provides ongoing support through high school and early adulthood. Alumni programming includes leadership development, career and college exploration, workforce readiness, financial literacy, outdoor leadership experiences, internships, scholarships, and wellness-focused programming.During 2025, Bolder Options supported 86 mentor-mentee pairs across its Twin Cities and Rochester programs and maintained an 87% graduation success rate. The organization also provided extensive alumni and family engagement opportunities through mentoring, wellness, leadership, and community-based programming, with more than 1,850 participant engagements recorded during the year.During 2025, the organization continued strengthening its wellness-centered strategic framework through integration of the Eight Dimensions of Wellness model across mentoring and alumni programming. Bolder Options maintained a focus on physical, emotional, and social wellness while expanding mental health and wellness support for youth, caregivers, mentors, and staff.Program enhancements during 2025 included continued development of the I Believe and I Achieve initiatives focused on career exploration, workforce readiness, and post-secondary planning; expanded outdoor adventure and leadership opportunities; strengthened evaluation and data practices; and ongoing mentor recruitment efforts to address community demand for mentoring services.Bolder Options also continued investing in organizational and program capacity during 2025 through staff development, volunteer engagement, community partnerships, and facility improvements designed to support safe, welcoming, and relationship-centered programming environments.The organization remains committed to early intervention, long-term relationship-based mentoring, and wellness-centered youth development as core components of its mission to prepare youth to succeed in all of life's races.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 43.7%; rating input score 44
• Program expense ratio: 73.2%; rating input score 73
• Fundraising efficiency: $12.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • 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: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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; 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: 41.6%; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.8; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.22; rating input score 34; 34th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 18.3%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 2.4% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings