Canoe Island French Camp

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
911583586
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Orcas, WA, USA
Phone
3604682329
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
International Exchange, N.E.C.

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,238,081
Expenses
$966,188
Assets
$8,255,778
Liabilities
$114,445

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

13 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Margaret Schafer (Co-Executive Director)
  • Benjamin Straub (Co-Executive Director)
  • Creighton Hofeditz (President)
  • Kat Hill (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Margaret Schafer (Co-Executive Director): $121,474 total reported compensation
  • Benjamin Straub (Co-Executive Director): $120,301 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Educational camp with a focus on the French culture, to promote leadership, diplomacy, learning, and fun in an extraordinary, natural, and beautiful northwest environment.

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, Canoe Island French Camp held four camp sessions of 2-3 weeks each. Each camp session had around 51 campers and provided a mix of traditional camp activities and French language training. Meals, lodging, and instruction were provided for these campers, plus meals and lodging for 28 staff and volunteers. In addition, CIFC held a number of small fall school, youth group, and family and adult programs. Camp sessions I, II, III, and IV totaled up to 3,167 participant days of programming; the entire season, shoulder season, and French Camp together total 4,995 participant use days. This included 14,985 meals for campers and participants.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 78% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 93% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 90
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 67.6%; rating input score 68
  • Program expense ratio: 77.3%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.51 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th 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; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: 22%; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.54; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 25%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.2% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.5% per year; rating input score 100; 29th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 67.6% of revenue deployed · 77.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $747K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $121K · 13 people listed
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 11/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.