Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 237303162
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
- Location
- Damariscotta, ME, USA
- Phone
- 2075631393
- Rating
- 77
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Water Resource, Wetlands Conservation and Management
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $3,437,817
- Expenses
- $2,656,376
- Assets
- $19,116,775
- Liabilities
- $818,286
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Matthew Hanly (President)
- Gordon Morrell (Vice President)
- Steven Hufnagel (Executive Director)
Highest reported compensation
- Steven Hufnagel (Executive Director): $141,652 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Caring for the lands, waters, and communities of the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region.
What it reported doing in 2024
Conservation efforts center on the Damariscotta-Pemaquid Region, encompassing eight towns. As of 6/30/25, Coastal Rivers owns 106 preserves, holds 67 conservation easements, and co-manages more than 15 additional properties, together totaling more than 7,100 acres under permanent conservation. We work in partnership with private landowners, agencies, and other non-profits. Gifts of land and conservation easements from generous donors, as well as targeted purchases, help us grow and connect our network of conserved lands for public benefit - wildlife, water quality, scenic integrity, historical preservation, and public access.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 80% 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: 57
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 78
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 57.1%; rating input score 57
- Program expense ratio: 66.7%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $8.23 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 31; 31st 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Fail
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- 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: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 22.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 7.2; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 17.4% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 57.1% of revenue deployed · 66.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 17 of 17 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.8M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $142K · 18 people listed
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 57/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 31/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 51/100.