Council of Western State Foresters
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 460452143
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2014–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Edgewater, CO, USA
- Phone
- 3038359911
- Rating
- 81
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Forest Conservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,415,039
- Expenses
- $1,377,581
- Assets
- $344,830
- Liabilities
- $170,062
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
7 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- DANIELLE OKST (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- DANIELLE OKST (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $146,958 total reported compensation
- KELSEY DELANEY (DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS A): $124,443 total reported compensation
- SARA GOODWIN (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS): $123,349 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
The council of western state foresters (cwsf) promotes the conservation, protection, and sustainable management of forests for today and generations to come by leading collective action, fostering learning, facilitating resource sharing, providing credible expertise and information, carrying out outreach and advocacy, and engaging with partners.
What it reported doing in 2024
Cwsf provides executive leadership support to enhance the sustainability and health of western forests in the united states. Cwsf convenes and staffs the western forestry leadership coalition and its work, which includes provision of service to 34 state and federal agency leaders, as well as numerous state, federal, and nongovernmental partners. Two (2) meetings of leaders that include approximately 70 people and over seven (7) meetings of agency and partner personnel that include approximately 25 people are convened each year. Meetings are convened on issues such as wildland fire, pacific island forestry, forest utilization, and urban and community forestry, among others. The cwsf executive committee meets nearly every month virtually. The meetings and dialogue among leaders and personnel enable cwsf to facilitate cross boundary planning, problem solving, and accomplishment tracking on forest management matters of significance in the western united states.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Grant-funded. 88% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
- 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
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 68
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 27
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 75.8%; rating input score 76
- Program expense ratio: 77.8%; rating input score 78
- Fundraising efficiency: Limited
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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 8 of 8 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: 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: 2.6%; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.25; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.49; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 28.7%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 10.5% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 75.8% of revenue deployed · 77.8% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 4 of 4 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $147K · 7 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 3 filed schedules
- Filing history: 10 filing years from 2014 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 44/100.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 8/100.
- High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 16/100.