Experience Camps

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
262513136
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Westport, CT, USA
Phone
8332267385
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Youth Development Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,182,155
Expenses
$5,885,431
Assets
$10,656,002
Liabilities
$595,040

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SARA DEREN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • SARA DEREN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $174,156 total reported compensation
  • CARLY BASILE (CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER): $152,432 total reported compensation
  • BRIANNE OVERTONTHROUGH 9825 (CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER): $140,901 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Experience camps gives grieving children experiences that change their lives forever. Our free, one-week, overnight summer camps, year-round programs, and content help reframe the experience of grief and empower kids with coping skills to move forward with their lives.

What it reported doing in 2024

Experience camps is a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting children and teens grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. With over 15 years of experience, it offers clinically informed, no-cost programs like summer camps and digital initiatives to help young people process grief, build coping skills, and rediscover joy. Grounded in modern grief theory, its camp programs blend play and reflection, while older teens participate in leadership training to support younger campers. The organization also extends its reach through virtual platforms like youtube and tiktok, including its grief sucks network, to meet kids where they are. With a growing social media presence and national media recognition, it advocates for a grief-sensitive culture and positions childhood grief as a public health priority. Prioritizing equity, the organization focuses on reducing the racial grief gap by expanding access and representation for children of color, who are disproportionately affected by caregiver loss

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 96% 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: 52
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 70
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 46.2%; rating input score 46
  • Program expense ratio: 70.1%; rating input score 70
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.83 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th 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: 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: 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: 35.9%; rating input score 87; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.81; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.9%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 20.2% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 18.8% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 18.3% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 46.2% of revenue deployed · 70.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.1M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $174K · 27 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2012 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 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.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 46/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 58/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 30/100.