Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 561216642
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Highlands, NC, USA
- Phone
- 8285261111
- Rating
- 73
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Land Resources Conservation
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,765,118
- Expenses
- $769,496
- Assets
- $31,648,302
- Liabilities
- $15,091
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
20 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Lance Hardin (Executive Director)
- F Carlton King (Departing President)
- Ann Huckstop (Incoming President)
- Bill Mauldin (Vice President)
Highest reported compensation
- Lance Hardin (Executive Director): $105,797 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 mission of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust is to safeguard the unique and irreplaceable landscape of our area through conservation of ecologically valuable land and protection of the biodiversity dependent on such landscapes.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024 the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) completed three land projects (1) the fee simple acquisition of 100 acres of ecologically sensitive forestland containing some of the headwaters of the Chattooga River, (2) the fee simple acquisition via donation of more than 55 acres of biodiverse habitat, including almost a mile of Overflow Creek, the primary source of Glen Falls, and via transfer the fee simple acquisition of an 8 acre tract within the Cashiers Township, protecting it from development. HCLT also provided stewardship of conserved land by completing 100% monitoring of all conservation easements and fee simple lands held by HCLT. HCLTs commitment to stewardship is perpetual. Worked with conservation easement landowners to ensure protection of conservation values, rare habitat types, and plant communities. Built trails and expanded community access to conserved lands. Engaged the Highlands and Cashiers communities for involvement with trail maintenance and improvements, invasive species mitigation, and habitat restoration.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 93% 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 a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 40
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 86
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 29.5%; rating input score 30
- Program expense ratio: 58%; rating input score 58
- Fundraising efficiency: $9.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 38; 38th 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: 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: 56.4%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 41.13; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.7%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 14.7% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 3.1% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 37th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 29.5% of revenue deployed · 58% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $447K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $106K · 20 people listed
- Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2010 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 30/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 58/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 38/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.