Hudson Highlands Land Trust Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
133528266
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Garrison, NY, USA
Phone
8454243358
Rating
75
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Land Resources Conservation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,697,349
Expenses
$1,218,130
Assets
$20,371,061
Liabilities
$689,952

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

Leadership & pay

27 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Katrina Shindledecker (Executive Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Katrina Shindledecker (Executive Director): $158,129 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 Hudson Highlands Land Trust conserves and cares for the lands and waters of the Hudson Highlands so that people and nature can flourish together for generations to come. (Continued on Schedule O)Our mission supports a vision of the Hudson Highlands, where wildlife thrives in a healthy, connected, climate-resilient landscape and people enjoy equitable access to nature's benefits. We cannot achieve this vision alone. HHLT engages in inclusive and creative partnerships across the Highlands region to ensure we address the interconnected needs of the human and natural communities we serve.

What it reported doing in 2024

Public Policy and Planning: HHLT works with local municipalities on planning initiatives to document their important natural resources and beloved open spaces, then help them plan ways to achieve an optimal balance between protection and development. This is accomplished through things like community preservation plans, natural resource and open space inventories, as well as water resource studies that can be used as tools to guide municipal planning. Further, HHLT also founded and coordinates the "New York Highlands Network" - a coalition of land trusts and government agencies that conserve land throughout the New York Highlands.In addition to its work in the primary areas of land conservation, stewardship/natural resource protection, public policy/planning, and outreach and education, HHLT also works to build greater inclusivity of people of diverse backgrounds into our work.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% 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 - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 65
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.6%; rating input score 60
  • Program expense ratio: 77.2%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $18.9 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • 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: 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: 28.2%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 16.72; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 57; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -3% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.6% of revenue deployed · 77.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 26 of 26 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $941K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $158K · 27 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2009 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.
  • 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.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 57/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 57/100.