Ice Age Trail Alliance Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
396076028
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Cross Plains, WI, USA
Phone
6087984453
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$4,993,823
Expenses
$3,348,761
Assets
$17,634,354
Liabilities
$323,085

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • JOHN KOLBE (PRESIDENT)
  • PATTY DREIER (PRESIDENT (THRU APRIL))
  • ROB MALEWICKI (VP PHILANTHROPY/PRESIDENT ELECT)
  • BEN SWANSON (VICE PRESIDENT GOVERNANCE)
  • MARK GLASSER (VICE PRESIDENT PERSONNEL)
  • LUKE KLOBERDANZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • LUKE KLOBERDANZ (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO): $140,519 total reported compensation
  • KEVIN THUSIUS (SENIOR DIRECTOR OF LAND CONSERVATION): $104,199 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 alliance is to conserve, create, maintain, and promote the ice age national scenic trail.

What it reported doing in 2024

Lands - the alliance completed eleven land transactions while helping partners complete three additional acquisitions and thereby protected 188 acres of land and added an estimated 3.2 miles of future trail. Properties were protected in both fee and easement. All these lands will host a variety of public recreational opportunities that include the ice age national scenic trail. The alliance also hosted 3 habitat improvement projects, designed to remove invasive species, collected 308 pounds of native seeds, and burned more than 300 acres.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 73% 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

STRONG - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 64
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 56%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 80.2%; rating input score 80
  • Fundraising efficiency: $17.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 56; 56th 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: 32.9%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.27; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 7.3%; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 11.2% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 7.6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.3% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 56% of revenue deployed · 80.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 16 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $141K · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 56/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 40/100.