Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
363913497
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2023
Location
Elizabeth, IL, USA
Phone
8158589100
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Land Resources Conservation

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,350,543
Expenses
$2,199,771
Assets
$25,706,751
Liabilities
$177,433

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

17 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVE BARG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • EMILY PAINTER (PRESIDENT THRU 04/2025)
  • ALAN WENZEL (VICE PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT)
  • FRAN PETERSON (VICE PRESIDENT AS OF 04/2025)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEVE BARG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $113,796 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Jdcf works to preserve and steward land and water for the lasting well-being of all people and wildlife.

What it reported doing in 2025

Educational services: in 2025, jdcf continued making deep connections with indigenous tribes (who formerly called jo daviess county home), specifically the ho-chunk (and winnebago) nations and the sac and fox nation of Oklahoma. In collaboration with these groups, jdcf is at the beginning of a long-term learning journey with an end goal of providing education and outreach opportunities for listening, learning, and celebrating the heritage of the land it preserves and stewards. Our education department added one new staff member in 2025 and launched the mighty acorns program bringing conservation education that meets state education standards into local school classrooms. Delivering jdcf's education and outreach services depends on partnerships with community organizations, support from a robust volunteer corps of over 50 volunteers, and support from local businesses and grants from private giving foundations. Grants, individual and local business partner contributions totaled approximately $90,000.

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 98% 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: 37
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 86
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 25.6%; rating input score 26
  • Program expense ratio: 60%; rating input score 60
  • Fundraising efficiency: $7.79 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 58.9%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 11.69; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 5.2%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 25.6% of revenue deployed · 60% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 14 of 14 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.3M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $114K · 17 people listed
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • 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.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 26/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.