Lawrence Hopewell Trail Corporation

What it reported doing in 2024

The award-winning lawrence hopewell trail (lht) is a 22-mile, multipurpose, mostly off-road, environmentally sensitive trail developed by a citizen-led volunteer board of trustees. It is designed to encourage health and fitness, enjoyment of the outdoors, and access to preserved open space while linking communities and neighborhoods and providing an alternative to automobile transportation, thereby contributing to a more sustainable community. The lht's primary programmatic accomplishments are: (1) managing the development of the trail that traverses corporate campuses, a private school, preserved open space, parks, neighborhoods, and a main street. This requires establishing and maintaining relationships with multiple landowners; designing segments that meet environmental, safety, and construction standards; raising funds for trail construction and support of the nonprofit corporation; and coordinating efforts with local and county governments. As of 2022, 95% of the trail has been completed. Plans are underway for the funding, design, and construction of the remainder. What is not reflected in the financial statements is the fact that in collaboration with county and township officials, over 17 million has been raised for trail construction over the years. In the second category of accomplishments are activities to encourage and promote the use of the trail through publicity, public education, and the sponsorship of community-building activities. In addition to creating the monthly saturday morning walking club, the lht holds two annual signature events. The first is the lht full moon bike ride jointly sponsored by the mercer county park commission. The second event, trail and treat, a fun afternoon for children and theirir families. In 2019 the lht artwalk was introduced. This program couples trail fans with a professional artist who teaches techniques for capturing nature on paper, canvas or film. As a result of the lht's efforts and extensive word-of-mouth, the trail is enjoyed by more than 400,000 walkers, joggers, bikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers each year and the number is growing. The third category of accomplishment includes trail maintenance and enhancement through the addition of additional directional signage and amenities such as benches and kiosks. The lht serves as a model for public-private partnerships and a resource for other communities that want to emulate the unique success of the lawrence hopewell trail.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 54.4%; rating input score 54
• Program expense ratio: 65.2%; rating input score 65
• Fundraising efficiency: $11.13 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th 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: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • 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: 23.8%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.39; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 9.3% per year; rating input score 100; 70th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 10.4% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings