Michigan Bear Hunters Conservation Assoc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
383281322
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Gaylord, MI, USA
Phone
9897321449
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$122,768
Expenses
$87,517
Assets
$1,824,464
Liabilities
$507

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

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KEITH SHAFER (PRESIDENT)
  • ELIJAH KELLER (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • JASON CONGDON (DIRECTOR)
  • BRIAN DRUCKENMILLER (DIRECTOR)
  • JIM DAVIS (DIRECTOR)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

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

Overview

Mission

To advocate the conservation of the black bear and the sport of black bear hunting as well as other large game species.

What it reported doing in 2025

Held a convention for members and general public which provided education regarding conservation of the black bear and the sport of black bear hunting. Over 300 people attended the all day conference.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 78% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 56% for direct work, and 44% for grants.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and program spending has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 74
  • Transparency & Controls: 78
  • Accountability: 70
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 92.9%; rating input score 93; 26th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 65.3%; rating input score 65; 48th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 2 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 29
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 28.7%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 20.85; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 52; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.1% per year; rating input score 0; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.6% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 73.9% of revenue deployed · 100% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 2 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $88K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 23 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes grants
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 6 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 52/100.