National Association of Regional Councils

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
526082922
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Washington, DC, USA
Phone
2029861032
Rating
68
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,221,751
Expenses
$1,057,160
Assets
$1,577,711
Liabilities
$829,671

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Erich Zimmermann (Executive Director)
  • Leslie A Wollack (Executive Director)
  • Carol Vinton (President)
  • Justin Kiel (President-Elect)
  • Chuck Wemple (Vice President)
  • Jennifer Robinson (Past President)

Highest reported compensation

  • Erich Zimmermann (Executive Director): $174,771 total reported compensation
  • Ann Link (COO): $60,636 total reported compensation
  • Leslie A Wollack (Executive Director): $39,563 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

As a national public interest organization, narc will work with & through its members to (1) shape federal policy that recognizes the increased value of local intergovernmental cooperation (2) advocate effectively for the role of regional councils in the coordination, planning and delivery of current future federal programs (3) provide research & analysis of key national issues and developments that impact our members, and (4) offer high quality learning and networking opportunities for regional organization through events, training and technical assistance.

What it reported doing in 2024

Technical assistance and research: national directory of regional councils and metropolitan planning organizationsreports on relevant topicsfederal and regulatory updatesgrants/special projectsongiong research projects and major publications with the us department oftransportation, transit center and summit foundation on scenario planning. Initiated research and outreach project with the department of energy to accelerate the purchase of alternative fuel vehicles working with five member regional councils and doe clean cities coalitions. Completed work on two major department of energy projects promoting the use of solar energy. Developed website, toolkit and resources to promote green infrastructure programs, and carried out two related projects with the us forest service. Provided regional councils and local elected officials with news, reports, and resources via email newsletters, organization website, conference sessions/workshops and informational campaigns conducting project on climate adaptation, department of transportation programs, us census bureau and solar communities.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 87% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.

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 revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 60
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 91
  • Sustainability: 51
  • Growth: 20

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 63.8%; rating input score 64
  • Program expense ratio: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

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: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • 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: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 13.5%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.49; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.53; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 26%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -5.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -11.5% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 10.3% per year; rating input score 100; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 63.8% of revenue deployed · 71.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 7 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $757K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $175K · 22 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 27 of 27 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2010 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
  • 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.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 9 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 56/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 15/100.