Organiceye Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 862717104
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2022–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2021
- Location
- La Farge, WI, USA
- Phone
- 6086252000
- Rating
- 75
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $457,331
- Expenses
- $316,898
- Assets
- $932,924
- Liabilities
- $32,481
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
4 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Mark Kastel (Executive Director)
- Jim Gerritsen (Board President)
Highest reported compensation
- Mark Kastel (Executive Director): $142,806 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 organic farming movement started as a values-based industry. It was built on a loving, collaborative relationship between family-scale farmers and shoppers willing to pay more for food produced based on superior environmental stewardship, humane animal husbandry, and economic justice for the people who produce our food. Organic Eye's mission through research and education is ensuring these values and commitments are not compromised in the modern food system.
What it reported doing in 2024
In 2024, we continued our work to monitor the USDA's performance in their oversight of accredited organic certifiers. We published a guide to help consumers choose the highest-integrity organic food based on certifier ratings. We also began research into "equivalency agreements" between the US and other countries on organic certification (which are not equivalent and place US farmers at a competitive disadvantage). We filed a formal petition with the USDA for rulemaking requiring food products labeled organic and sold online to clearly identify the certifier (just as is required on the packaging in grocery stores). We also monitored the impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza on organic eggs and possible market deception by brands charging more for eggs from "pastured" chickens when they were actually being confined. Organic Eye's research is used to educate and empower everyone who has a stake in the organic movement (especially eaters/consumers) so they can make discerning decisions in the marketplace. Our emails and videos help people find authentic, safe, and nutrient-dense food.
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 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 - 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: 58
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 90
- Sustainability: 64
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 53.5%; rating input score 54
- Program expense ratio: 71.9%; rating input score 72
- Fundraising efficiency: $10.01 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 39; 39th 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: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- 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: Fail
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 30.7%; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.94; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 45.1%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 24.3% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -31.3% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 53.5% of revenue deployed · 71.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 3 of 3 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $228K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $143K · 4 people listed
- Consistency: 20 of 20 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 3 filing years from 2022 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 54/100.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 39/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 35/100.