Sacred Ground International

What it reported doing in 2025

This year was all about innovation, collaboration and some welcome reasons to celebrate.It opened with challenging weather yet sufficient grass that we did not have to feed hay for the second year in a row. Vehicle repairs and upgrades were many yet minimal in expense due to our volunteer mechanic and absolute Angel, Blake Noy. He finds discounts on parts and shops best deals that literally save us thousands of dollars. With the early Spring volunteers began early on big projects. We refit miles of fencing to accommodate Buffalo and were able to open up 200 prime acres of grassland and fresh spring water this took months to accomplish but was done entirely by Fathers who brought their teen sons and their friends on weekends to learn and have fun together. This year, more than any other we saw a real sense of community, people wanting to be out on the land, with the Buffalo and in Nature. Families spending time together. We really saw this in the Hunt and Teaching Programs with three and four generations of men traveling thousands of miles to share this experience.Women from as far away as Hawaii and local women ranchers got together to open a very densely overgrown stream and willow tree covered walking path, meditation and relaxing area that everyone loved and enjoyed. Women and chainsaws, heart and laughter, working together. They told stories of their encounters with the Nature Spirits giving them directives and they brought in miniature homes and tipis as gifts for them. They spoke of healing and calm and feeling such joy in this place and being with each other. More women participated and visited this year, encouraging us to grow and make more available for them.After so many years listening to the fears of locals and neighbors worried about having Buffalo as neighbors we have breakthrough! They are bringing their children to view the Buffalo and are literally scouting and reporting predator and trespass situations when they occur near our borders and when they see danger for our animals. Community and Collaboration! Yes! A touchy landowner situation that has been in negotiation for years finally resolved. Sacred Ground has a new 105 acre Native Land lease that we are paying prime dollar for and worth every penny to have peace and happy neighbors. We are known nation wide for our Buffalo programs but very little known within the Buffalo Ranchers Associations and growers communities. I was so surprised and honored to speak at the Montana Bison Conference in Bozeman. Our philosophy and management practices are very different from the mainstream and yet my talk was met with enthusiasm and high praise for our bold choices and high success ratios comparatively. Many new acquaintances, many conversations requesting more information and insight into how others may begin a more holistic outlook and management approach. We are making a difference and the door is wide open to become more publicly involved.It is time for greater expansion, staffing and resources and I am researching, reaching out and exploring the many innovative and now far more supported outreach options and income enhancing models being developed around nonprofits in particular. Our dollar donations were lower this year, HOWEVERwhat is not recorded are the hundreds of hours and thousands and thousands of dollars saved by the people who came to help. That is huge value and more importantly a huge measure of our success in fulfilling our mission. It has been a very good year.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 100%; rating input score 100

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Limited

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -14.2%; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.32; rating input score 55; 55th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.62; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 3.4%; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -0.8% per year; rating input score 0; 45th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 59th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -2.7% per year; rating input score 0; 29th percentile among comparable filings