The Minnesota Camp Fire Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
411889037
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Excelsior, MN, USA
Phone
6122357284
Rating
83
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Fund Raising and Fund Distribution

Reported finances

Revenue
$88,682
Expenses
$197,478
Assets
$5,954,071
Liabilities
$14,704

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

Leadership & pay

9 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KORI REDEPENNING (PRESIDENT & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • KORI REDEPENNING (PRESIDENT & CEO): $210,631 total reported compensation
  • SARA LEMKE (VP OF DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS): $128,476 total reported compensation
  • BECCA FINK (VP OF PROGRAMS & OPERATIONS): $124,208 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Ensure camp fire Minnesota's strong future. With nature as the catalyst, camp fire Minnesota energizes youth to discover their spark so their futures glow brighter.

What it reported doing in 2024

Ensure a strong future for camp fire Minnesota. Through annual distributions from its investment portfolio, the foundation financially supports organizational operations, facilities and critical programs like camp fire Minnesota's afterschool and inclass environmental education, environmental education field trips, and camp programs. In 2024, camp fire reached 10,780 youth through our programs and resources. We measure our impact through teacher, youth, and parent evaluations. As a result of their camp fire experience, 92% of youth built positive relationships with caring adults and peers and 84% of camp fire youth say they want to take care of nature and planet earth.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 86% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 86% 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

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Few specific pay-setting methods are documented in the filing; unanswered boxes are not proof of absence and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 38
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 93.8%; rating input score 94
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Missing
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -122.7%; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 30.15; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 36.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 93.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $185K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $211K · 9 people listed · 0 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 22 of 22 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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 — Transparency & Controls: Pay-setting controls scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 17/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 9/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 33/100.