The Mountaineers

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
273009280
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024, Form 990-N 2009
Location
Seattle, WA, USA
Phone
2065216001
Rating
86
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$7,907,895
Expenses
$7,880,872
Assets
$19,230,434
Liabilities
$2,525,109

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

Leadership & pay

33 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • THOMAS VOGL (CEO)
  • HELEN CHERULLO (BRAIDED RIVER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • MANISHA POWAR (PRESIDENT)
  • RICH DRAVES (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • GABE AESCHLIMAN (PAST PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • THOMAS VOGL (CEO): $195,630 total reported compensation
  • THOMAS HELLEBERG (PUBLISHER): $140,051 total reported compensation
  • HELEN CHERULLO (BRAIDED RIVER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $136,284 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 mountaineers mission is to enrich the community by helping people explore, conserve, learn about and enjoy the lands and waters of the pacific northwest and beyond.

What it reported doing in 2024

The programs division of the mountaineers focuses on providing outdoor education and recreation for youth and adults. Programs are designed to connect individuals with the outdoors while developing safe and responsible recreation skills and outdoor ethics, which promote conservation and low impact techniques. Youth education: over 3,200 volunteers organize 3,400 educational programs and trips related to outdoor activities. Programs focus on providing outdoor education and conservation experiences. The programs are designed to connect individuals with the outdoors and reach safe and responsible recreations skills and outdoor ethics which promote conservation and low impact techniques. The mountaineers offers approximately 13,800 outdoor youth experiences through three programs: summer camp, a year-round adventuring program and mountain workshops, and a youth outreach program for disadvantaged youth. We also offer need-based pricing to over 50% of the participants in our youth outreach. These programs teach youth self-reliance, self-confidence, and promote a healthy active outdoor lifestyle as well as giving them lifelong outdoor skills.adult programs: volunteer led and outdoor focus on education and conservation experiences. The programs are designed to connect individuals with the outdoors, teach safe and responsible recreation skills and outdoor ethics which promote conservation and low impact techniques.the mountaineers also offers conservation and advocacy, memberships, events and room rentals, leadership development and global adventures.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 98% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 81
  • Transparency & Controls: 87
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 46
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 94.7%; rating input score 95
  • Program expense ratio: 80.9%; rating input score 81
  • Fundraising efficiency: $3.56 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 11; 11th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd 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; 63rd 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: 0.3%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.44; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.13; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 12.2%; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.4% per year; rating input score 100; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 5.6% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 94.7% of revenue deployed · 80.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $6.4M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $196K · 33 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $123K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 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 — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 11/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 35/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 24/100.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 53/100.