The Walden Woods Project

What it reported doing in 2024

Conservation & land managementthe walden woods project preserves and protects walden woods and thoreau country in recognition of their worldwide literary, historical, and environmental significance and their capacity to motivate others to protect the global environment and the ecologically/historically significant areas that exist in their own communities.the walden woods project owns and stewards nearly 200 acres of land that provides an important service to the public as a highly sought-after resource for passive recreation and education. The majority of our land is open to the public year-round, and our interpretive trails are used extensively by the general public and a wide variety of organized groups, including school groups, elder services groups, and tourists. Management activities include maintenance of existing trails, trail design, interpretation and construction, maintenance of trail head parking facilities, and ecological improvements intended to benefit wildlife and the natural value of our land.the project's land management programs support collaboration between a wide variety of civic and environmental groups.the walden woods project manages conservation restrictions on 53.9 acres of land, which prevents development of sites not owned in fee (total acres owned in fee: 130.3). Annual conservation restriction monitoring ensures that the protections prescribed in the conservation restrictions are in effect.the land we own and manage includes a certified organic farm that offers healthy, locally grown produce for public consumption and that hosts educational programming and volunteer service projects.in its capacity as the state-designated "friends of walden pond," the walden woods project partners with the Massachusetts department of conservation and recreation on fundraising for public programs and conservation initiatives at the walden pond state reservation.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 30.9%; rating input score 31
• Program expense ratio: 80.5%; rating input score 80
• Fundraising efficiency: $71.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 20th 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: 87.5%; rating input score 88; 19th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • 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: 66.1%; rating input score 96; 96th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 17.12; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 5.3%; rating input score 51; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 3.6% per year; rating input score 100; 31st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 10.1% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 4.1% per year; rating input score 100; 30th percentile among comparable filings