Triangle Land Conservancy

What it reported doing in 2024

Founded in 1983, triangle land conservancy (tlc) is an accredited land trust that conserves land in the six-county triangle region of North Carolina through land purchases, conservation easements and community partnerships. In 2018, tlc set a goal to strategically and permanently protect and steward 25,000 acres of land across the triangle by 2025, which implied doubling the pace of our conservation work. We exceeded this goal a year early and tlc has now protected 26,557 acres. Despite land becoming more expensive and disappearing quickly, we are not slowing down our work to conserve and care for land. As the North Carolina population continues to grow, tlc will continue to conserve the economic, ecological, and social benefits that our open spaces and natural lands provide. Tlc is proud to be part of the network of accredited land trusts across the county that work to conserve and protect land and make our communities more climate resilient. Conservation strategies: in fy 2025, tlc protected 1,447 acres of priority conservation land, bringing our total to 26,557 acres, surpassing our 2025 goal by 1,557 acres. Tlc now stewards over 7,800 acres across 96 owned properties and protects 11,170 acres through 193 conservation easements. Each of these conservation properties support at least two of the four benefits that tlc prioritizes: safeguarding clean water, local farms and foods, natural habitat, and connecting people with nature. Conservation easements are legal agreements between a landowner and a land trust that limit uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values in perpetuity. Specific terms of individual easements vary, but in general they limit future development. In fy25 tlc closed 13 easements that protect 631 acres, including six agricultural conservation easements which protect a mix of traditional row crops, produce production and sustainably managed forests. Tlc continued to develop the good ground initiative (ggi) program through collaborations with partners and community members and is working to transfer properties in the next fiscal year.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 14.5%; rating input score 15
• Program expense ratio: 67.6%; rating input score 68
• Fundraising efficiency: $42.32 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 73; 73rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • 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; 66th 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: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 79.4%; rating input score 98; 98th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 40.79; rating input score 99; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.8%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 16.4% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 15.8% per year; rating input score 100; 87th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.9% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings