Whiterock Conservancy
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 270110952
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2012–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Coon Rapids, IA, USA
- Phone
- 7127908221
- Rating
- 79
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Natural Resources Conservation and Protection
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,363,058
- Expenses
- $1,660,874
- Assets
- $24,570,269
- Liabilities
- $182,352
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
16 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- NICHOLAS LUDWIG (PRESIDENT)
Highest reported compensation
- SALLY WORLEY (DIRECTOR): $146,005 total reported compensation
- TODD COFFELT (SECRETARY): $132,091 total reported compensation
- KATE COMPTON (EXECUTIVE DI): $123,234 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
Whiterock conservancy is a 5,500 acre non-profit land trust that balances sustainable agriculture, natural resource protection and public recreation on the landscape. Whiterock conservancy works for a resilient future by helping land flourish and transforming people's relationship to agriculture and nature. Whiterock conservancy assists and supports the Iowa department of natural resources, practical farmers of Iowa and the Iowa natural heritage foundation (the supported organizations) in carrying out their purposes relating to land preservation, land restoration, conservation, sustainable agriculture, education and recreation.
What it reported doing in 2024
Outdoor recreation and environmental education: a goal of whiterock conservancy is to provide the public with opportunities to access and engage with the outdoors for recreation, renewal, and education to increase appreciation of the cultural, natural and scenic resources of rural Iowa. This goal is accomplished through the operation of whiterock guest services, designed to facilitate access and engagement by providing various overnight accomodations and a range of programs and events from guided tours, nature walks, fishing, boating, bird watching, etc., along with recreational equipment rentals. Whiterock guest services operates as a fee for service program; however, many activities are available at no charge. Funds raised have been used for construction and maintenance of recreational trails throughout whiterock conservancy's land and on 1,400 acres of land owned by the garst family, on which a trail cooridor easement has been secured.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 71% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
- Distribution model
- Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% 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
SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 78
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 77
- Sustainability: 45
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 86.7%; rating input score 87
- Program expense ratio: 67.1%; rating input score 67
- Fundraising efficiency: $25.05 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 78.6%; rating input score 79; 17th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Other executive compensation review process: Fail
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: -21.8%; rating input score 9; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 14.79; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 8.5%; rating input score 42; 42nd percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: -4.6% per year; rating input score 0; 6th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 6.7% per year; rating input score 100; 46th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 86.7% of revenue deployed · 67.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 11 of 14 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $1.1M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $146K · 16 people listed
- Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 12 filing years from 2012 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 3 filed money-flow records
- Related organizations: 3 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 — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 9/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 8 not reported.
- High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 42/100.