Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

What it reported doing in 2025

Healthy forests - climate change and fire suppression have left Colorado's forests tinder-dry. In 2025, volunteers planted 3,850 tree saplings in cameron peak fire and high park fire burn scars, where natural pine regeneration was low. The seedlings they used were grown from cones volunteers collected in 2024. Trained volunteer chainsaw crews contributed 2,100 hours thinning overly dense stands across 11 acres and building burn piles. They turned downed cottonwood into 35 habitat piles, benefiting 3.2 acres of plains riparian habitat. These efforts contribute to healthier forests, returning wildlife, and the reduction of fire risk. 2025 expense 198,939 revenue 141,679 plants and pollinators - native plants support native wildlife, including birds and bees. Wrv volunteers beat back invasive weeds and gather local native seeds for grow-out to restore damaged land. In 2025, volunteers cleared 469 acres, and logged over 2,420 hours collecting, cleaning, and cultivating native seeds including conifers. Volunteers also assist in nurturing plants in our greenhouse and nursery. Thousands of residents are now equipped with the knowledge to spot and safely remove noxious weeds, preventing further habitat damage. 2025 expenses 143,105 revenue 164,554 community building and training - in 2025, wrv volunteers turned 1.17m in donated labor and expertise into 219 projects, benefitting 1,146 acres of habitat. We ran 38 courses, training 475 volunteers in restoration design, crew leadership, trail skills, and more. Our fifth bilingual cohort engaged 500+ spanish speakers. 2025 expenses 110,573 revenue 16,814 vital rivers - Colorado's waterways and wetlands sustain 90% of our wildlife, provide opportunities for fishing, rafting, and birding - and fill our glasses. Wrv volunteers heal them using beaver mimicry paired with forest thinning that repurposes the cut trees right back into streams. In 2025, volunteers restored 3,284 feet of stream channel and shoreline, and removed trash from over six miles of channel. 2025 expenses 91,882 revenue 46,767

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.5%; rating input score 74
• Program expense ratio: 78.7%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $7.19 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 24; 24th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 18th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
  • 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: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 7.1%; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.15; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 6%; rating input score 50; 50th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 4.4% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 6.5% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 61st percentile among comparable filings