Youth Outdoor Experience
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 464125968
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2017–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024
- Location
- Tucson, AZ, USA
- Phone
- 5208297001
- Rating
- 66
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Environmental Education and Outdoor Survival Programs
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $578,299
- Expenses
- $450,423
- Assets
- $117,333
- Liabilities
- $3,242
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
6 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- Suzanne Dhruv (Executive Director)
- Axhel Munoz (Past President Director of Board)
- Corina T Ontiveros (President of the Board)
Highest reported compensation
- Suzanne Dhruv (Executive Director): $58,664 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To create healthy and resilient communities, Ironwood Tree Experience makes it possible for young people to engage with the natural world and be stewards of the environment.
What it reported doing in 2024
Youth Outdoor Education Programming: Ironwood Tree Experience partners with teachers and community experts to deliver hands-on outdoor, nature-based education for middle and high school students in Southern Arizona. Through field trips to public lands and urban landscapes, students explore wildlife and plant science, local culture, and community issues while developing nature-based leadership skills. The organization provides experienced staff, transportation, equipment, and curriculum to support teachers and enhance student learning. By working with community experts and conducting field studies, youth build connections with peers and mentors, present their findings publicly, and engage in outdoor activities that strengthen their understanding of the Southwests natural landscapes and communities. Total Number of Persons Benefitted: 766 Students Engaged: 553 Other Persons Engaged: 213
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Earned-program. 84% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 41
- Transparency & Controls: 86
- Accountability: 79
- Sustainability: 50
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 41.1%; rating input score 41
- Program expense ratio: 52.9%; rating input score 53
- Fundraising efficiency: $1.4 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 92.3%; rating input score 92; 16th 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: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Fail
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 22.1%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.26; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 59; 59th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 33.8% per year; rating input score 100; 92nd percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 18.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 27th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 41.1% of revenue deployed · 52.9% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $238K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $59K · 6 people listed
- Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 7 filing years from 2017 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- 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.
- Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 41/100.
- Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 53/100.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 4/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 7 not reported.
- High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 12/100.
- Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 59/100.