Conservation Northwest
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
Accredited Charity
Meets Standards
Standards Legend
- Meets Standards
- Standards Not Met
- Did Not Disclose
- Review In Progress
- Unable to Verify
Standards For Charity Accountability
Governance
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Board Oversight
Oversight of Operations and Staff: Standard 1
Description
Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fundraising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Size
Number of Board Members: Standard 2
Description
Soliciting organizations shall have a board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Meetings
Frequency and Attendance of Board Meetings: Standard 3
Description
An organization shall have a minimum of three evenly spaced meetings per year of the full governing body with a majority in attendance, with face-to-face participation. A conference call of the full board can substitute for one of the three meetings of the governing body. For all meetings, alternative modes of participation are acceptable for those with physical disabilities.The organization meets this standard.
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Board Compensation
Compensated Board Members: Standard 4
Description
Not more than one or 10% (whichever is greater) directly or indirectly compensated person(s) serving as voting member(s) of the board. Compensated members shall not serve as the board's chair or treasurer.The organization meets this standard.
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Conflict of Interest
Conflict of Interest: Standard 5
Description
No transaction(s) in which any board or staff members have material conflicting interests with the charity resulting from any relationship or business affiliation. Factors that will be considered when concluding whether or not a related party transaction constitutes a conflict of interest and if such a conflict is material, include, but are not limited to: any arm's length procedures established by the charity; the size of the transaction relative to like expenses of the charity; whether the interested party participated in the board vote on the transaction; if competitive bids were sought and whether the transaction is one-time, recurring or ongoing.The organization meets this standard.
Measuring Effectiveness
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Effectiveness Policy
Board Policy on Effectiveness: Standard 6
Description
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.The organization meets this standard.
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Effectiveness Report
Board Approval of Written Report on Effectiveness: Standard 7
Description
Submit to the organization's governing body, for its approval, a written report that outlines the results of the aforementioned performance and effectiveness assessment and recommendations for future actions.The organization meets this standard.
Finances
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Program Expenses
Program Service Expense Ratio: Standard 8
Description
Spend at least 65% of its total expenses on program activities.The organization meets this standard.
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Fundraising Expenses
Fundraising Expense Ratio: Standard 9
Description
Spending should be no more than 35% of related contributions on fundraising. Related contributions include donations, legacies, and other gifts received as a result of fundraising efforts.The organization meets this standard.
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Accumulating Funds
Ending Net Assets: Standard 10
Description
Avoid accumulating funds that could be used for current program activities. To meet this standard, the charity's unrestricted net assets available for use should not be more than three times the size of the past year's expenses or three times the size of the current year's budget, whichever is higher.The organization meets this standard.
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Audit Report
Financial Statements: Standard 11
Description
Make available to all, on request, complete annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. When total annual gross income exceeds $1 million, these statements should be audited in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $1 million, a review by a certified public accountant is sufficient to meet this standard. For charities whose annual gross income is less than $250,000, an internally produced, complete financial statement is sufficient to meet this standard.The organization meets this standard.
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Detailed Expense Breakdown
Detailed Functional Breakdown of Expenses: Standard 12
Description
Include in the financial statements a breakdown of expenses (e.g., salaries, travel, postage, etc.) that shows what portion of these expenses was allocated to program, fundraising, and administrative activities. If the charity has more than one major program category, the schedule should provide a breakdown for each category.The organization meets this standard.
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Accurate Expense Reporting
Accuracy of Expenses in Financial Statements: Standard 13
Description
Accurately report the charity's expenses, including any joint cost allocations, in its financial statements. For example, audited or unaudited statements which inaccurately claim zero fundraising expenses or otherwise understate the amount a charity spends on fundraising, and/or overstate the amount it spends on programs will not meet this standard.The organization meets this standard.
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Budget Plan
Budget: Standard 14
Description
Have a board-approved annual budget for its current fiscal year, outlining projected expenses for major program activities, fundraising, and administration.The organization meets this standard.
Fundraising & Info
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Truthful Materials
Misleading Appeals: Standard 15
Description
Have solicitations and informational materials, distributed by any means, that are accurate, truthful and not misleading, both in whole and in part. Appeals that omit a clear description of program(s) for which contributions are sought will not meet this standard. A charity should also be able to substantiate that the timing and nature of its expenditures are in accordance with what is stated, expressed, or implied in the charity's solicitations.The organization meets this standard.
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Annual Report
Annual Report: Standard 16
Description
Have an annual report available to all, on request, that includes: (a) the organization's mission statement, (b) a summary of the past year's program service accomplishments, (c) a roster of the officers and members of the board of directors, (d) financial information that includes (i) total income in the past fiscal year, (ii) expenses in the same program, fundraising and administrative categories as in the financial statements, and (iii) ending net assets.The organization meets this standard.
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Website Disclosures
Web Site Disclosures: Standard 17
Description
Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.The organization meets this standard.
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Donor Privacy
Privacy for Written Appeals & Internet Privacy: Standard 18
Description
Address privacy concerns of donors by (a) providing in written appeals, at least annually, a means (e.g., such as a check off box) for both new and continuing donors to inform the charity if they do not want their name and address shared outside the organization, (b) providing a clear, prominent and easily accessible privacy policy on any of its websites that tells visitors (i) what information, if any, is being collected about them by the charity and how this information will be used, (ii) how to contact the charity to review personal information collected and request corrections, (iii) how to inform the charity (e.g., a check off box) that the visitor does not wish his/her personal information to be shared outside the organization, and (iv) what security measures the charity has in place to protect personal information.The organization meets this standard.
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Cause Marketing Disclosures
Cause Related Marketing: Standard 19
Description
Clearly disclose how the charity benefits from the sale of products or services (i.e., cause-related marketing) that state or imply that a charity will benefit from a consumer sale or transaction. Such promotions should disclose, at the point of solicitation: (a) the actual or anticipated portion of the purchase price that will benefit the charity (e.g., 5 cents will be contributed to abc charity for every xyz company product sold), (b) the duration of the campaign (e.g., the month of October), (c) any maximum or guaranteed minimum contribution amount (e.g., up to a maximum of $200,000).The organization meets this standard.
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Complaints
Complaints: Standard 20
Description
Respond promptly to and act on complaints brought to its attention by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and/or local Better Business Bureaus about fundraising practices, privacy policy violations and/or other issues.The organization meets this standard.
Conclusion
Conservation Northwest meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.
Purpose
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Year, State Incorporated
1988, WA
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Stated Purpose
Conservation Northwest protects, connects andrestores wildlands and wildlife from the Washington Coast to the BritishColumbia Rockies.
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Also Known As:
Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, Conservation NW, Ancient Forest Roadshow, CNW, FONC, Friends of the North Cascades, Greater Ecosystem Alliance, I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, NWEA, The Cascades Conservation Partnership, Washington Invasive Species Coalition, Whatcom Legacy, Whatcom Legacy Project, WLP
Programs
Bold, imaginative and effective, ConservationNorthwest (CNW) has protected hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlands,supported the recovery of threatened species from wolves to fishers, and touchedthousands of lives throughout the greater Northwest. Care for localcommunities, collaboration, and big-picture thinking define CNW's effectiveapproach to conservation. Elected officials, government agencies, NativeAmerican tribes, business leaders and conservationists alike know CNW for beingscience-based, persistent in seeking a healthier environment, yet realistic inachieving lasting change. Conservation Northwest's groundbreaking programs have been improving the healthof our natural environment for more than 30 years and includes bringing fishersback to Washington, helping to restore species like lynx, wolves andwolverines, leading campaigns to build wildlife crossings on major roadwayslike Interstate 90, and winning permanent protection for cherished Northwestlandscapes like Blanchard Mountain and the Loomis State Forest. Lead programs include: Forest Field Program: With specific staffers for the Colville,Okanogan-Wenatchee and Mount-Baker Snoqualmie national forests, Conservation Northwestpromotes naturally functioning and ecologically managed forests by: 1) Advancing restoration of forest and watershed resilience and habitatconnectivity while protecting old forests and other critical habitat, 2) Partnering with agencies and communities for scientifically crediblerestoration projects3) Leveraging field examples into policy through lobbying, media exposure,court rulings, and public support and involvement. State Trust Lands Reform: Conservation Northwest also works closely with theWashington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Washington Department of Fishand Wildlife (WDFW), forestry companies and other conservation organizations topromote ecological management and resilience on state and private forest lands,including State Trust Lands and special places including Blanchard Mountain. Working for Wildlife Initiative: Conservation Northwest is entering the sixthyear of a seven-year business plan adopted by the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation to maintain and restore habitat connectivity between the Cascadesand Kettle River Range for Canada lynx, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and muledeer. To date they have built strong partner capacity, invested in habitatrestoration on public and private lands, secured several key parcels in fee(WDFW) or conservation easement, documented lynx presence in the Kettle Range,and initiated recovery planning for lynx. Habitat Connectivity: It is essential to enable wildlife to cross highwaysalong key corridors at locations like Highway 2 near Stevens Pass, Highway 12near Randle, Highway 97 near Blewett Pass, and I-90 near Vantage. ConservationNorthwest aims to establish a state funding source within the transportationbudget and political will within WSDOT to prioritize this issue. I-90 Wildlife Corridor Campaign: Since 2000, through The Cascades ConservationPartnership and the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition, Conservation Northwest hasled efforts to reconnect Washington’s north and south Cascades by protecting andrestoring habitat and establishing safe wildlife crossings under and over I-90.These two coalitions represent only part of Conservation Northwest’sinvolvement in this area, which is organized internally under its I-90 WildlifeCorridor Campaign. This larger campaign includes their role administeringcoalitions as well as on-the-ground habitat restoration around the new wildlifecrossings through volunteer and staff revegetation work, continued forestrestoration in the watersheds of the Central Cascades, and wildlife monitoringand snowtracking through the Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project to documentwildlife movement in this corridor. Central Cascades Watersheds Restoration: As their I-90 Wildlife CorridorCampaign achieves success and eventually sunsets, Conservation Northwest isincreasing its focus on forest and watersheds restoration in this largerlandscape between the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and Mount Rainier National Park.They will work with the Forest Service and partners to design and fundlandscape scale restoration of the upper Yakima, Manastash-Taneum, LittleNaches, White and Green River watersheds, including thinning thousands ofplantation acres, removing hundreds of road miles, relocating infrastructurefrom floodplains, reducing invasive species, and blending recreational accesswith resource protection. Sagelands Heritage Program: Their new Sagelands Heritage Program works tomaintain, restore and connect shrub-steppe landscapes from British Columbia’sOkanagan Valley to south-central Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills for the goodof both wildlife and people. The Columbia Plateau occupies nearly a third ofWashington, but less than half of it remains shrub-steppe instead of crops.Work by the Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group identifiesfour critical linkages and restoration needs for a habitat network for ColumbiaBasin wildlife. Their focus is the Connected Backbone from Horse Heaven Hills,near Richland, to the Okanogan Valley, which allows us to build from pastefforts to help priority species including sage grouse, bighorn sheep, badgers,sharp-tailed grouse, mule deer, and pygmy rabbits. Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative: The Coast to Cascades Grizzly BearInitiative is a collaborative effort to stem the ongoing loss of grizzly bearrange and to promote grizzly bear recovery in the transboundary ecosystems ofsouthwest British Columbia and northwest Washington state. Partners includeConservation Northwest, the St’at’imc Chiefs Council, Canadian Parks andWilderness Society (BC Chapter), Sierra Club BC, BC Nature, Pemberton WildlifeAssociation, BC Spaces for Nature, AWARE, Whistler Naturalists, LillooetNaturalist Society. The Okanogan Nation Alliance, Squamish Nation and manylocal governments and municipalities in British Columbia have also passedresolutions supporting grizzly bear recovery. Community Wildlife Monitoring Project: Conservation Northwest engages peopletracking wildlife in key areas like the I-90 corridor, Kettle Range and NorthCascades, documenting the presence of fishers, wolves, grizzly bears, lynx andother species. Now in its eleventh year, their Monitoring Project is one of thelargest citizen-science efforts in North America. They harness the power ofmore than 100 volunteers each year to maintain dozens of remote camera sites inWashington and southern British Columbia, as well as to conduct wintersnow-tracking in the Interstate 90 corridor near Snoqualmie Pass to informwildlife crossing projects. Confirming the presence of rare carnivores andother animals informs land management decisions upon which wildlife depend. Italso helps guide their conservation programs and priorities, and those of stateand federal agencies. Wolf Recovery: Since 2006, Conservation Northwest has pursued the goal ofWashington being the state where wolf recovery is done right, focusing on bothstate policy and field modelling of ways to reduce conflict with livestockthrough their Range Rider Pilot Project. They are committed to the goal oflong-term recovery and public acceptance of wolves alongside thriving ruralcommunities. But to achieve these goals, it will take hard work, respect andcollaboration from stakeholders on all sides. Today, they are on-the-groundfrom Colville and Twisp to the Teanaway and Olympia supporting gray wolfrecovery. They directly fund, train and implement non-lethal wolf-livestockconflict avoidance methods. They are working with ranchers and hunters to helpreduce conflict and increase social tolerance for wolves. With conservationpartners, they are lobbying state and community leaders for wolf recovery andsustainable wolf management. Finally, they are protecting critical habitat andworking with law enforcement to fight poaching and natural resource abuse. North Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative: In 2014, the National Park Service, theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Washington Department of Fish andWildlife began a new multi-year Environmental Impact Statement planning processfor restoring a healthy grizzly bear population in Washington’s North Cascadesecosystem. Grizzly bears have been an important part of the North Cascadesecosystem for thousands of years. They play a vital role for the health of theenvironment and other wildlife species, figure prominently in regional NativeAmerican and First Nations’ cultures and contribute to the richness of ournatural heritage in the Pacific Northwest. Now is the time to restore a healthygrizzly bear population to the North Cascades. They also support grizzly bearrecovery efforts in northeast Washington’s Selkirk Mountains and nearby areas. Fisher Reintroduction: In 2002, Conservation Northwest began a partnership withthe Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the National Park Service(NPS) and other federal, tribal and non-profit allies to restore fishers toWashington state. Since then, they have successfully reintroduced fishers tothe Olympia Peninsula and Washington’s South and Central Cascades! Next up: theNorth Cascades. Reward Fund to HelpStop Poaching:Whether its deer, elk or rare carnivores likewolves, lynx and grizzly bears, poaching is an abuse of our shared naturalheritage. No matter how one feels about wildlife, poaching is never OK. Througha Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Washington Department of Fish andWildlife (WDFW), Conservation Northwest offers standing rewards of up to $7,500for those who provide information that leads to a poaching conviction inWashington state. They also occasionally offer larger rewards in specificegregious circumstances. Reward funds are provided by generousmembers anddonors.
For the year ended March 31, 2020, Conservation Northwest program expenses were:
| Program services | $1,919,463 |
| Program Expenses | $1,919,463 |
Governance & Staff
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CEO
Mr. Mitch Friedman, Executive Director
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Board Chair
Mr. Joseph Joy, Owner/Manager
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Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Rinworks LLC
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Board Size
16
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Paid Staff Size
19
Fundraising
Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fundraising events, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.).
% of Related Contributions on Fundraising: 13.99%
Tax Status
This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
Financial
The following information is based on Conservation Northwest's Audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020
| Source of Funds | |
|---|---|
| Contributions and bequests | $1,224,214 |
| Grants | $1,104,940 |
| Special events, less direct benefits to donors of $87,983 | $151,782 |
| Total Income | $2,480,936 |
Breakdown of Expenses
| Total Income | $2,480,936 |
| Total Expenses: | $2,513,794 |
| Program Expenses | $1,919,463 |
| Fundraising Expenses | $347,092 |
| Administrative Expenses | $247,239 |
| Other Expenses | $0 |
| Expenses in Excess of Income | $32,858 |
| Beginning Net Assets | $1,285,379 |
| Other Changes In Net Assets | $0 |
| Ending Net Assets | $1,278,233 |
| Total Liabilities | $149,983 |
| Total Assets | $1,428,216 |
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