Leelanau Conservancy: FY2023 Nonprofit Profile & Form 990 (EIN 38-2710855)

Thomas Nelson’s $141K as Executive Director is at the 59th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1851 $1–10M environment nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.

Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 2 named individuals · Part VII

Name	FY2024	FY2023	FY2022	FY2021	FY2020
Thomas Nelson	$140,770	$126,202	$128,824	$115,594	$114,740
Kathleen Birney	$96,171	$91,886	$87,545	$84,707	$82,410

Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.

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Questions the 990 asks

The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.

Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes

Programs and updates

Protects Leelanau County's land, water, and scenic beauty.

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1 program · $3.1M · in their own filed words · FY2023

01

In 2023, the conservancy completed seven land protection projects protecting an additional 716 acres. Included were: (1) completion of one land protection project protecting 83 acres in leelanau township, (2) completion of one land protection project protecting 20 acres in suttons bay township, (3) completion of one land protection…

$3.1Mprogram expense

Funders

Who pays for it.

From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.

Grants

Schedule I · funders on record

Grants received · FY2025

Midland Area Community FoundationFY2025$255K

Honeoye Falls Foundation INCFY2025$75K

Grand Traverse Regional Community FoundationFY2025$31K

Stricof Family FoundationFY2025$1K

Happy Buddha FoundationFY2025$500

William & Mary Swift FoundationFY2025$100

Fioroni Family FoundationFY2025$100

Total grants receivedfrom 7 funders$363K

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By the numbers

The FY2023 990, line by line.

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from philanthropy.org

1The main four

Money inPt VIII

$10.6M

Ln 12

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$9.8M

Investment incomeLn 3$607K

Other incomeLn 4–11$150K

Money outPt IX

$4.2M

Ln 25

Programscol B$3.1M

Managementcol C$642K

Fundraisingcol D$423K

Owns and owesPt X

$43.2M

net assets · Ln 32

Cash and savingsLn 1–2$700K

Total assetsLn 16$44.1M

LiabilitiesLn 26$954K

PeoplePt VI, VII

21

listed · VII A

PaidVII A2

Voting boardVI 1a19

IndependentVI 1b19

2In more detail

Revenue in detailPt VIII

Gifts and grantsLn 1h$9.8M

Government grantsLn 1e$1.1M

Noncash giftsLn 1g$511K

Fees for servicesLn 2g$26K

Investment incomeLn 3$607K

Other incomeLn 4–11$150K

Gains on assetsLn 7$176K

Total revenueLn 12$10.6M

Assets in detailPt X, end of year

SavingsLn 2$700K

Cash and savings togetherLn 1–2$700K

InvestmentsLn 11–13$17.6M

Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c$21.5M

Other assetsLn 15$645K

Total assetsLn 16$44.1M

LiabilitiesLn 26$954K

Net assetsLn 32$43.2M

OperationsPt I, VI

EmployeesI 516

VolunteersI 694

Fiscal year endsHeaderDecember

Conflict-of-interest policyVI 12aYes

Whistleblower policyVI 13Yes

Records policyVI 14Yes

3Year over year

Balance sheet, start vs end of yearPt X · col A, B

Line	Start FY23	End FY23
Cash and savingsLn 1–2	$580K	$700K
InvestmentsLn 11–13	$15.1M	$17.6M
Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c	$19.7M	$21.5M
Total assetsLn 16	$37.1M	$44.1M
LiabilitiesLn 26	$1.8M	$954K
Net assetsLn 32	$35.3M	$43.2M

4Every line

Statement of functional expensesPt IX · every line

Line	Total	Programs	Management	Fundraising
Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5	$218K	$155K	$32K	$32K
Other salaries and wagesLn 7	$1.1M	$620K	$241K	$217K
Other employee benefitsLn 9	$258K	$154K	$54K	$49K
Payroll taxesLn 10	$97K	$58K	$20K	$19K
Legal feesLn 11b	$22K	$21K	$1K
Accounting feesLn 11c	$30K		$30K
Investment management feesLn 11f	$53K		$53K
Other fees for servicesLn 11g	$77K	$50K	$24K	$3K
Office expensesLn 13	$32K	$14K	$18K
OccupancyLn 16	$14K		$14K
TravelLn 17	$11K	$851	$6K	$3K
InterestLn 20	$31K	$31K
Depreciation, depletion and amortizationLn 22	$183K	$158K	$25K
InsuranceLn 23	$40K		$40K
Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24	$1.9M	$1.8M	$16K	$50K
All other expensesLn 24e	$185K	$68K	$67K	$50K
Total functional expensesLn 25	$4.2M	$3.1M	$642K	$423K

Filing history

Year	Money in	Money out	In minus out	Net assets	Download
FY2024 Latest	$19.6M	$9.9M	$9.7M	$49.8M	990 PDF
FY2023 Viewing	$10.6M	$4.2M	$6.4M	$43.2M	990 PDF
FY2022	$7.7M	$5.4M	$2.3M	$35.3M	990 PDF
FY2021	$6.6M	$3.8M	$2.8M	$35.4M	990 PDF
FY2020	$5.9M	$4.5M	$1.4M	$32.2M	990 PDF

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Schedules filed Part IV

III · Programs R · Related orgs G · Fundraising L · Interested persons I · Grants A · Public support M · Noncash O · Explanations

See the full FY2023 990 (6 parts)

Part I · Summary $10,593,350 revenue, 12 lines filed

I-8 Contributions and grantsPrior year $7,617,506$9,810,208

I-9 Program service revenuePrior year $28,798$26,038

I-10 Investment incomePrior year $87,809$607,016

I-11 Other revenuePrior year −$12,503$150,088

I-12 Total revenuePrior year $7,721,610$10,593,350

I-13 Grants and similar amounts paidPrior year $0$0

I-14 Benefits paid to membersPrior year $0$0

I-15 Salaries and benefitsPrior year $1,438,845$1,650,796

I-16a Professional fundraising feesPrior year $0$0

I-17 Other expensesPrior year $3,996,028$2,556,480

I-18 Total expensesPrior year $5,434,873$4,207,276

I-19 Revenue less expensesPrior year $2,286,737$6,386,074

Part VI · Governance 19 of 19 board members independent, no flags

VI-1a Voting members of the governing body19

VI-1b Independent voting members19

VI-2 Family or business relationship among officers or directorsNo

VI-12a Written conflict of interest policyYes

VI-13 Written whistleblower policyYes

VI-14 Document retention and destruction policyYes

VI-15a Process for setting top official's payYes

Part VIII · Statement of revenue $10,593,350 across 9 lines filed

VIII-1e Government grants$1,063,621

VIII-1f All other contributions, gifts and grants$8,746,587

VIII-1g Noncash contributions (included above)$511,250

VIII-1h Total contributions, gifts and grants$9,810,208

VIII-2a-f Program service revenue, itemized rows (sum of 2a–2f as filed)Related to mission $26,038$26,038

VIII-3 Investment incomeExcluded from tax $431,126$431,126

VIII-7 Net gain or loss on sales of assetsExcluded from tax $175,890$175,890

VIII-11a-d Other revenue, itemized rows (sum of 11a–11d as filed)Related to mission $150,088$150,088

VIII-12 Total revenueRelated to mission $176,126 · Unrelated business $0 · Excluded from tax $607,016$10,593,350

Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $4,207,276 across 16 lines filed

IX-5 Pay of current officers, directors and key staffPrograms $154,988 · Management $31,550 · Fundraising $31,550$218,088

IX-7 Other salaries and wagesPrograms $619,981 · Management $240,939 · Fundraising $217,136$1,078,056

IX-9 Other employee benefitsPrograms $154,179 · Management $54,211 · Fundraising $49,476$257,866

IX-10 Payroll taxesPrograms $57,868 · Management $20,348 · Fundraising $18,570$96,786

IX-11b Legal feesPrograms $21,046 · Management $1,387$22,433

IX-11c Accounting feesManagement $29,916$29,916

IX-11f Investment management feesManagement $52,865$52,865

IX-11g Other fees for servicesPrograms $49,760 · Management $23,912 · Fundraising $3,233$76,905

IX-13 Office expensesPrograms $13,665 · Management $18,334$31,999

IX-16 OccupancyManagement $13,746$13,746

IX-17 TravelPrograms $851 · Management $6,352 · Fundraising $3,365$10,568

IX-20 InterestPrograms $31,023$31,023

IX-22 Depreciation, depletion and amortizationPrograms $157,962 · Management $24,816$182,778

IX-23 InsuranceManagement $40,410$40,410

IX-24 Other expenses (24a–d)Programs $1,812,941 · Management $15,814 · Fundraising $49,864$1,878,619

IX-24e All other expensesPrograms $68,268 · Management $67,012 · Fundraising $49,938$185,218

IX-25 Total functional expensesPrograms $3,142,532 · Management $641,612 · Fundraising $423,132$4,207,276

Part X · Balance sheet $44,110,143 assets, 16 lines filed

X-2 Savings and temporary cash investmentsStart of year $579,500$700,108

X-3 Pledges and grants receivableStart of year $977,032$3,628,978

X-4 Accounts receivableStart of year $44,353$41,035

X-9 Prepaid expenses and deferred chargesStart of year $23,671$21,258

X-10c Land, buildings and equipment, netStart of year $19,667,709$21,511,241

X-11 Publicly traded securitiesStart of year $14,741,942$16,963,275

X-12 Other securitiesStart of year $387,514$599,377

X-15 Other assetsStart of year $705,196$644,871

X-16 Total assetsStart of year $37,126,917$44,110,143

X-17 Accounts payable and accrued expensesStart of year $113,225$129,857

X-25 Other liabilitiesStart of year $101,778$94,372

X-26 Total liabilitiesStart of year $1,811,276$953,914

X-27 Net assets without donor restrictionsStart of year $12,386,818$16,833,073

X-28 Net assets with donor restrictionsStart of year $22,928,823$26,323,156

X-32 Total net assets or fund balancesStart of year $35,315,641$43,156,229

X-33 Total liabilities and net assetsStart of year $37,126,917$44,110,143

Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $43,156,229 net assets at year end

XI-1 Total revenue$10,593,350

XI-2 Total expenses$4,207,276

XI-3 Revenue less expenses$6,386,074

XI-4 Net assets at start of year$35,315,641

XI-5 Net unrealized gains (losses) on investments$1,454,514

XI-9 Other changes in net assets$0

XI-10 Net assets at end of year$43,156,229

Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2023 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File

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Leelanau Conservancy FY2023 filing

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