Connects people of all ages with nature through hands-on experiences, building a community dedicated to ecological relationships.
Leadership
Elk Johnston · Staff Representative to Board · $27K
Money in and out
$473K revenue, $565K expenses
Bottom line
88% program efficiency
Connects people of all ages with nature through hands-on experiences, building a community dedicated to ecological relationships.
For fiscal year 2024 it reported $473K in revenue, $565K in expenses, and $59K in net assets.Pt I
Where the money goes · FY2024
Total revenue
$473K
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$565K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$59K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expenses (Pt I · Ln 19): −$92K
Where spending went · Part IX cols B–D
88%
12%
Program services $0.88 Management & general $0.12 Fundraising $0.00
Program efficiency
88%
of spending reaches programs
Operating runway
1.2mo
months of highly liquid reserves at operating expense rate
Surplus margin
-19%
revenue over expenses, this year
Summary of the Filing
Part I · fiscal year 2024 · Form 990
Revenue
$473K
FY2024▲ +45%
$680K$340K$0
FY2020FY2025
Expenses
$565K
FY2024▲ +62%
$606K$303K$0
FY2020FY2025
Total assets
$59K
FY2024▼ -61%
$173K$86K$0
FY2020FY2025
Total liabilities
$0
FY2024
$1$0$0
FY2020FY2025
Total revenue
$473K
Pt VIII · Ln 12
Total expenses
$565K
Pt IX · Ln 25
Net assets
$59K
Pt X · Ln 32
Revenue less expensesPt I · Ln 19−$92K
Total assetsPt X · Ln 16$59K
Program-expense ratioPt IX · col B88%
Voting members of governing bodyPt I · Ln 36
Independent voting membersPt I · Ln 46
Mission & Programs · Part III
Where the work happens
3 program services account for $54K of program spending, described in the organization's own filed words · FY2024.
01
Our mission at The Wilds is to cultivate a deep and long-lasting connection to wildness. Through immersive story-telling creative and open play art using natural materials nature-based games and hands-on experience with the rhythms and cycles of the natural world across the seasons we guide children into their own unique personal and…
$31Kprogram expense
02
The Field School is a space where kiddos in grades 1-8 can immerse themselves in the creative expanse of the wild world. Our classroom consists of more than 100 acres of forest meadow shoreline and marsh on land adjacent to Lake Champlain in Burlington Vermont.
$17Kprogram expense
03
Themed summer camps that center around art swimming exploring carving archery or playing in the mud. Three camp offerings each week; each camp runs 9am-3:30pm and serves approximately 15 kids. Camps are based out of Rock Point in Burlington or Red Rocks or Wheeler Park in South Burlington.
Ian Nesbit’s $20K as Staff Representative to the Board
is at the 10th percentile of top reported officer pay among 1981 $100K–1M 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 · 3 named individuals · Part VII
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.
Individual Elk Johnston · Reported title Staff Representative to Board · Highest reported compensation $27K · Total expenses $565K
5%
Personnel share
Salaries, benefits & payroll (Pt IX 5-10) $463K · Total expenses $565K
82%
Peer comparison
Same NTEE category, revenue band, and state where available. Descriptive — not a grade.
Metric
This org
Peer median
Percentile
Program ratio
88%
—
—
Overhead ratio
12%
—
—
Fundraising cost ratio
0%
—
—
Revenue growth
45%
—
—
Straight from the Form 990 — descriptive, not an evaluation. A ratio is hidden when its base is zero or too small to be meaningful; the dollars are always shown.
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Sources
Every figure above is drawn from these filings
Form 990 e-file (XML) · FY2024IRS
Classification, formation year, addressIRS Business Master File
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