Charity Report

  • Issued: October 2021
  • Expires: April 2024

Friends of the Columbia Gorge

Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

503-241-3762

123 NE 3rd Ave Ste 108
Portland, OR 97232

https://gorgefriends.org
Accredited Charity

503-241-3762

123 NE 3rd Ave Ste 108
Portland, OR 97232

https://gorgefriends.org
Accredited Charity

Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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

Friends of the Columbia Gorge meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Purpose

  • Year, State Incorporated

    1981, OR

  • Stated Purpose

    Friends of the ColumbiaGorge shall vigorously protect the scenic, natural, cultural, and recreationalresources of the Columbia River Gorge. We fulfill this mission by ensuringstrict implementation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act andother laws protecting the region of the Columbia River Gorge; promotingresponsible stewardship of Gorge land, air, and waters; encouraging publicownership of sensitive areas; educating the public about the unique naturalvalues of the Columbia River Gorge and the importance of preserving thosevalues; and working with groups and individuals to accomplish mutualpreservation goals.


  • Also Known As:

    Friends of the Columbia Gorge, Inc., Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust

Programs

Friends of the Columbia Gorge strive to keep the Gorge wild and beautiful through the following programs and services:Conservation: Friends helps conserve land in the Columbia Gorge. They work with government agencies and other groups to ensure private land is brought into public ownership – over 41,000 acres since its founding. Friends of the Columbia Gorge are landowners and stewards.Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust: Formed in 2006 as a 509(a)(3) support organization, Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust sets out to acquire critical lands in the Columbia Gorge. To date, the land trust has acquired through purchase and donation over 1,500 acres of land. They work to remove non-native species, replant native vegetation, and protect fragile resources on land trust-owned properties.Development: Friends keeps watch on Gorge development. Each year, they review and comment on approximately 250 development applications submitted to county planning offices in every Gorge county. Their comments have helped ensure development occurs in a sensitive, ecological manner. Over the years, Friends has legally appealed less than two percent of the counties' decisions. They take on development proposals that threaten Gorge resources. Over the decades, they have successfully defeated numerous attempts at large-scale developments incompatible with the protection mandates of the Scenic Area Act, including a massive Gorge casino.Education: Friends educates the public about the Gorge. They lead more than 100 guided Columbia Gorge hikes and outings annually, host special events, and nurture the next generation of Gorge protectors through outdoor youth education programs.Community: Gorge Towns to Trails is a vision for a destination trekking network encircling the Columbia Gorge, connecting communities, rural areas, and wilderness trails, and strengthening local economies. Included in that vision is the creation of new trails beyond heavily impacted visitor areas and a car-free transportation system to Gorge trailheads.Outdoor Youth Education Programs: The goal of Friends’ three outdoor youth education programs – Explore the Gorge, The Great Gorge Wahoo! and Mosier Field Days – is to expose local youth to the Columbia Gorge's wonders and significance as a national treasure, as well as tell the story of its preservation through the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. These programs aim to provide powerful memories that will develop and inspire the next generation of Gorge protectors, deepening children's connection to the natural world just outside their doorstep.- Explore the Gorge: Every June, sixth-graders from the Washougal, Washington school district have had the opportunity to attend a multiday outdoor school and explore the historical, geological, cultural, natural, and ecological wonders of the Columbia Gorge as the culmination of their school year. Explore the Gorge outdoor program fosters students’ relationships with these wild places through interactive educational activities, aiming to inspire the next generation of Gorge stewards.- Great Gorge Wahoo!: This annual, one-day field trip provides seventh- and eighth-grade students at the St. Andrew Nativity School in Portland with the opportunity to explore the Columbia Gorge. St. Andrew, which enrolls a high percentage of students of color, works with low-income, underachieving kids to prepare them to attend college-prep high schools. Each school year, Friends takes the seventh-graders out to the eastern Gorge in the fall and the eighth-graders to the western Gorge in the spring.- Mosier Charter School Field Days: This two-day program held at Friends’ Mosier Plateau land trust property seeks to educate and inspire Mosier Charter School seventh- and eighth-grade students through teachings on biodiversity. It also emphasizes the importance of stewardship work in the Gorge. The program is a collaboration between the Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust and the Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute, with volunteers from both organizations taking part.

For the year ended June 30, 2021, Friends of the Columbia Gorge program expenses were:

Conservation $363,317
Gorge Towns to Trails $167,052
Land Trust $761,392
Legal $278,392
Lobbying $14,206
Public engagement $384,720
Member service $85,572
Public land stewardship $93,727
Program Expenses $2,148,378

Governance & Staff

  • CEO

    Mr. Kevin Gorman, Executive Director

  • Board Chair

    Mr. Greg Delwiche, Retired, Deputy Administrator

  • Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation

    Bonneville Power Administration

  • Board Size

    20

  • Paid Staff Size

    24

Fundraising

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Appeals via Social Media (Facebook, etc.).

% of Related Contributions on Fundraising: 13.88%

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 Friends of the Columbia Gorge's Audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021

Source of Funds
Net realized and unrealized appreciation of investments $1,794,503
Memberships $1,750,524
Contributions $606,736
Other $333,386
Bequests $321,299
Interest income $203,733
Foundations $174,485
Mitigation and legal cost recovery $20,131
Total Income $5,204,797

Breakdown of Expenses

Total Income $5,204,797
Total Expenses: $2,815,900
Program Expenses $2,148,378
Fundraising Expenses $395,928
Administrative Expenses $271,594
Other Expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $2,388,897
Beginning Net Assets $20,162,383
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $22,551,280
Total Liabilities $149,623
Total Assets $22,700,903

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