The Founder's Trap
The Founder's Trap
Market
Archetype
Mechanical
Natural
Tier
Developing
Trajectory Thumbprint
The Founder's Trap
What does this mean?
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
The Path Forward
The Dispersal
Forces succession planning and structural maturity. It requires raising capacity-building funds to decouple the organization's survival from the founder's personal sacrifice.
The Dispersal
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: The Founder's Trap ↑
Overall
47
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
30
Score
Program
60
Score
Title
-
Institutions
-
Avg Revenue
-
Risk Profile
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Founders Trap
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2023 | Hidden | Hidden | 0.4% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2022 | — | — | 3.9% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 9.9% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 4.3% | 37 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 5.1% | 44 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 3.8% | 45 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | 1.9% | 47 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | 5.9% | 40 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 6.6% | 46 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | 3.5% | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 6.8% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 7.3% | 48 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2011 | — | — | — | 50 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2026
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRANKLIN G FRY | Executive Director | 2.7% of Rev | ||
| RONALD TASCARELLA SR | Treasurer | — | ||
| BRIAN KESEL | Board President | — | ||
| LAURA AUSTIN | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL TYSZKO | Secretary | — | ||
| FRED GRANDY | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER BELYEA | Board Member | — | ||
| RYAN BENZ | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVINE BEY | Board Member | — | ||
| JUDITH COWDEN | DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAI | — | ||
| JEFF DEVINE | Board Member | — | ||
| GREG GANNETT | Board Member | — | ||
| DRAKE HARRISON | Board Member | — | ||
| CHRIS MASON | Board Member | — | ||
| JUHANNA ROGERS | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT ROSS PARKER | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON SMITH | Board President | — | ||
| SETH TUCKER | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD WEBER | Board Member | — | ||
| REBA HODGE | Board Member | — | ||
| GWENDOLYN SANDERS | Board Member | — | ||
| ALYSSA CAMPBELL | Board Member | — | ||
| PATRICIA DEFERIO | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN GUTMAKER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARK RE | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMARA HANNAH | Executive Director | 2.7% of Rev | ||
| WILLIAM SCOTT ALLYN | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN VALENTINO | Board President | — | ||
| JOE LEE | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES PRIOLETTI | Board Member | — | ||
| MARTIN SCHAEFFER | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN GUTMAKER | Board Member | — | ||
| MELANIE CARROLL | Secretary | — | ||
| RUSS ACEVADO | Board President | — | ||
| JOSEPH LAZZARO | Treasurer | — | ||
| WILLIAM HIDER | Board President | — | ||
| RYAN GILLUM | Board Member | — | ||
| BRIAN KESEL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON SMITH | Board Member | — | ||
| RONALD TASCARELLA | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVINE BEY | Board Member | — | ||
| JEFF DEVINE | Board Member | — | ||
| FRED GRANDY | Board Member | — | ||
| SETH TUCKER | Board Member | — | ||
| NATISHA CROSSMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| JOSEPH EDWARDS | Board Member | — | ||
| DRAKE HARRISON | Board Member | — | ||
| AMY KREMENEK | Board Member | — | ||
| JARED SHEPARD | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAMARA HANNAH | Executive Director | 2.8% of Rev | ||
| WILLIAM SCOTT ALLYN | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY LERNER | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN VALENTINO | Board President | — | ||
| EILEEN NEALON | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES HORAN | Board Member | — | ||
| ERIC ENNIS | Board Member | — | ||
| JOE LEE | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES PRIOLETTI | Board Member | — | ||
| MARTIN SCHAEFFER | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN GUTMAKER | Board Member | — | ||
| MELANIE CARROLL | Secretary | — | ||
| RUSS ACEVADO | Board President | — | ||
| JOSEPH LAZZARO | Treasurer | — | ||
| WILLIAM HIDER | Board President | — | ||
| RYAN GILLUM | Board Member | — | ||
| BRIAN KESEL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON SMITH | Board Member | — | ||
| RONALD TASCARELLA | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVINE BEY | Board Member | — | ||
| JEFF DEVINE | Board Member | — | ||
| FRED GRANDY | Board Member | — | ||
| SETH TUCKER | Board Member | — |
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown
Score breakdown
Financial resilience
30 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
47 / 100
Developing
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 1,227 other orgs in NY with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 31 points above the peer median (60 vs. 29).
5-year trend: The Founder's Trap
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 0.4% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
- Financial resilience score in the bottom quartile — reserves and liabilities ratios warrant review.
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.