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
55
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
50
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 2.1% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2022 | — | — | 1.8% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2021 | — | — | 4.6% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2020 | — | — | 3.8% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2019 | — | — | 2.8% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2018 | — | — | 2.8% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2017 | — | — | 2.3% | 53 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | 2.8% | 49 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 1.4% | 53 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | 2.4% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2013 | — | — | 2.0% | 49 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 6.3% | 48 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 3.3% | 53 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES VENABLE | Executive Director | 1.4% of Rev | ||
| KATHRYN HAIGH | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JEREMIAH WISE | Executive Director | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN WRIGHT | DEPUTY DIR - HORTICULTURE | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN BERGER | Vice President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| GRACE MEILS | Board President | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| GREG SMITH | SENIOR CONSERVATION SCIENTIST | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE BALDWIN | Board Member | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| LAURA MCGREW | SR DIR-GUEST EXP AND VOLUNTEER | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| NILOO IMAMI-PAYDAR | Artistic Director | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| C DANIEL YATES | Board Member | — | ||
| IAN RUPERT | Board Member | — | ||
| DARRIANNE CHRISTIAN | Board President | — | ||
| MICHAEL KUBACKI | Board President | — | ||
| MICHAEL ROBERTSON MD | Board Member | — | ||
| TINA PASQUINELLI | Board Member | — | ||
| DORIT PAUL | Board Member | — | ||
| LILY PAI | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| OTTO FRENZEL IV | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN MCALISTER | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY HIRSCHBERG | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHI POSTLETHWAIT | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| GARY SCHAHET | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID ESKENAZI | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN SWISHER CRABB | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY CAPRENTER | Board Member | — | ||
| TONI BADER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANNE SELLERS | Board President | — | ||
| SARAH LECHLEITER | Secretary | — | ||
| KATHRYN G BETLEY | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| MYRTA PULLIAM | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| DR SEAN HUDDLESTON | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| GARY BUTKUS | Board Member | — | ||
| NORA HIATT | Board Member | — | ||
| SAMUEL LEVI JONES | Board Member | — | ||
| STEPHANIE KIM | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLAN MILLS | Board Member | — | ||
| JASON NOYAN | Board Member | — | ||
| ROSEMARY STEINMETZ | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES VENABLE END 022021 | Executive Director | 1.3% of Rev | ||
| JEREMIAH WISE BEG 022021 | Executive Director | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| KATHRYN HAIGH | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN WRIGHT | DEPUTY DIR - HORTICULTURE | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN BERGER | DEPUTY DIR - MKT & EXT AFFAIRS | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| GREG SMITH | SENIOR CONSERVATION SCIENTIST | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| LAURA MCGREW | SR DIR - GUEST EXP & VOLUNTEER | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE BALDWIN | Board Member | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| C DANIEL YATES | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN SWISHER CRABB | Board Member | — | ||
| MARYA ROSE | Board Member | — | ||
| DANIEL SKOVRONSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| ANNE SELLERS | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL KUBACKI | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID BARRETT | Board President | — | ||
| DAVID ESKENAZI | Board Member | — | ||
| DORIT PAUL | Board Member | — | ||
| IAN RUPERT | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHI POSTLETHWAIT | Board Member | — | ||
| RACHEL SIMON | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL ROBERTSON MD | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHRYN G BETLEY | Board President | — | ||
| SUSAN MCALISTER | Board President | — | ||
| TONI BADER | Board Member | — | ||
| DARRIANNE CHRISTIAN | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| MYRTA PULLIAM | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| GARY SCHAHET | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY CAPRENTER | Board Member | — | ||
| OTTO FRENZEL IV | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| GARY HIRSCHBERG | Board Member | — | ||
| SARAH LECHLEITER | Secretary | — | ||
| TINA PASQUINELLI | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| LILY PAI | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| SHIRLEY MUELLER | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLES VENABLE | Executive Director | 1.3% of Rev | ||
| KIM GATTLE | DEPUTY DIR - INSTL ADVANCEMENT | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| KATHRYN HAIGH | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| JEREMIAH WISE | Treasurer | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| PRESTON BAUTISTA | DEPUTY DIR FOR PUBLIC PROGRAMS | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN WRIGHT | DEPUTY DIR - HORTICULTURE | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| GREG SMITH | SENIOR CONSERVATION SCIENTIST | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| JONATHAN BERGER | DEPUTY DIR - MKT & EXT AFFAIRS | 0.2% of Rev | ||
| GARY BUTKUS | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| MATTHEW GUTWEIN | Board Member | — | ||
| C DANIEL YATES | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER A MORSE JR | Board Member | — | ||
| MARYA ROSE | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| DANIEL SKOVRONSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL KUBACKI | Treasurer | — | ||
| DAVID BARRETT | Board President | — | ||
| DAVID ESKENAZI | Board Member | — | ||
| DORIT PAUL | Board Member | — | ||
| KENT HAWRYLUK | Board Member | — | ||
| IAN RUPERT | Board Member | — | ||
| RACHEL SIMON | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL ROBERTSON MD | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHRYN G BETLEY | Board President | — | ||
| SHIRLEY MUELLER | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN MCALISTER | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| TONI BADER | Board Member | — | ||
| DARRIANNE CHRISTIAN | Secretary | — | ||
| TOM PENCE | Board Member | — | ||
| MYRTA PULLIAM | AT-LARGE | — | ||
| SHERRON ROGERS | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY SCHAHET | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY CAPRENTER | Board Member | — | ||
| OTTO FRENZEL IV | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY HIRSCHBERG | Board Member | — | ||
| SARAH LECHLEITER | Board Member | — | ||
| TINA PASQUINELLI | 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
50 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
55 / 100
Developing
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 10 other orgs in IN with NTEE prefix A5.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 10 points above the peer median (60 vs. 50).
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.
Overall score has gone from 55 → 55 over 5 years (stable by 0 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 2.1% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
What would change this score
No specific high-impact levers identified — this org's score is balanced across components.
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.