Governance Lag
What does this mean?
Revenue and Program Scale spike rapidly, but the Governance Score remains stagnant. The organization has outgrown its founding era but hasn't installed proper oversight.
The Path Forward
The Scaffold
Brings immediate structural maturity. It represents the necessity of outside, independent oversight to manage new scale, breaking the echo chamber of a founding 'friends and family' board.
Title
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | — | 65 | Stable | Stable Watch | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | 51 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | — | 44 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | — | 64 | Stable | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 21.5% | 63 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 65 | Stable | Stable Watch | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 52 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 43 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 43 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 47 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch | |
| 2013 | — | — | — | 43 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2012 | — | — | — | 37 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CURTIS MCELHANEY | Board President | — | ||
| THERESA LAUGHLIN | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| DALE BURGESS | SECERTARY | — | ||
| RANDY HANSEN | Treasurer | — | ||
| KATHERINE TRZEBIATOWSKI | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JUSTIN EVANS | Board Member | 26.8% of Rev | ||
| JUSTIN EVANS | Board Member | — | ||
| CURTIS MCELHANEY | Board President | — | ||
| THERESA LAUGHLIN | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| PEG PIEPENBURG | SECERTARY | — | ||
| RANDY HANSEN | Treasurer | — | ||
| CURTIS MCELHANEY | Board President | — | ||
| THERESA LAUGHLIN | VICE PRESIDE | — | ||
| PEG PIEPENBURG | SECERTARY | — | ||
| RANDY HANSEN | Treasurer | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 103 other orgs in WI with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 63 points above the peer median (100 vs. 37).
5-year trend: Governance Lag
Revenue and Program Scale spike rapidly, but the Governance Score remains stagnant. The organization has outgrown its founding era but hasn't installed proper oversight.
Overall score has gone from 63 → 65 over 5 years (improving by 2 points).
What's driving this score
- All-volunteer org with no paid officers — governance signal is neutral (default 50), not absent.
- Two consecutive years of deficit spending.
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Stabilize program expenses or grow earned-income revenue to break the consecutive-deficit pattern (~8 points to financial score).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.