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.
Title
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hidden | Hidden | 2.7% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2022 | — | — | 4.9% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 25.3% | 44 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 18.2% | 49 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | 10.9% | 40 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 11.2% | 42 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2017 | — | — | 17.2% | 43 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2016 | — | — | 17.0% | 45 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 23.0% | 45 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | 6.8% | 52 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 8.7% | 50 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2012 | — | — | 15.8% | 31 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 23.0% | 37 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOAN OLSON | Board Member | 2.4% of Rev | ||
| AMY ELLIS | Executive Director | 1.7% of Rev | ||
| SUSAN CASSERLY-KOSEL | Board President | 1.0% of Rev | ||
| TERRI ASHMORE | Board President | — | ||
| JACKIE BROWN-BAYLOR | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLOTTE FRANK | Board Member | — | ||
| JEANNE RAVICH | Board Member | — | ||
| ANDREA HJELM | Board Member | — | ||
| ADRIENNE JORDAN | Board Member | — | ||
| CINDY LEJEUNE | Board Member | — | ||
| MONICA MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| MIKISHA NATION | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL O'CONNELL RETIRED | Board Member | — | ||
| TRINKA SHARPE | Board Member | — | ||
| SARAH STROEBEL | Secretary | — | ||
| JONATHAN CHAMBERS | Treasurer | — | ||
| CORINNE O'NEIL | Board Member | — | ||
| MONISHA DUNN | Board Member | — | ||
| KENDALL GRIFFITH | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLES CALDWELL | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOAN OLSON | Board Member | 2.2% of Rev | ||
| AMY ELLIS | Executive Director | 1.5% of Rev | ||
| SUSAN CASSERLY-KOSEL | Board President | 0.9% of Rev | ||
| TERRI ASHMORE | Board President | — | ||
| JACKIE BROWN-BAYLOR | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLOTTE FRANK | Board Member | — | ||
| JEANNE RAVICH | Board Member | — | ||
| ANDREA HJELM | Board Member | — | ||
| ADRIENNE JORDAN | Board Member | — | ||
| CINDY LEJEUNE | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURENCE LEJEUNE | Board Member | — | ||
| MONICA MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| MIKISHA NATION | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL O'CONNELL | Board Member | — | ||
| TRINKA SHARPE | Board Member | — | ||
| KENDALL QUALLS | Board Member | — | ||
| SARAH STROEBEL | Secretary | — | ||
| JONATHAN CHAMBERS | Treasurer | — | ||
| CORINNE O'NEIL | Board Member | — | ||
| MONISHA DUNN | Board Member | — | ||
| KENDALL GRIFFITH | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMY ELLIS | Executive Director | 1.1% of Rev | ||
| SUSAN CASSERLY-KOSEL | Board President | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| TERRI ASHMORE | Board President | — | ||
| JACKIE BROWN-BAYLOR | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLOTTE FRANK | Board Member | — | ||
| JOAN GRATHWOL OLSON | Board Member | — | ||
| ANDREA HJELM | Board Member | — | ||
| ADRIENNE JORDAN | Board Member | — | ||
| CINDY LEJEUNE | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURENCE LEJEUNE | Board Member | — | ||
| MONICA MURPHY | Board Member | — | ||
| MIKISHA NATION | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL O'CONNELL | Board Member | — | ||
| TRINKA SHARPE | Board Member | — | ||
| NICK VLIETSTRA | Board Member | — | ||
| SARAH STROEBEL | Secretary | — | ||
| JONATHAN CHAMBERS | Treasurer | — | ||
| CORINNE O'NEIL | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 169 other orgs in MN with NTEE prefix A2.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 23 points above the peer median (60 vs. 37).
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 40 → 55 over 5 years (improving by 15 points). A multi-year directional move of this magnitude is a signal worth investigating.
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 2.7% 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.