Compensation Escalation Cycle
Compensation Escalation Cycle
Compensation Escalation Cycle Market Archetype Mechanical Natural
Tier
Priority Review
Trajectory Thumbprint

Compensation Escalation Cycle

What does this mean?

Revenue grows modestly, but top officer compensation grows consistently for 5 years, breaching danger zones. The executive is negotiating aggressive raises against a compliant board.

The Path Forward

The Steward

Re-establishes board supremacy over executive extraction. It freezes compensation and mandates that all future financial rewards be tied strictly to verifiable mission expansion.

The Steward
The Steward
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Compensation Escalation Cycle ↓
Overall
38
Score
Governance
42
Score
Financial
40
Score
Program
30
Score

Institutional Epochs

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Compensation Escalation

Historical Performance

Year Revenue Top Comp Comp % Rev Score Phase Label Outlook Details
2025 Hidden Hidden — — Unknown —
2024 — — 26.4% 38 Fragile Gov Risk
2023 — — 10.0% 53 Fragile Recovery
2022 — — 15.8% 43 Fragile Decline Risk
2021 — — 9.0% 54 Fragile Recovery
2020 — — 16.2% 43 Fragile Decline Risk
2019 — — 14.8% 53 Fragile Recovery
2018 — — 16.0% 43 Fragile Decline Risk
2017 — — 13.0% 53 Fragile Recovery
2016 — — 15.7% 43 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2015 — — 17.5% 44 Fragile Gov Risk
2014 — — 16.5% 49 Fragile Recovery
2013 — — 17.9% 42 Governance-Stressed Gov Risk
2012 — — 15.5% 41 Fragile Decline Risk
2011 — — 13.9% 47 Fragile Stable Watch

Officer compensation history

Tax year 2025

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
HEATHER JOHNSON Executive Director 26.4% of Rev
Heather Lanning Board President —
Sean Thornton Board Member —
GALEN WILKE Treasurer —
RACHAEL RAIL Secretary —

Tax year 2023

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Heather Lanning Board President —
Mark Looney Board President —
EMILY HAGER Treasurer —
MARY RICHARDS Secretary —
HEATHER JOHNSON Executive Director —

Tax year 2021

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
HEATHER JOHNSON Executive Director 16.0% of Rev
ASHLEY RIPPKE Board President —
ROB WALLACE Board President —
EMILY HAGER Treasurer —
MARY RICHARDS Secretary —
ASHLEY RIPPKE Board President —
ROB WALLACE Board President —
EMILY HAGER Treasurer —
MARY RICHARDS Secretary —
HEATHER JOHNSON Executive Director —
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown

Score breakdown

Financial resilience
40 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
42 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
30 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
38 / 100
Priority Review

The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →

Peer comparison

Compared to 3 other orgs in IA with NTEE prefix A4.

Most-divergent component: governance score sits 43 points below the peer median (42 vs. 85).

5-year trend: Compensation Escalation Cycle

Revenue grows modestly, but top officer compensation grows consistently for 5 years, breaching danger zones. The executive is negotiating aggressive raises against a compliant board.

What's driving this score

What would change this score

The two changes that would most improve this score:

  1. Separate signing authority from fundraising authority when both are held by one person — removes the concentration penalty (~12 points).
  2. Reduce top-officer compensation from 26.4% to under 22% of revenue — would move governance score by ~9 points.

Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.