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
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Compensation Escalation Cycle ↓
Overall
39
Score
Governance
42
Score
Financial
50
Score
Program
30
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
Compensation Escalation
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2023 | Hidden | Hidden | 33.8% | 39 | Governance-Stressed | Gov Risk | |
| 2022 | — | — | 15.2% | 45 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 19.9% | 45 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 20.7% | 46 | Governance-Stressed | Gov Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 17.3% | 46 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 43 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 47 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 43 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 7.8% | 49 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | 8.4% | 45 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 13.6% | 30 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 8.4% | 47 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 5.3% | 51 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2025
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELLEN FENNER | Executive Director | 33.8% of Rev | ||
| PAT SCHWAN | Board President | — | ||
| CRAIG ERAAS | Board President | — | ||
| SUSAN PODYGULA | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL HEIL | Treasurer | — | ||
| JOY-NICOLE SMITH | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHELLE BASSLER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANN CADWALADER | Board Member | — | ||
| PAULETTE DAILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| JESSICA EGGE | Board Member | — | ||
| DIANE LAUTT | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN JERMIASON | Board Member | — | ||
| PAM JUNDT | Board Member | — | ||
| KELI ROSELLI-SULLIVAN | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURIE VERBITSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| TONIA VITKO | Board Member | — | ||
| DUSTY ZIMMERMAN | Secretary | — |
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELLEN FENNER | Executive Director | 30.0% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE BAUMANN | Board President | — | ||
| SHERI LIEN | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL HEIL | Treasurer | — | ||
| SUSAN PODRYGULA | Secretary | — | ||
| PAULETTE DAILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| SHANNA LUCY | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN JERMIASON | Board Member | — | ||
| PAT SCHWAN | Board President | — | ||
| DUSTY ZIMMERMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURIE VERBITSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| PAM ONDRACEK | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHELLE BASSLER | Board Member | — | ||
| V LEROY CHAUSSE | Board Member | — | ||
| ABBY WALKER GASKILL | Board Member | — | ||
| CRAIG ERAAS | Board Member | — | ||
| EVAN LOOSEN | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELLEN FENNER | Executive Director | 23.5% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE BAUMANN | Board President | — | ||
| SHERI LIEN | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL HEIL | Treasurer | — | ||
| SUSAN PODRYGULA | Secretary | — | ||
| PAULETTE DAILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| SHANNA LUCY | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN JERMIASON | Board Member | — | ||
| PAT SCHWAN | Board President | — | ||
| DUSTY ZIMMERMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURIE VERBITSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| PAM ONDRACEK | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHELLE BASSLER | Board Member | — | ||
| V LEROY CHAUSSE | Board Member | — | ||
| ABBY WALKER GASKILL | Board Member | — | ||
| CRAIG ERAAS | Board Member | — | ||
| EVAN LOOSEN | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELLEN FENNER | Executive Director | 20.3% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE BAUMANN | Board President | — | ||
| SHERI LIEN | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL HEIL | Treasurer | — | ||
| SUSAN PODRYGULA | Secretary | — | ||
| PAULETTE DAILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| SHANNA LUCY | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN JERMIASON | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN WARNER | Board President | — | ||
| JERI LANGEMO | Board Member | — | ||
| BONNY KEMPER | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURIE VERBITSKY | Board Member | — | ||
| RANDAL MITSCHKE | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHELLE BASSLER | Board Member | — | ||
| V LEROY CHAUSSE | Board Member | — | ||
| ABBY WALKER GASKILL | Board Member | — | ||
| NICK WELLS | 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
42 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
30 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
39 / 100
Priority Review
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 19 other orgs in ND with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 11 points above the peer median (50 vs. 39).
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
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 33.8% is above the 90th percentile for orgs of this size (healthy band: 18–22%).
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Reduce top-officer compensation from 33.8% to under 22% of revenue — would move governance score by ~24 points.
- Separate signing authority from fundraising authority when both are held by one person — removes the concentration penalty (~12 points).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.