SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE INC

EIN 80-0030060 · Forest Conservation (C36)

What they do

THE SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE (SFI) INC. is AN INDEPENDENT, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH A MISSION to ADVANCE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH FOREST-FOCUSED COLLABORATIONS. SFI is A LEADER THROUGH COLLABORATION IN STANDARDS, CONSERVATION, COMMUNITY, and EDUCATION WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS DEMONSTRATED BY PROGRESS ON THE GROUND. SFI STANDARDS HAVE BECOME A HIGHLY TRUSTED SOLUTION THAT CAN SUPPORT A GROWING NEED for PRODUCTS FROM SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS.THE CONSERVATION PILLAR ADVANCES CONSERVATION OBJECTIVES IN OUR STANDARDS ACROSS FORESTS IN THE UNITED STATES and CANADA THROUGH TARGETED RESEARCH, LEADERSHIP of CRITICAL INITIATIVES, and PARTNERSHIPS THAT ADVANCE MULTIPLE CONSERVATION EFFORTS. THE COMMUNITY NETWORK HELPS LINK OUR PILLARS, PROMOTE LEARNING, and INCREASE OUR SCALE. PROJECT LEARNING TREE (PLT), SFIS EDUCATION PROGRAM ADVANCES ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, FOREST LITERACY and CAREER PATHWAYS USING TREES and FORESTS AS WINDOWS ON to THE WORLD.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $87.00 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders31 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

88.74%of revenue went to mission work87.0% of expenses · Program services

0.89%of revenue went to fundraising0.9% of expenses

$102.01spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

12.38%of revenue went to management and office costs12.1% of expenses

$0.93in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

16.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $272,785 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $937,010 for KATHY ABUSOW (PRESIDENT & CEO). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$13,540,166

Mission workProgram services$12,015,84088.74% of revenue87.0% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$1,676,50712.38% of revenue12.1% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$120,6040.89% of revenue0.9% of expenses

Total expenses$13,812,951102.01% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 87.0% mission · 12.1% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 102.01% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 88.5% mission · 10.7% management · 0.8% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.43% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 88.6% mission · 10.7% management · 0.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.59% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 80.5% mission · 18.7% management · 0.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.18% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 86.2% mission · 12.1% management · 1.6% fundraisingTotal expenses: 99.73% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 80.6% mission · 18.2% management · 1.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 110.97% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 78.7% mission · 19.6% management · 1.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 107.80% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 85.7% mission · 14.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 47.42% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$13,540,166

Expenses$13,812,951

Annual shortfall $272,785 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$12,015,840 · 87.0% of expenses

Management and office costs$1,676,507 · 12.1% of expenses

Fundraising$120,604 · 0.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$13,540,166

Expenses$13,812,951

Assets$12,904,391

Income$14,027,323

Contributions$2,246,449

Mission work (program services)$12,015,840

Fundraising$120,604

Grants given$4,301,013

Average grant$16,230

Management and general$1,676,507

Stocks and bonds$4,537,565

Accounting fees$78,366

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

KATHY ABUSOWPRESIDENT & CEO · 38 hrs/week $937,010Base $914,007 · Other $23,003

JASON METNICKSVP CUSTOMER AFFAIRS · 38 hrs/week $293,167Base $224,836 · Other $68,331

NADINE BLOCKSVP COMMUNITY & GOVT RELATIONS · 38 hrs/week $291,058Base $195,042 · Other $96,016

LAUREN COOPERCHIEF CONSERVATION OFFICER · 38 hrs/week $262,129Base $172,486 · Other $89,643

HELEN HAMILTONCHIEF SCIENTIST · 38 hrs/week $260,715Base $199,890 · Other $60,825

PAUL JOHNSONVP, URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY · 38 hrs/week $250,583Base $161,183 · Other $89,400

BRIAN CROWEFORMER CFO (UNTIL 07/24) · 38 hrs/week $193,207Base $166,668 · Other $26,539

CHRISTINE LEDUCVP, COMMUNICATIONS, FINANCE & GR. · 38 hrs/week $177,311Base $147,897 · Other $29,414

MARCIA BELLCFO (EFFECTIVE MAR. 2024) · 38 hrs/week $152,017Base $144,496 · Other $7,521

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (31)

KATHY ABUSOWPRESIDENT & CEO

JASON METNICKSVP CUSTOMER AFFAIRS

NADINE BLOCKSVP COMMUNITY & GOVT RELATIONS

LAUREN COOPERCHIEF CONSERVATION OFFICER

HELEN HAMILTONCHIEF SCIENTIST

PAUL JOHNSONVP, URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY

BRIAN CROWEFORMER CFO (UNTIL 07/24)

CHRISTINE LEDUCVP, COMMUNICATIONS, FINANCE & GR.

MARCIA BELLCFO (EFFECTIVE MAR. 2024)

PATRICIA LAYTONVICE CHAIR

MICHAEL NADLERDIRECTOR

MICHAEL PARRDIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/24)

MICHAEL P DOSSCHAIR

JIM IRVINGDIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/24)

PHIL RIGDONDIRECTOR

SAM COOKDIRECTOR

SUSAN YURKOVICHDIRECTOR

TERRY BAKERDIRECTOR

TRACY FARRELDIRECTOR

LENNARD JOEDIRECTOR

ASHLEY HOFFMANDIRECTOR

JEFF BROMLEYDIRECTOR

HEATHER SLAYTONDIRECTOR

GEORGE EMMERSONDIRECTOR

EBONIE ALEXANDERDIRECTOR (UNTIL 10/24)

DON KAYNEDIRECTOR

DAVID GRAHAMDIRECTOR

DAN LAMBEDIRECTOR

CATHERINE GRENIERDIRECTOR

CAITLYN POLLIHANDIRECTOR

BRENT KEEFERSECRETARY-TREASURER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2018
Location: 2121 K ST NW STE 750, WASHINGTON, DC 20037-1908
County: District of Columbia
In care of: CHRISTINE LEDUC
Primary officer: CHRISTINE LEDUC, VP, COMMUNICATIONS, FIN. & GR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@forests.org Phone(202) 596-3450

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CLIFTONLARSONALLEN LLP
NTEE classification: Forest Conservation (C36)
IRS tax category: Forest Conservation
Grant-giving organization: Yes