The Founder's Trap
The Founder's Trap
Market
Archetype
Mechanical
Natural
Tier
Developing
Trajectory Thumbprint
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.
The Dispersal
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: The Founder's Trap ↑
Overall
55
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
50
Score
Program
60
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
Founders Trap
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 2.8% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 2.5% | 54 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 19.2% | 45 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 6.3% | 50 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 4.5% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2018 | — | — | 2.4% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2017 | — | — | 2.6% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | 3.4% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2015 | — | — | 3.7% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2014 | — | — | 4.2% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 3.7% | 51 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 3.6% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2011 | — | — | 3.1% | 51 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAD WHITTINGTON | Executive Director | 1.2% of Rev | ||
| ELFI DI BELLA | EVP & CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| DENISE REHG | Executive Director | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| JOHN CALLAHAN | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| JASON GAY | Vice President | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| RICHARD CORSI | Vice President | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| KELLY BOGGS | Vice President | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| DAVE DAVIS | Board Member | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| STEPHANIE GREEN | Board President | — | ||
| LAWRENCE FISHER | Board President | — | ||
| MICHAEL SCHOEDINGER | Board President | — | ||
| SANDRA ZIMMERMAN | Treasurer | — | ||
| RICHARD HELMREICH | Board President | — | ||
| STEVEN BRECHTER | Board Member | — | ||
| NICOLE CALLAM | Board Member | — | ||
| JOSH CORNA | Board Member | — | ||
| KRISTINA DAIKER | Board Member | — | ||
| LYNNDA DAVIS | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID ENGLISH | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT FALCONE | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN FINN | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBRA GRIFFIN | Board Member | — | ||
| STEPHEN IFEDUBA | Board Member | — | ||
| LINDA KAUFMANN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS KROUSE | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHLEEN LACH | Board Member | — | ||
| EARL LEVERE | Board Member | — | ||
| JULIE LYNCH | Board Member | — | ||
| KAREN HOUGH MAJIDZADEH | Board Member | — | ||
| WALLY O'DELL | Board Member | — | ||
| STEVE PARRISH | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL PETRECCA | Board Member | — | ||
| RAMONA REYES | Board Member | — | ||
| LIZ RILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| TOSHIA SAFFORD | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SATTERWHITE | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL STICKNEY | Board Member | — | ||
| HOLLY STOKES | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN TOMASKY | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURA YAROMA | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAD WHITTINGTON | Executive Director | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| ELFI DI BELLA | EVP & CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| DENISE REHG | Executive Director | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| TODD BEMIS | OPS TRANSITION MGR. (THRU 5/14/21) | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JOHN CALLAHAN | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| RICHARD CORSI | Vice President | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JASON GAY | Vice President | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| RICHARD J HELMREICH | Board President | — | ||
| LAWRENCE L FISHER | Board President | — | ||
| STEPHANIE E GREEN | Treasurer | — | ||
| SANDRA ZIMMERMAN | Secretary | — | ||
| MICHAEL PETRECCA | Board President | — | ||
| STEVEN P BRECHTER | Board Member | — | ||
| NICOLE CALLAM | Board Member | — | ||
| JOSH CORNA | Board Member | — | ||
| KRISTINA DAIKER | Board Member | — | ||
| LYNNDA DAVIS | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID ENGLISH | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT FALCONE | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN F FINN | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBRA GRIFFIN | Board Member | — | ||
| STEPHEN IFEDUBA | Board Member | — | ||
| LINDA KAUFMANN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS KROUSE | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHLEEN LACH | Board Member | — | ||
| EARL T LEVERE | Board Member | — | ||
| JULIE LYNCH | Board Member | — | ||
| KAREN HOUGH MAJIDZADEH | Board Member | — | ||
| WALDEN W O'DELL | Board Member | — | ||
| ANGELA PACE | Board Member | — | ||
| STEVE PARRISH | Board Member | — | ||
| RAMONA REYES | Board Member | — | ||
| LIZ RILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| TOSHIA SAFFORD | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SATTERWHITE | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL SCHOEDINGER | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHEL STICKNEY | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN TOMASKY | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURA YAROMA | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAD WHITTINGTON | Executive Director | 1.0% of Rev | ||
| ELFI DI BELLA | EVP & CHIEF STRATEGY OFFIC | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| DENISE REHG | Executive Director | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| TODD BEMIS | Vice President | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| JOHN CALLAHAN | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| RICHARD CORSI | Vice President | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| JASON GAY | STAGE MANAGER | 0.4% of Rev | ||
| RICHARD J HELMREICH | Board President | — | ||
| LAWRENCE L FISHER | Board President | — | ||
| STEPHANIE E GREEN | Treasurer | — | ||
| SANDRA ZIMMERMAN | Secretary | — | ||
| MICHAEL PETRECCA | Board President | — | ||
| STEVEN P BRECHTER | Board Member | — | ||
| NICOLE CALLAM | Board Member | — | ||
| JOSH CORNA | Board Member | — | ||
| KRISTINA DAIKER | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID ENGLISH | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT FALCONE | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN F FINN | Board Member | — | ||
| DEBRA GRIFFIN | Board Member | — | ||
| STEPHEN IFEDUBA | Board Member | — | ||
| LINDA KAUFMANN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS KROUSE | Board Member | — | ||
| KATHLEEN LACH | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL LAWSON | Board Member | — | ||
| EARL T LEVERE | Board Member | — | ||
| JULIE LYNCH | Board Member | — | ||
| WALDEN W O'DELL | Board Member | — | ||
| ANGELA PACE | Board Member | — | ||
| STEVE PARRISH | Board Member | — | ||
| RAMONA REYES | Board Member | — | ||
| LIZ RILEY | Board Member | — | ||
| TOSHIA SAFFORD | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SATTERWHITE | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL SCHOEDINGER | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN TOMASKY | Board Member | — | ||
| LAURA YAROMA | 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
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
55 / 100
Developing
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 212 other orgs in OH with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 30 points above the peer median (60 vs. 30).
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 55 → 55 over 5 years (stable by 0 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 2.8% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
- 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.