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 | 0.9% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2022 | — | — | 2.0% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 7.6% | 44 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 5.3% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2019 | — | — | 10.6% | 38 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 9.6% | 44 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2017 | — | — | 1.3% | 39 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 46 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 36 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 46 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | 15.9% | 35 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 15.6% | 47 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRIDGET FRASER | Executive Director | 0.3% of Rev | ||
| SUSAN COLLINS | Board President | — | ||
| MICHAEL GEORGE | Board President | — | ||
| BRUCE MATTHEWS | Board President | — | ||
| GRAHAM FUGUITT | Board President | — | ||
| MONA MULDOWNEY | Board President | — | ||
| AMANDA GAUSEWITZ | Treasurer | — | ||
| MARY GERBIG | Secretary | — | ||
| BARBARA MERZ | Board Member | — | ||
| JARED BUSHEK | Board Member | — | ||
| RANDY DIMOND | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN DOWLING | Board Member | — | ||
| MARC FINK | Board Member | — | ||
| EVAN FYE | Board Member | — | ||
| CYRENA PONDROM | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD HAMMERSTROM | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY JOHNSON | Board Member | — | ||
| DEEPIKA RAJESH | Board Member | — | ||
| LYNN STATHAS | Board Member | — | ||
| WILLIAM STECKELBERG | Board Member | — | ||
| TIFFANY LIM | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN WALKER | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLOTTE WOODS | Board Member | — | ||
| MARIAN BOLZ | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| SHIRLEY INHORN | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| STANLEY INHORN | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| ANDREE VALLEY | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| RICHARD W WOLF | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| COE WILLIAMS | LIFE TRUSTEES | — | ||
| JUDY TOPITZES | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER KUZMA | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| SUSAN COOK | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| KATHRYN SCHWARZMANN | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| DIANA POPOWYCZ | EX-OFFICIO | — | ||
| JOE LOEHNIS | EX-OFFICIO | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 43 other orgs in WI with NTEE prefix A1.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 32 points above the peer median (60 vs. 28).
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 38 → 55 over 5 years (improving by 17 points). A multi-year directional move of this magnitude is a signal worth investigating.
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 0.9% 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.