2022-23 Financial Report

With the support and generosity of our donors, volunteers, activists, and partners, Friends remains on solid financial ground. The organization has continued to evolve into a new post-pandemic era by shifting to a hybrid or remote working model for staff, being relational rather than transactional with partners, and working with a mindset of diversity, equity, and inclusion, while never losing sight of the ever-changing needs in protecting, preserving, and stewarding the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Consolidated results in fiscal year 2022-2023 show operating income at $3.25 million and operating expenses at $3.19 million. Operating income includes the annual draw from endowments and reserve funds set aside to cover current-year projects, ending the year with a $58,000 surplus.

County property taxes help support Gorge communities and schools. Friends wants to do our part in being good citizens, so we paid $59,392 in property taxes when we legally could be exempt from payment.

Our $7.77 million endowments include the Matthew Winthrop Fund and Vic Clausen Fund for outdoor youth education, and the Marjorie Abramovitz Fund for land trust activities. Endowments for general operations include the Conservation Director Endowment, the Mary D. and Thomas W. Holman Fund, the Barbara Pooley Wilson Fund, and the board-designated Nancy Russell Institutional Fund. 
Endowment funds are managed by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management and monitored by Friends’ board’s finance committee. Friends takes an annual 4 percent draw to help fund our work.
A Continuing Commitment to Accountability and Transparency

Friends believes that transparency is essential for ensuring accountability to our members, donors, partners, and the communities we work with. Friends of the Columbia Gorge is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity and an Accredited Land Trust—a distinction awarded to land trusts meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. 

For additional information, including past annual reports, 990s, and other financial statements, visit gorgefriends.org/accountability. 

BACK TO BEGINNING

PREVIOUS

*This is an unaudited financial statement. Friends’ board engages Kern and Thompson, LLC, to perform an annual independent audit.