Friends of the Fox River

Creating a Watershed of Caretakers

Elgin, IL   |  https://friendsofthefoxriver.org/

Mission

The mission of the Friends of the Fox River is to preserve, restore and protect the Fox River Watershed's resources by connecting people with nature through education, research, restoration and advocacy.

Ruling year info

1990

President

Gary Swick

Main address

PO Box 5634

Elgin, IL 60121 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

36-3718329

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (C01)

Natural Resource Conservation and Protection (C30)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2022, 2022 and 2021.
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Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The Fox River has a large watershed with 1.2 million residents in two states. Non-point source pollution (stormwater runoff and excessive use of fertilizers) and outmoded dams contribute to low water quality. Friends of the Fox River works to create a watershed of caretakers that understand their connection to the river and how their actions in the river's watershed affect its health.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Fox River Watershed Monitoring Network

Friends of the Fox River contracts with local municipalities to provide a stream based environmental educational curricula, which is usually a half day field trip, for local teachers and students. Students learn to take physical, chemical and biological measurements of their local stream and begin to understand how each stream supports a web of life.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Students

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We are in the 1st year of a 3 year Strategic Plan. This is our 2nd Strategic Plan. Each of its sections are posted on our website under "About Us"

Our Strategic Plan and each of its sections are posted on our website under "About Us"

Friends of the Fox River currently has a Board of Directors composed of seven active, accomplished and experienced professional educators, engineers, scientists and administrators. The paid staff of two also has deep experience in all aspects of not-for-profit management and operations. We have a paid membership of nearly 200 supporters. Our Facebook page has nearly 2,800 followers and our website gets nearly 2,000 views per month.

The organization has a very healthy wide range of funding sources that include membership dues, donations, grants, service contracts, events, fundraisers and sales.

Over the last 30 years Friends of the Fox River has engaged more than 30,000 students and teachers in our unique stream monitoring experiential education program.

Friends of the Fox River has always conducted river cleanups in towns along the river in Illinois. In fall of 2019 we coordinated the first cleanup of the entire river from Waukesha, Wisconsin to the confluence at Ottawa, Illinois on the third Saturday in September.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Friends of the Fox River
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Friends of the Fox River

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Gary Swick

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/26/2021
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/26/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.