WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP
Faith-based wilderness experiences
WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP
EIN: 75-2097147
as of November 2023
as of November 13, 2023
Mission
The mission of Wilderness Trek Christian Camp is to transform lives and pierce hearts by God's presence and power as experienced in the grandeur of His creation.
Notes from the nonprofit
Our mission is to provide spiritual formation through wilderness experiences.
Wilderness Trek is a non-profit guide service dedicated to leading people spiritually and physically through the backcountry. SInce 1976, we have guided over 25,000 people to become better disciples and leaders through multi-day backcountry experiences.
Ruling year
1986
Board President
Mr. Tim Bennett
Main address
11 NM-50
Glorieta, NM 87535 USA
EIN
75-2097147
Christianity
Camps
Religion for youth
Population served
Adolescents
Adults
Families
Students
NTEE code
Christian (X20)
Religious Leadership, Youth Development (O55)
Recreational and Sporting Camps (Day, Overnight, etc.) (N20)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Affiliations
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
70% of all young adults ages 18-22 drop out of church after high school. Over 51 million young adults below the age of 24 (55%) participate in outdoor activities and recreation. This means there are more young adults participating in outdoor activities than going to church. We provide outdoor programs for teens in order to help them develop leadership skills, faith, and a relationship with God.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
5 day backpacking trip
This is our classic 5 day group backpacking trip. This covers all meals in base camp and the back country, gear rentals (tents, packs, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, cooking gear, bear bags, water filters, etc) guides, forest service permit, forest service user fees, spiritual journals and bible studies (for before and after the trip), and of course a tshirt and Trek sticker.
8 Day Backpacking Trip
This is our 8 day group backpacking trip for college students and young adults. This covers all meals in base camp and the back country, gear rentals (tents, packs, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, cooking gear, bear bags, water filters, etc) guides, forest service permit, forest service user fees, spiritual journals and bible studies (for before and after the trip), and of course a tshirt and Trek sticker.
Family Programs
Family programs are designed to help families connect with each other in the outdoors. Programs vary from rafting and fly fishing to day hikes and overnight backpacking trips.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
American Indians, People of African descent, Protestants, Evangelicals
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We stive to provide free discipleship experiences to teens from low resourced areas who would not have been able to attend one of our trainings. The value of each leadership training was $650.
Number of paid participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Christians
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is the total number of people who attended one of our 5+ day leadership or discipleship internsive trainings.
Average price of field trip tickets
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Christians
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is the cost per day per person for non-schlorship attendees.
Total number of fields trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Christians
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This is the total number of organized groups who attended one of our 5+ day leadership or discipleship experiences.
Number of active church partnerships
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Christians
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of churches partnered with to provide programing.
Number of groups brought together in a coalition/alliance/partnership
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
5 day backpacking trip
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of partner orginizations (non churches) that we work with in alliance or coalition in order to provided leadership or discipleship training.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We use adventure and activity as a vehicle for spiritual awakening and training. Because each trip has elements of growth, connection, experience, and challenge in an outdoor setting, trip participants have the opportunity to re-focus on faith with fewer distractions than normal while developing new skills, testing themselves, and connecting with Gods creation.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide three distinct program opportunities. First, we have 10 weeks of summer programs of 13-18-year-old teens. Summer programs range from 3 day trips to 10-day trips designed to teach teens spiritual formation, growth, leadership skills, and personal development. Our second strategy is for 18-25-year-olds through our 13-week "Professional Guide Semester" program. This expedition discipleship course is designed for college-age students who would like to pursue a job in the outdoor industry and gives them the experience and certifications needed to excel as an adventure missionary. Lastly, we offer fall and spring programs for adults and families in the form of weekend trips and small adventures that range from kayak fishing trips to hiking or rock climbing in great locations across the southwest.
We strive to be the leader in outdoor based spiritual formation by developing a generation of people who view nature and outdoor recreation as the best teacher of how God interacts with us. We seek to train generations of people how to connect with God through nature.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We currently have three full-time staff and 10-12 part-time seasonal staff every year. We run between 500- 800 teens a summer in our high school programs and 8-12 college students in our "Profesional Guide Semester". We would currently rate our total capacity to be about 60%, meaning we have room for 40% growth.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Recently we successfully merged another existing wilderness program into ours. This merger was a strategic way for us to meet our long-term goals of more operating locations and diversity of programming. Because of this merger, we gained additional operations in UT, CA, and WA along with 2 full-time staff, a base camp facility in Santa Fe, NM and 10,000 more existing clients. It was a large answer to prayer!
2018 post-trip survey results: Quality 4.25 out of 5, Cleanliness of facilities 4.48 out of 5, Leadership of staff 4.75 out of 5, safety of programs 4.5 out of 5, curriculum/study materials 4.56 out of 5, Overall experience 4.8 out of 5. (Based on 49 completed surveys completed 1 week after trip)
Next, we will be growing into more markets, with more trip offerings and a larger age range.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
Revenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
8.87
Months of cash in 2022 info
10
Fringe rate in 2022 info
3%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $139,789 | -$10,218 | $152,340 | $97,012 | $10,313 |
| As % of expenses | 114.8% | -2.9% | 51.8% | 20.9% | 2.4% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $138,879 | -$21,985 | $138,923 | $83,561 | -$5,186 |
| As % of expenses | 113.2% | -6.0% | 45.2% | 17.5% | -1.2% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $261,012 | $344,261 | $446,346 | $560,097 | $440,431 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 31.9% | 29.7% | 25.5% | -21.4% |
| Program services revenue | 4.0% | 51.1% | 2.4% | 32.0% | 26.1% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 96.0% | 47.7% | 92.1% | 64.1% | 72.8% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $121,723 | $354,479 | $294,006 | $463,085 | $430,118 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.0% | 191.2% | -17.1% | 57.5% | -7.1% |
| Personnel | 52.6% | 44.1% | 61.0% | 51.1% | 58.8% |
| Professional fees | 6.2% | 7.6% | 9.8% | 12.1% | 2.2% |
| Occupancy | 1.7% | 0.9% | 3.8% | 2.3% | 3.3% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.3% |
| All other expenses | 39.5% | 47.4% | 25.4% | 34.5% | 35.5% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $122,633 | $366,246 | $307,423 | $476,536 | $445,617 |
| One month of savings | $10,144 | $29,540 | $24,501 | $38,590 | $35,843 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $70,394 | $12,894 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $203,171 | $408,680 | $331,924 | $515,126 | $481,460 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 9.2 | 3.0 | 10.1 | 8.4 | 10.0 |
| Months of cash and investments | 9.2 | 3.0 | 10.1 | 8.4 | 10.0 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 9.5 | 2.5 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 9.0 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $92,826 | $87,955 | $248,087 | $325,740 | $357,987 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $70,393 | $82,155 | $82,155 | $84,155 | $89,233 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 1.3% | 14.1% | 30.4% | 45.6% | 57.2% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 0.0% | 9.1% | 10.2% | 4.5% | 10.0% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $166,192 | $144,207 | $283,130 | $366,691 | $361,505 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total net assets | $166,192 | $144,207 | $283,130 | $366,691 | $361,505 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Board President
Mr. Tim Bennett
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
WILDERNESS TREK CHRISTIAN CAMP
Board of directorsas of 11/06/2023
Board of directors data
Tim Bennett
No Affiliation
Term: 2022 -
John T Wright
Director
Tim Bennett
President of the Board
David Faulkner
Director
Lauren Armstrong
Director
Anicka Olsen
Vice President
Paul Russell
Secretary
John DeCecco
Director
Kelley Denby
Director
Bart Croasmun
Director
Brent Southard
Director
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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? No
Organizational demographics
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/01/2023GuideStar 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
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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