Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers
EIN: 77-0374392
Mission
The C.R.E.W. is an environmentally oriented, youth leadership and employment organization. Founded in 1991, The C.R.E.W. provides job training, paid employment leadership training, and community service opportunities for young people, ages 14-26. The C.R.E.W. works to preserve, maintain, improve public and private wildlands, and to protect local communities against the threat of wildfire.
Ruling year
1995
Executive Director
Derek Poultney
Main address
PO Box 1532
Ojai, CA 93024 USA
EIN
77-0374392
Natural resources
Forest preservation
Nature education
Organized labor
Community service for youth
Population served
Adolescents
Young adults
Economically disadvantaged people
NTEE code
Forest Conservation (C36)
Labor Unions/Organizations (J40)
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
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Youth and young adults are at a pivotal moment in their lives: the career opportunities available to new, entry-level workers shape their lifelong opportunities for growth and success. The C.R.E.W. is addressing issues surrounding equitable access to quality green job training. Many youths that are employed by the C.R.E.W. are considered at risk, low income or disadvantaged. The C.R.E.W. recognizes that access to rigorous training, skill development and career counseling is deeply needed and aims to provide any and all members with the opportunities to succeed. Through paid experiential learning and on the job training, The C.R.E.W. hopes to increase the economic mobility of all members.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
The C.R.E.W. Employee Development Program
C.R.E.W. employees learn skills for lifelong professional success. Beyond the technical skills needed for The C.R.E.W.'s core work, staff learn communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and even basics such as resume writing, how to dress for different types of work, and how to negotiate promotions and wage increases.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
The CORPS Network 2021
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of trees planted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2020, The C.R.E.W. has begun seeking additional partners and grants to steadily increase our reforestation impact. In 2021 and 2022 The C.R.E.W. had grant funding through CA ReLeaf for trees.
Number of grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The C.R.E.W. is proud to receive grants to are multiyear funders.
Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Young adults, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
The C.R.E.W. Employee Development Program
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Much of our field work incorporates on-the-job training. This metric reflects specialized certifications and licensing training offered to members.
Number of placements defined as full-time
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Adolescents, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
The C.R.E.W. Employee Development Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Our team averages 40-50 people each year, and our goal is 10% placement into full-time positions.
Acres of natural habitat restored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Unemployed people, At-risk youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Across multiple projects in Ventura County including Ojai, Filmore and Oxnard
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?
The CREW's goals include:
1) Train 100 young people each year in essential skills such as communication and collaboration, technical skills, workplace safety, discipline, and self-motivation. 'Graduate' these young people from The CREW into environmental, sustainable energy, and other career-track green jobs.
2) Ensure backcountry access for the residents of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties by performing regular maintenance on the hundreds of miles of public trails. These trails include hiking, biking, equestrian, OHV, and multi-use trails, maintained to the standards of safe use and to support the health of the surrounding landscape.
3) Habitat restoration within the Ventura River Watershed, restoring vegetation for maximum fire resilience, water conservation, soil regeneration, and biodiversity.
4) Cultivate a sustained, informed ethic of environmental stewardship throughout the communities we serve. Everything that CREW staff learn today set the stage for lifelong commitment to the health of the environment and responsible use of natural lands.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The CREW cultivates a diversity of project locations and types, which in turn assures that team members learn a wide variety of technical skills as well as creative, critical thinking and adaptability. In this way, we also connect with a diverse representation of our vibrant local communities - from conservation to public land stewards, private homeowners and commercial farmers.
The CREW collaborates with public and private partners, in order to coordinate projects and funding opportunities. Collaboration has proven time and again to be the most mutually beneficial approach to achieve our environmental goals, career development goals, and the goals of our collaborative partners.
In order to continuously improve our training programs, as well as to provide networking opportunities and career mentoring for team members, The CREW has formed an advisory team of industry professionals, educators, and environmental leaders.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Over its nearly 30-year history, The CREW has earned the respect and support of civic leaders, community members, and alumni throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Among this extended community are subject-matter experts (including forestry, aboriculture, wildfire prevention and disaster response, trails, conservation, habitat restoration, and soils regeneration), from whom we regularly receive advice and project referrals. Our Board of Directors is active, supportive, and knowledgeable.
Collectively, The CREW's body of staff is rich in expertise covering all of our core areas of field work. The leadership team also holds tremendous experience in staff development, community engagement, and a fierce dedication to the success of every team member and every project.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The CREW will be celebrating 30 years in 2021. Over these three decades, over 1,000 teens and young adults have worked hard on projects close to home and far in the backcountry, earning a living and continuing on personal and professional success. The CREW team collectively works more than 11,000 hours in the field each year, and the greatly increased staff retention in 2020 has shown improvement out of our new recruitment and onboarding processes. We have strong, ongoing partnerships with 20 nonprofit organizations and local, county, and state agencies.
What's ahead for The CREW:
Deepen expertise and impact of environmental work by keeping pace with current research and best practices
Expand our network of project and funding partners
Maintain strong relationships with current advisors and supporters, and establishing new relationships
Career pathways within established and emerging fields
Continue to revise, refine, and expand our staff development programs
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 bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, 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 find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
5.67
Months of cash in 2020 info
3.3
Fringe rate in 2020 info
9%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
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
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
This snapshot of Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers’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 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $25,637 | -$12,727 | -$2,409 | $69,283 | $79,047 |
| As % of expenses | 5.3% | -3.6% | -0.6% | 15.3% | 14.3% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $17,086 | -$22,866 | -$11,179 | $64,336 | $67,904 |
| As % of expenses | 3.5% | -6.3% | -2.6% | 14.0% | 12.1% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $506,150 | $341,552 | $422,373 | $649,159 | $509,397 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | -6.5% | -32.5% | 23.7% | 53.7% | -21.5% |
| Program services revenue | 82.0% | 85.7% | 73.9% | 55.0% | 61.5% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 18.0% | 14.3% | 26.1% | 44.5% | 38.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $480,513 | $354,279 | $420,190 | $453,549 | $551,269 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | -3.5% | -26.3% | 18.6% | 7.9% | 21.5% |
| Personnel | 66.9% | 63.2% | 71.8% | 67.1% | 63.6% |
| Professional fees | 2.6% | 2.9% | 0.0% | 2.3% | 13.4% |
| Occupancy | 3.5% | 4.9% | 4.5% | 4.2% | 4.0% |
| Interest | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 26.9% | 29.0% | 23.7% | 26.3% | 19.0% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $489,064 | $364,418 | $428,960 | $458,496 | $562,412 |
| One month of savings | $40,043 | $29,523 | $35,016 | $37,796 | $45,939 |
| Debt principal payment | $16,558 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $30,986 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $545,665 | $393,941 | $463,976 | $527,278 | $608,351 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 3.3 |
| Months of cash and investments | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 4.3 | 3.3 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 4.0 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $33,406 | $36,185 | $40,250 | $163,246 | $150,351 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $43,044 | $25,474 | $24,623 | $64,335 | $62,641 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $128,384 | $128,384 | $128,384 | $159,369 | $126,746 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 71.1% | 79.0% | 85.9% | 72.3% | 73.9% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 2.3% | 7.7% | 9.7% | 3.6% | 13.7% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $116,382 | $93,516 | $82,337 | $146,673 | $214,577 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $4,592 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $4,592 | $130,919 | $10,000 |
| Total net assets | $116,382 | $93,516 | $86,929 | $277,592 | $224,577 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Derek Poultney
Derek joined the C.R.E.W. team in 2021 after 11 years at Ventura Land Trust, 5 years at the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC) and five prior years of environmental consulting and field biology work. Along with volunteering for various non-profit environmental groups, Derek earned a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from CSU-Fullerton and a B.A. in Music Composition (with significant environmental coursework) from UCSB. At OVLC, he managed a variety of wetland restoration projects in the upper Ventura River watershed and at the Ventura Land Trust’s he assisted in efforts to preserve and improve wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities throughout Ventura. Along with spending time with his wife and kids, Derek enjoys music, wildlife and hiking.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
Concerned Resource & Environmental Workers
Board of directorsas of 02/02/2023
Board of directors data
Sandy Buechley
Patagonia
Term: 2022 -
Larry Beckett
Ojai Unifed School District
Laura Ciontea
Damitz, Brooks, Nightingale, Turner, & Morriset
Michelle Henson
Bank of Sierra
Sandy Buechley
Patagonia
Becky Beckett
Ojai Unified School District
Bill Brothers
Bill Slaughter
Slaughter, Reagan & Cole, LLP, and trial attorney
Mary Bergen
California Department of Fish & Game.
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? Not applicable -
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
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
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/01/2023GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
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- Letter of Determination
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- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2020, 2019, 2018
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