WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
EIN: 05-0519694
Mission
The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council creates positive environmental, social and economic change by revitalizing the Woonasquatucket River, its Greenway and its communities.
Ruling year
2001
Principal Officer
Ms. Alicia J Lehrer
Main address
45 Eagle Street, Suite 202
Providence, RI 02909 USA
EIN
05-0519694
Education
Environment
Rivers and lakes
Community and economic development
Youth organizing
Population served
Children and youth
Adults
Social and economic status
NTEE code
Environmental Quality, Protection, and Beautification N.E.C. (C99)
Youth Development Programs (O50)
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 other documentsWhat we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
River Rangers
Paid green job program for youth local to the neighborhoods surrounding the Woonasquatucket River, particularly in Providence and Johnston. River Rangers are trained as Woonasquatucket Greenway leaders, ambassadors and stewards.
Fish in the Classroom
In-school/after school program that uses growing native fish in the classroom as a means to teach about ecology, biology, science and math. Fish are raised from eggs or fry in the classroom. Students care for them, watch them grow, learn about their lifecycle, habitat and needs. At the end of the program, they release the fish into the Woonasquatucket River to help repopulate the river with native fish.
Red Shed Community Bike Shop
The Red Shed is located in Riverside Park in the Olneyville Neighborhood or Providence (one of the most economically challenged neighborhoods in RI). It provides very low cost bike repairs, sales, rentals and free classes for youth and adults in bike repair and maintenance. The shop also offers volunteer opportunities where volunteers can earn bike parts by learning and repairing bikes along with the mechanics. The Red Shed helps make it possible for everyone in Olneyville to have access to bikes and prevents bikes from being discarded due to broken parts.
Recreation
The WRWC hosts paddle, hiking and biking trips with its friends and neighbors to share the wonder, beauty and history of the Woonasquatucket River. Join us as we float along different sections of the river, bike through history, and discover wildlife while meandering up the Woony River Greenway!
Bike Camp
One week day camp for youth ages 8 to 13, provides bike, helmet and lock for every camper to keep, training in basic bike maintenance and repair, safe riding skills, learning to ride, and daily bike rides. In addition, we teach campers how to safely use our bike path and natural resources through an environmental education program
Where we work
Awards
Champion in Action 2007
Citizens Bank
American Heritage River 2001
United States Government
Affiliations & memberships
Afterschool Alliance 2013
Rhode Island Rivers Council 2001
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
River Rangers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Gallons of water saved over due to the organization's services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
River Rangers
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Clarification: this is the # of gallons that do not run into the Woonasquatucket River during heavy rainstorms. Plants, soils, & other natural materials protect the river from pollution and flooding.
Number of stakeholders or stakeholder groups who agree to engage
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
River Rangers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
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 Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council's long term goals are:
Program Goal #1: Connect Greenway space from Cricket Field & beyond through downtown Providence
Program Goal #2: Connect community members to Greenway, Watershed, and each other
Program Goal #3: Care for Greenway parks, spaces, and river health
Program Goal #4: Grow community connection and engagement on climate resilience
Program Goal #5: Improve diversity, access, and inclusion to youth programs and job training
Administrative Goal #1: Expand organization brand to create greater community awareness and evaluate/change organization’s name
Administrative Goal #2: Increase staff capacity to achieve mission
Administrative Goal #3: Increase Board expectations and capacity
Administrative Goal #4: Upgrade physical plant
Administrative Goal #5: Build long-term success for staff retention
Fiscal Goal #1: Diversify organization revenue and create sustainable funding base
Fiscal Goal #2: Secure funding for space that houses all of our functions
Fiscal Goal #3: Maintain funding for programs as established in program goals
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What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
All people who live within the Woonasquatucket River watershed with a major focus on economically and environmentally disadvantaged communities.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Paper surveys, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees, Door knocking and one on one conversations.,
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
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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What significant change resulted from feedback?
We have increased the amount of Spanish translation and interpretation in our written and spoken communication.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
Yes. We created two new staff positions to guide our community engagement and leadership programs and hired those staff members from the community that the programs serve. We have always collaborated with riverfront communities as we create new park spaces and sections of the Woonasquatucket River Greenway.
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, 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?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2020 info
1.03
Months of cash in 2020 info
6.9
Fringe rate in 2020 info
6%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
Revenue & expensesFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
SOURCE: IRS Form 990
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
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 WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL’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.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$161,176 | $56,593 | -$41,023 | -$246,115 | -$28,891 |
| As % of expenses | -12.3% | 6.1% | -4.9% | -18.8% | -2.1% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$174,641 | $41,279 | -$50,660 | -$247,898 | -$32,637 |
| As % of expenses | -13.1% | 4.4% | -6.0% | -18.9% | -2.4% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $1,126,650 | $952,656 | $716,126 | $1,428,401 | $1,405,194 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 99.2% | -15.4% | -24.8% | 99.5% | -1.6% |
| Program services revenue | 0.9% | 2.6% | 9.6% | 3.0% | 1.1% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.1% | 0.0% | -1.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 81.1% | 90.4% | 80.4% | 94.3% | 97.3% |
| All other grants and contributions | 17.8% | 7.0% | 11.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Other revenue | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2.7% | 1.6% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $1,314,679 | $931,902 | $834,997 | $1,310,728 | $1,380,670 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 111.1% | -29.1% | -10.4% | 57.0% | 5.3% |
| Personnel | 44.3% | 66.8% | 69.5% | 63.8% | 72.2% |
| Professional fees | 40.7% | 10.4% | 1.9% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
| Occupancy | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Interest | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other expenses | 13.2% | 20.6% | 26.3% | 28.7% | 20.1% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $1,328,144 | $947,216 | $844,634 | $1,312,511 | $1,384,416 |
| One month of savings | $109,557 | $77,659 | $69,583 | $109,227 | $115,056 |
| Debt principal payment | $20,937 | $30,250 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2,486 | $9,670 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,458,638 | $1,055,125 | $914,217 | $1,424,224 | $1,509,142 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| Months of cash and investments | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 6.9 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | -1.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.5 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $242,122 | $101,888 | $116,464 | $187,052 | $799,385 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $59,578 | $275,200 | $166,072 | $365,610 | $325,823 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $81,919 | $73,385 | $75,086 | $77,572 | $87,242 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 73.7% | 84.9% | 95.0% | 94.2% | 88.1% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 110.4% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 24.3% | 53.8% |
| Unrestricted net assets | -$164,762 | $285,043 | $234,383 | $217,129 | $184,492 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $130,441 | $94,602 | $65,880 | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $230,644 | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $130,441 | $94,602 | $296,524 | $429,668 | $483,083 |
| Total net assets | -$34,321 | $379,645 | $530,907 | $646,797 | $667,575 |
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
Principal Officer
Ms. Alicia J Lehrer
Alicia Lehrer joined the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council as Executive Director in March 2008.
Alicia has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Barnard College of Columbia University and a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Science from the University of Rhode Island with a specialization in Water
Quality. Alicia has worked closely with the RIDOT, the City of Providence, the Town of Johnston and many other community stakeholders to improve and extend the Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway and Bike
Path, the only off-road bike path in Providence. Prior to joining WRWC, Alicia served for ten years as the District Manager of the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District (SRICD) office in Wakefield Rhode Island. Alicia has 25+ experience in environmental non-profit management.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
WOONASQUATUCKET RIVER WATERSHED COUNCIL
Board of directorsas of 02/14/2023
Board of directors data
Ms. Laureen Ratti
SignalWorks
Term: 2020 - 2023
John Flaherty
Grow Smart RI
Christopher Riely
Sweet Birch Consulting
Jennifer Lisi
Locke Lord
Martina Haggerty
Daphne Sarcia
Lendlease
Douglas Stephens
Rhode Island Rivers Council
Jenn Recinos
Rhode Island School of Design
Eric Army
Signalworks
Elder Trejo González
City of Providence Department of Sustainability
Michael Hanley
Salesforce
William Lawrence
Brian Platt
Moses Brown School
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
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/14/2023GuideStar 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 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 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.
Contractors
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- Officer and/or Employee data for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
- Contractor and/or Paid Preparer data for 2020, 2019, 2018
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