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STERLING COLLEGE

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Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

STERLING COLLEGE

EIN 03-0197728 · Education (B42Z)

What they do

STERLING COLLEGE USES EDUCATION AS A FORCE to ADVANCE ECOLOGICAL THINKING and ACTION THROUGH AFFORDABLE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THAT PREPARES PEOPLE to BE KNOWLEDGEABLE, SKILLED, and RESPONSIBLE LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY LIVE. WE ADDRESS CRITICAL ECOLOGICAL PROBLEMS CAUSED BY UNLIMITED GROWTH and CONSUMPTION THAT is DESTROYING THE PLANET AS WE HAVE KNOWN IT, SUCH AS: FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE and RAPID CLIMATE CHANGE, DESTRUCTION of BIODIVERSITY and LOSS of WILD PLACES, PROMOTION of HARMFUL AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THAT THREATEN HUMAN and NATURAL COMMUNITIES, PERSISTENCE of STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION THAT IMPACTS HUMAN and ECOLOGICAL WELLBEING, and THE DETERIORATION of CIVIL SOCIETY THROUGH ESTRANGEMENT FROM COMMUNITY, NATURE, and PLACE.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check
Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $67.50 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders15 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

124.15%of revenue went to mission work67.5% of expenses · Program services
4.67%of revenue went to fundraising2.5% of expenses
$183.87spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.
55.06%of revenue went to management and office costs29.9% of expenses
$0.60in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.
39.7%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

  1. Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
  2. What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
  3. Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $3,818,827 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $242,269 for SCOTT THOMAS (PRESIDENT). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$4,553,144
Mission workProgram services$5,652,506124.15% of revenue67.5% of expenses
ManagementOffice and general costs$2,507,04955.06% of revenue29.9% of expenses
FundraisingAsking for donations$212,4164.67% of revenue2.5% of expenses
Total expenses$8,371,971183.87% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails
2024CurrentExpense mix: 67.5% mission · 29.9% management · 2.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 183.87% of revenue
2023Expense mix: 72.2% mission · 25.5% management · 2.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.19% of revenue
2022Expense mix: 69.5% mission · 25.4% management · 5.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 96.52% of revenue
2021Expense mix: 74.0% mission · 21.0% management · 5.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 106.13% of revenue
2020Expense mix: 76.0% mission · 19.7% management · 4.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.65% of revenue
2019Expense mix: 77.3% mission · 18.4% management · 4.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.62% of revenue
2018Expense mix: 73.9% mission · 21.3% management · 4.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 80.67% of revenue
2017Expense mix: 73.7% mission · 24.1% management · 2.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 100.65% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$4,553,144
Expenses$8,371,971
Annual shortfall $3,818,827 Expenses were higher than revenue for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$5,652,506 · 67.5% of expenses
Management and office costs$2,507,049 · 29.9% of expenses
Fundraising$212,416 · 2.5% of expenses
See all reported dollar amounts
Revenue$4,553,144
Expenses$8,371,971
Assets$4,994,466
Income$4,687,082
Contributions$1,807,191
Mission work (program services)$5,652,506
Fundraising$212,416
Grants given$2,666,280
Average grant$111,095
Management and general$2,507,049
Stocks and bonds$1,181,431
Accounting fees$172,425
Investing fees$9,394
People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation
SCOTT THOMASPRESIDENT · 40 hrs/week $242,269Base $224,218 · Other $18,051
LORI COLLINS-HALLCOO · 40 hrs/week $84,574Base $79,327 · Other $5,247

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (15)

SCOTT THOMASPRESIDENT

LORI COLLINS-HALLCOO

ALAN ROSSTRUSTEE

ALLISON HOOPERCHAIR

BILL JARVISTRUSTEE

CATHY BERRYTRUSTEE

CHIEF DON STEVENSTRUSTEE

CHRISTINA ERICKSONTRUSTEE

ELLEN FALDUTOTREASURER

JO D SAFFEIRTRUSTEE THRO

MICHAEL TESSLERTRUSTEE

PETER CHEHAYLTRUSTEE THRO

PETER SMITHTRUSTEE

SHERILYN PETERSONVICE CHAIR

WENDY KOENIGSECRETARY

About this charity

Recognized since
January 1960
Location
PO BOX 72, CRAFTSBURY CM, VT 05827-0072
County
Orleans
In care of
SCOTT THOMAS
Primary officer
SCOTT THOMAS, PRESIDENT

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Phone(802) 586-7711

Filing and classification

Latest tax year
2024
Tax period began
July 1, 2024
Return type
990
Tax preparer
DAVIS & HODGDON ASSOCIATES CPAS PLC
NTEE classification
Education (B42Z)
Grant-giving organization
Yes

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About this report: Information comes from public nonprofit records and may show the latest filing available.

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