Act 3 · 2027 and beyond

Outgrowing the scaffolding

Growth outran the infrastructure. The surplus exists partly because the org is under-invested in itself — and it all still rests on one person. The board's real job for 2027 is deciding what to fund.

Key-person risk is acute, not theoretical
As it stands, the program does not run without the Executive Director. She is on expedition June through early August — so the test is happening this summer. Combined with the off-books content strategist and below-market ED comp, continuity currently depends on the founder subsidizing the org.

We grew past our systems

Full 990 now required

A Form 990 is the annual financial report every U.S. nonprofit files with the IRS — it's public, and it's how funders and watchdogs size up an organization. We've outgrown the simple "postcard" version (the 990-N, for the smallest orgs) and now have to file the full return — a maturity milestone that needs real bookkeeping behind it.

Accounting has outgrown itself

The home-made, no-cost manual system Tana built and maintains served us well, but it's no longer appropriate at this scale. Time for a real platform.

Impact reports lapsed

No official impact report since 2023; 2024 and 2025 are overdue. We have the best story we've ever had and aren't packaging it for donors.

Capacity decisions on the table

Fractional donor development

Board-approved in January to spend from the surplus — not yet started. This is the hire that turns proven demand into durable revenue.

Fractional operations

Needed for gear coordination, Women of Mountaineering calendar management, and the day-to-day that currently only the ED can run. Likely next year — directly de-risks the key-person problem.

Board & governance

Grow the board

Five directors today; we should grow to six or seven — to spread the load and add the skills and perspectives we're missing.

Lock the meeting cadence

A steady rhythm — quarterly board calls plus the annual in-person retreat. A proposed schedule is below, for the board to confirm.

Next retreat: fall 2027

Lock in the next in-person retreat for fall 2027 — enough runway to do real work in between.

Proposed meeting cadence

Quarterly calls plus the annual retreat — proposed dates for the board to confirm. The 2027 dates deliberately avoid mid-May through mid-August, when Sunny and Paul are paddling the Yukon River.

Proposed dateWhat
Tue, Jul 21, 2026Board call — ratify the legal structure (counsel-prepared materials)
Tue, Oct 20, 2026Q4 board call
Tue, Jan 19, 2027Q1 board call
Tue, Apr 20, 2027Q2 board call
mid-May – mid-Aug 2027ED on the Yukon River — no meetings
Oct 8–10, 2027Fall retreat — in person (the next one)
Tue, Dec 7, 2027Q4 board call
These are the investments the 2027 levers have to fund. The surplus isn't a victory lap — it's the raw material for building an org that doesn't depend on one person. This is the bridge into Saturday's ED-comp and key-person session.