Evergreen Social Impact lays out Model C fiscal-sponsorship approach and fees

At a special meeting the commission heard from Evergreen Social Impact about how the nonprofit would serve as a fiscal sponsor and handle donations and grants.

Sarah Hiller, Evergreen’s director of operations and partner engagement, described Model C (grant pass-through) fiscal sponsorship and said Evergreen would bring partner projects under its 501(c)(3) EIN while leaving advisory boards for each partner intact. Hiller noted Evergreen’s role would be primarily fiduciary and backend support rather than program direction.

Hiller outlined the proposed fee structure: "individual donations is 10%"; nongovernment grants/donations 7.5%; and government grants 12.5% because such grants typically require extra reporting and compliance. Hiller also said Evergreen uses a CRM called DonorDoc to accept online donations and requested close communication with the commission around anticipated events or spikes in donation volume.

Sarah Kurtzman, identified by Hiller as Evergreen’s director of finance, added that for Model C partnerships Evergreen typically provides monthly statements of activity and can deliver general ledger detail or balance sheets on request.

Commissioners asked about limits on transaction volume and whether Evergreen could handle many small-ticket transactions; Evergreen said their systems and pricing are better suited to larger sponsorships or occasional individual gifts than high-volume ticket sales.