H C S V FOUNDATION A NEW JERSEY NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Declining education and emphasis on Early American history.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
We See America Learning: Teaching Early American History through ‘iVisits’
Distance Learning programgs are offered to school systems nationwide and delivered via a state-of-the-art videoconferencing technology system, Monday through Friday between Mid October to Late April. **Now available through Skype and Zoom**
Visits to the Past: Field Trip Program
Field trips to Historic Cold Spring Village offer students and teachers the opportunity to experience the past first-hand. Select buildings are open exclusively for school groups and interpretive staff demonstrates the trades, crafts and lifestyles of Early America.
In-Class Presentations
The Village offers in-class school visits free of charge to all Cape May County Schools. An HCSV staff member visits the classroom with one of the following presentations: The Story of Old Glory, An Early American School Day and Four Great Inventions.
Traveling Trunks Program
With support from the Schultz-Hill Foundation, HCSV has donated trunks to schools in Cape May and Atlantic counties that are filled with learning tools, objects and information to bring a living history lesson to the classroom each time the trunk is opened.
Junior Apprentice Program
The Junior Apprentice Program educates students, ages 11-14, on life in the early 1800s by exposing them to the trades, crafts and heritage of the period. Apprentices work alongside a Village artisan to learn an Early American trade or craft. Junior Apprentice Program sessions take place in July with a second session in August. Each session is four weeks long. Apprentices spend two days each week learning their trade or craft and the history of the 1800s.
The Folk School at HCSV
The Village artisans and interpreters offer classes in tinsmithing, pottery, blacksmithing and more. Adults and students learn the history of the trade or craft and create a take-home project.
HISTORIC COLD SPRING VILLAGE SPEAKERS BUREAU
The staff and dedicated volunteers of Historic Cold Spring Village are proud to offer a variety of educational and entertaining programs for professional associations, government organizations, community and senior centers, social clubs, and church and youth groups. Sample programs include:
-The First Frontier: Whaler Yeomen in Colonial New Jersey
-Gone for a Soldier: A Day in the Life of a Civil War Infantryman
-The Story of Old Glory
-Four Great Inventions (And One That Almost Wasn't)
-Revisiting the Country Store: An Important Community Resource
-A Visit with Mehitable, Cape May’s Last Mitten Knitter
-Preserving Family Treasures
-A History of Hosiery and Socks
-Gansey’s Guernsey’s and Fisherman Knit Sweaters
-Foodways during the Civil War
History Education
The core of the Village’s public programming is the daily, in-season interpretive presentations and craft demonstrations that take place in the historic buildings and on the museum grounds. Through these personal connections with interpreters, visitors are introduced to rural life in southern New Jersey and provided with a “sense of place” by learning about the histories of the buildings, their original owners and uses.
Historic Preservation
Historic Cold Spring Village is dedicated to the preservation of the vernacular architecture of Cape May County having preserved and restored 27 buildings that range from the late 17th century to the early 20th century. The buildings tell the story of the founding families of Cape May County and serve as a tangible representation of the region’s past. The buildings serve as an educational tool for preservation and architectural history and provide the perfect backdrop for the interpretive presentations given in the Village.
Heritage Tourism
The demographics and economy of Cape May County are defined by the summer tourist trade. Historic Cold Spring Village is a unique resource for visitors to the Southern Shore- it is one of very few living history museums in South Jersey and the largest in the state. The HCSV staff works diligently at developing and expanding programs that encourage visitation and promote site awareness within the community as well as with the many tourists who visit the Jersey Cape throughout the year. Culture and Heritage attractions are major factors in generating year-round tourism trips and work to extend overnight stays with 56% of our visitors participating in these activities while visiting the Jersey Cape. Nationally, cultural heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the industry, appealing to both the Millennial traveler as well as Baby Boomers. According to the National Assembly of State Art Agencies, 47% of travelers want to participate in heritage tourism. HCSV is an attraction that appeals to the culturally-minded lifelong learner who want to experience local culture and be part of the community. The museum is also connected to wider regional and state historic sites through the Bayshore Heritage Byway and the New Jersey Women’s Heritage Trail.
Where we work
External reviews
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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?
Historic Cold Spring Village is dedicated to history education through in-person interaction with school children and visitors who enjoy heritage tourism. The goal of the organization is to provide a quality experience that will not only educate, but entice visitors to become more engaged in history and in the history community.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Historic Cold Spring Village provides educational programs on Early American History, and New Jersey History in particular, to schools through classroom visits and distance learning opportunities. The Village also actively promotes field trip opportunities for school classes and ensures that the programs presented align with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards. Village staff members present demonstrations and discussion on the trades and life-styles of the 19th century including, but not limited to, domestic tasks (spinning, weaving, dying, hearth cooking), woodworking, tinsmithing, blacksmithing, animal husbandry, early schooling and innkeeping. The Village also provides opportunities for visitors to try their hand at craft projects related to the trades/crafts they see demonstrated throughout the Village. Educational programs are also available to civic groups, assisted living facilities, senior centers and other areas of adult education. Free lectures on historical topics are presented by outside speakers and Village staff members during the winter/spring.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Historic Cold Spring Village has a dedicated staff of current and former educators, as well as crafts-persons, well versed in the activities represented throughout the Village. Support for the Village comes from a variety of sources including grants, sponsorship, memberships, admissions, rental of retail spaces, retail sales, donations and fund raising events.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Historic Cold Spring Village began in 1973 with a vision - to salvage buildings of historical interest and preserve them for educational purposes. The Village has grown to include 27 restored buildings in which visitors can observe vernacular building techniques and experience the trades and crafts of the 19th century. The education programs are recognized as outstanding examples of Early American History throughout the State. The Village has become part of a state-wide history trail that encourages and increases heritage tourism, which is an important factor for the economy of Cape May County.
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 and remedy poor client service experiences, 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 aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
H C S V FOUNDATION A NEW JERSEY NON-PROFIT CORPORATION
Board of directorsas of 01/24/2024
Dr. Joseph Salvatore
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
Term: 2019 - 2026
Jason Black
Arrowhead Agency
Joseph Cirrinicione
Retired Superintendent, Lower Township Elementary School System
Michael Clark
Sturdy Savings Bank
Norris Clark
Princeton Strategic Communications Group
Christina P. Clemans
Chris Clemans Sotheby's International
Dona Kemling
Retired, H.R. Block
Arlene MacDonald
Press of Atlantic City
Anne Salvatore
Historic Cold Spring Village
Linda Steenrod
Billmae Cottage Bed and Breakfast Inn
Steven Morey
Mott MaDonald LLC
Nina Ranalli
Avalon Historical Society
James Ridgeway
J. Byrne Agency
David Chapman
Private Consultant
Bernadette Matthews
Sydney Perkins
Somers Point School District
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 ? Not applicable -
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? Not applicable -
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? Not applicable
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/24/2024GuideStar 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 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 have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- 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.