National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
USA-250 will be a nationwide anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2025. The 700 mile March to Yorktown led by General Washington and French General Rochambeau is a key component to this Anniversary. Congress designated a National Historic Trail in 2009 - The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association (W3R-US) is a 501-c-3 organization (IRS determination:2005) and managing trail partner with affiliates in 9 states from RI to VA, whose members were instrumental in having it approved by it Congress. Problem/need: Visibility and legacy for USA-250: marking the trail with signs, wayfinding for visitors, online Teacher Toolkit, inclusive and diverse interpretive materials for historic site partners, land and water conservation and protection; in general, supporting the NPS which has increasingly limited resources to develop the national trail.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
In partnership with the National Park Service, W3R sponsors hybrid historical/recreational opportunities for kids and families along the national historic trail, such as the Bike and Kayak Tour which runs from Newport RI to Yorktown VA; develops educational toolkits for use by teachers; sponsors historical research and the development of interpretive materials and trip planners to help families make the most of their time on the trail; manages a website that documents the route, encampments, and other details of the Yorktown Campaign 1780-1783. The Trail includes nine states, four more than permitted here in PROGRAM LOCATION and also includes DE, MD, D.C. and VA
Education, trail wayfinding, oudoor recreation, land protection
Serves the general public and students in RI, MA, CT,NY,NJ,PA,DE,MD,VA and D.C.
Website with information on the Washington Rochambeau National Hisotric Trail and the American Revolution, detailed state histories, etc.
Lectures, virtual programs, in-museum programs, teacher programs.
Outdoor recreation : Bike and Kayak Tour, mobile app for driving, walking and bike tours; seeking inclusion in various State Comprehensive Outdoor Management Plans so more green space and outdoor spaces can be developed along the trail.
Land protection: defining the historic route and any sites/historic roadways that may be endangered by development or other threats and working with local communities on 30x30 and clean air and water initiatives.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Private sector partner to the Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail 2019
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of program/model/intervention innovations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Adolescents
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This refers to the number of new in person and virtual programs presented to schoolchildren, teachers and the general public.
Number of new programs/program sites
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Added Butts Hill Fort in R. I. as a new high potential trail site French in Newport
Number of new donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People of European descent, People of African descent
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Established Alliance Circle giving campaign to introduce board members to adopting a "culture of philanthropy" beyond their annual membership contributions. Number of participants.
Number of teachers who report feeling prepared to address diverse student needs, including learning disabilities and limited English proficiency
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
VA teachers who participated in professional development on the Revolutionary War which provided information on more inclusive stories for a more diverse student group.
• Increased number of volunteers engaging in state group work, programs and events
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Increase in number of people serving on W3R-US state groups
Number of clients reporting increased knowledge after educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Education, trail wayfinding, tourism development, outdoor recreation, land and water protection
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
From post program surveys for After Dinner Conversation programs.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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 National Historic Trail is currently unknown and invisible, with no current highway/directional signage, very few interpretive waysides and little outreach to most of the important historic sites along the trail who would partner in interpreting their piece of the history in the Yorktown Campaign.
• Work with partners and DOTs in each state to see the trail fully marked to enhance the public's awareness and experience before USA-250.
• Develop relationships with historic partners in key sites along the trail. Neither the NPS or W3R-US own any property or historic houses or visitor centers along the trail so we need to conduct research and develop content for collaborative interpretive materials for others to tell the story of the Yorktown Campaign, as well as for website and social media.
• Update and digitize with Arc-GIS, a resource inventory of historic sites for NPS approval.
• Launch a Travel App for families who want to tour the trail.
• Expand web and social media presence.
• Develop an inclusive and diverse on-line Teacher Resource.
• Broaden the enabling legislation to include the historic route, secondary or spur trails, and extend the time period.
• Expand our collaborative through an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming outreach program to individuals, communities, and entities that share our mission, vision, and Values.
• Engage trail communities in the 250th Anniversary planning and promote trail community anniversary events and programs
• Assist state groups and local trail community historic agencies, recreational, community, and transportation groups to advocate for use of and create ways to create access and to engage the public in the trail’s story and open spaces.
• Support underserved trail communities through service corps programs and other local organizations to enhance trail ecosystem function and to support equitable access to outdoor recreation, and other trail priorities at all points of the trail.
• Develop a marketing plan to promote outdoor recreation opportunities as well as historic and cultural programs and events along the trail that supports the WARO marketing plan
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
NPS has completed a Long Range Interpretive Plan that has been be integrated into a "Foundation Document" for the trail, which lays out a concrete plan for prioritizing and funding W3R's key objectives, including a template for a family of signs with the official logo. W3R will assist in securing private, state and federal funding for trail marker signs for roads, and walking and biking trails.
Health: Outdoor Recreation: W3R state affiliates will work with their local Planning Departments to include the trail in their state's Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Management Plans so more trail related green space, public access to water space, and outdoor recreational opportunities can be developed along the trail for walking, hiking, bicycle riding, water sports and other sports
Education: A contractual workplan with the NPS will provide funding to hire content, interpretive and curriculum specialists to develop the Teacher Resource, similar to the one available on the Fort McHenry website, and to update and digitize the existing resource inventory of key sites on the trail. A pilot project to expand the use of social media in promoting awareness of the trail is in progress now.
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities and communities
Climate Action
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutionsa
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
As a managing trail partner, W3R-US receives technical support from the National Park Service , which expands W3R's capabilities. In turn, W3R serves as the long-arm of the trail through its established 9-state network, 700 miles long, and provides the equivalent of five FTEs to the trail in volunteer services. Board recruitment efforts include definition of functional areas most in need of expertise and volunteer manpower. Both the Executive Director and Board Chair are experienced organizers, grants writers and fund raisers. W3R has a webmaster/film producer/designer under annual contract, 20 hrs. a month
More workforce is needed. Funds for additional staff will be sought for W3R and by W3R, for the National Park Service national historic trail. Both have only 1 FTE, inadequate for a 700 mile trail with hundreds of sites and dozens of stakeholders. The goal is to supplement skeletal staffing as the NPS trail and W3R both move to play a major role in programming for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, scheduled for 2026. W3R-US has an established network of trail development consultants and planners, historians, designers, outdoor recreation planners, interpretive media specialists that it can call upon for contracted work.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
A Scope of Work has been developed for a website redesign/update and for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to replace the 2017 website to include an archival repository for corporate records and a board and volunteer portal for easy current access by a 25-member board located in 9 states.
Next step is for other state affiliates to secure similar permissions once NPS approves the "family of signs" template.
Funding has been secured and a Trip Planning app is in production now. Funds have been secured to commission an updated site inventory and GIS coordinates for the historic route. Requests for inclusion in five State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan have been submitted for the trail. Inclusion in these plans is a requirement for the receipt of Land Water Conservation Funds for trail development.
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
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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 look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
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.
National Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association
Board of directorsas of 09/20/2022
Lawrence Abell
Lawrence Abell and Associates
Term: 2018 - 2024
Bruce Donald
East Coast Greenways
Term: 2022 - 2024
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 ? No -
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/19/2022GuideStar 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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- 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 employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- 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 use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- 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.