Wooden Boats for Veterans
Bringing the Magic of Wooden Boats to Veterans and Future Veterans
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The issues veterans face are real and staggering: • 20 Veterans commit suicide every day • Veterans have 21% higher suicide risk vs. non-veterans; and over twice as high for women veterans • 73% of Veterans who committed suicide were NOT using VA services California’s veterans are suffering higher rates of unemployment in California. This is very concerning, but perhaps not a surprise given the complexity of reaching California’s veterans. San Francisco and San Jose among the metro areas with the lowest percentage of veterans; they tend to live by and large in rural areas and small towns up the Delta and surrounding areas. Solano and Napa counties have the highest concentration of veterans in the Bay Area.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Come Sailing / Sail Training Programs
WBFV wants to bring sailing to veterans, future veterans, and their families.
Expect some hands-on training, and be prepared to learn and work. We are looking for candidates who want to continue sailing following the training.
WBFV also partners with ASA to provide professional coaching, equipment, meals and lodging at reduced cost to the participant according to their circumstances. Participants must arrange and purchase air or ground transport on their own. We do not pay for or reimburse travel costs.
These training courses will introduce participants to the sport of sailing, teach basic sailing skills and how to compete within the context of the sport of sailing. All instruction is facilitated by professionals and on equipment that is adapted to meet the individual needs of the participants. More information is found here.
Training Camps are generally held monthly in the following locations: Sausalito, Emeryville, San Francisco, Richmond, and Coyote Point. Due to the high cost of travel, an applicant’s geographic location is a consideration when being offered a slot in the training.
Restoration Program
A cohort of 40 volunteers each year organized into teams focused on discrete phases of the restoration work, each led by a trained foreman retained supported and insured by WBFV; 40 veterans per year served
Outreach Voyaging Program
a Crew of 24 veterans commits to taking part in a schedule of port visits by Clover in the Bay Area and Delta regions to bring VA Veteran Services Officers to meet veterans at these port cities, and ensure they get the health and vocational benefits the VA offers; 24 veterans and a support / advance team of 12 more veterans each year are served
Vocational Program
A staff of 3-5 manages a “gateway” type program for Bay Area companies with an avowed mission to hire veterans, strengthening their human capital acquisition programs with workforce development program based on the traditions of teamwork on the water; veterans going through one of the three programs listed above could take advantage of these opportunities.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of veterans who report a decrease in depression
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Military personnel, Veterans
Related Program
Outreach Voyaging Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of veterans with PTSD served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans, Military personnel
Related Program
Restoration Program
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
The Wooden Boats for Veterans Foundation (WBFV) continues to elevate its impact to veterans in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. As we launch this inaugural Strategic Plan, we recognize the critical importance of aligning on the right priorities supporting our mission. As we move forward WBFV will focus its activities in the following areas:
As we move forward WBFV, we will focus its activities in the following areas to “maximize Veteran time sailing, by developing relationships that expand WBFV’s reach and impact”.
Increase year over year the charitable donation revenue stream to meet WBFV’s long-term growth plans.
Develop a robust high potential donor base in terms of financial donations and vessel supplies donations.
Create an ongoing linkage between the sailing and restoration programs
Develop a communications plan that promotes a coordinated look for both programs and supports the activities of both organizations.
Create organizational excellence in all areas of WBFV.
These goals will provide guidance to the strategic planning process as we seek to build upon the WBFV’s successes and find new opportunities for growth.
WBFV has the potential to have a tremendous impact on the veteran community in proving what veterans can achieve together. As the only veteran sailing program in the San Francisco Bay, it carries a great responsibility in providing a quality program run by a professional organization that veterans and their supporters can be proud to associate with. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I invite you to take part in this exciting next phase in WBFV’s history.
Imperatives, Objectives, & Outcomes
By leveraging the collective and individual station, influence, and reputation of every member of the Board of Directors from within the maritime industry and beyond, and utilizing a comprehensive campaign as a tool to establish fundraising priorities, the Foundation will seek to create ongoing linkage between the strategic plans of both the Cal Maritime and the Foundation to achieve the following imperatives:
Imperative 1: Develop a High Potential Donor Base
Imperative 2: Complete the Clover Restoration Project
Imperative 3: Grow veteran outreach over time and ensure programs are effective in helping with issues like PTSD.
Imperative 4: Promote WBFV’s brand to build greater awareness of its impact on veterans
Imperative 5: Optimize the Board’s membership, committee structure, and governance practices to drive the development and implementation of Committee Charters in support of the WBFV’s Strategic Plan
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have refined our goals for impacting veterans, and how we measure these goals; into a set of waterborne operations that together form a System Model for supporting veterans through WBFV. This is the essence of our offering:
• Sail Training Program: A cohort of 12 veterans participates in a three-month program led by a trained and licensed skipper that teaches sailing and leads the cohort into crew formation; 2 skippers X 12 veterans X 4 cohorts results in 96 veterans served
• Restoration Program: A cohort of 40 volunteers each year organized into teams focused on discrete phases of the restoration work, each led by a trained foreman retained supported and insured by WBFV; 40 veterans per year served
• Outreach Voyaging Program: a Crew of 24 veterans commits to taking part in a schedule of port visits by Clover in the Bay Area and Delta regions to bring VA Veteran Services Officers to meet veterans at these port cities, and ensure they get the health and vocational benefits the VA offers; 24 veterans and a support / advance team of 12 more veterans each year are served
• Vocational Program: A staff of 3-5 manages a “gateway” type program for Bay Area companies with an avowed mission to hire veterans, strengthening their human capital acquisition programs with workforce development program based on the traditions of teamwork on the water; veterans going through one of the three programs listed above could take advantage of these opportunities.
This System Model is built around each boat affiliated with WBFV and starts with Clover, our flagship sailing vessel currently under restoration. Members of WBFV, and veteran’s services organizations who wish to affiliate with us can replicate this unit model.
Corporate Involvement
WBFV intends to partner with Bay Area companies that have an avowed commitment to employing veterans, to develop their veteran workforce and put forth candidates that have taken part in WBFV’s programs. With a WBFV scholarship programs, for example, we can assist in their human capital acquisition strategies. We measure the impact in a unit model previously established and put forward candidates to hire, acting as a gateway program.
Target Communities
WBFV’s highest priority is to serve communities in California with a high percentage of unemployed veterans; where there is the greatest need for alternatives, and where WBFV could catalyze change in the businesses in those communities. The majority of veterans living in California are accessible by water and reside in neighborhoods are typically lower-income, ethnically diverse and rural.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
WBFV has partnered with the following organizations.
Rutherford’s Boat Shop
Rutherford’s Boat Shop Inc. is located in Richmond, California. Under the proprietorship of Jeffrey Rutherford, the shop has been constructing and restoring classic yachts since 1982. The quality of work has gained them an excellent reputation not only in the San Francisco Bay Area but on the East Coast of the United States and the United Kingdom. Rutherford’s Boat Shop was chosen among many fine shipwrights because of their superior ability in offering consultation and assessment in a range of services that goes from making simple boat repairs to furnishing complete interiors and full yacht reconstruction and restoration.
Mr. Rutherford’s team has performed the major work on Clover and supervised the veteran volunteers and several smaller projects.
Sugar Dock
SugarDock is a uniquely configured full service deep water dock in Point Richmond on the San Francisco Bay, well situated to accommodate several WBFV boats, with amenities and access by BART, Bus, Train, and Ferry. Amenities include:
• 1,400 linear feet of improved shoreline, 30 feet of water depth at low water.
• Machine shop and wood working facility on site
• Vehicle parking adjacent to 4 foot wide aluminum gangways leading directly to efficient, large vessel floating docks.
• Direct power, water and sewer hook-up.
• Bathrooms and showers.
• 40 ton walking hydraulic crane with 140 foot reach on site, and forklift.
• Security -Gated facility with watchman on site.
• Multiple phone lines available.
• Storage and work\shops available on site.
• GC Marine Rigging Company on site www.gcmarine.net
Controls Engineering Maintenance Corporation
CEMCORP provides ship repair services for navy and military ships; specifically they service marine air conditioning and refrigeration systems, pumps, valves and heat exchangers, compressors, condensers and shop and welding facilities. A veteran-owned business, CEMCORP provides WBFV with essential repair work on engine and machinery.
RIX Industries
RIX Industries manufactures a wide range of pneumatic energy storage and transfer system solutions, including reciprocating piston compressors and gas generators and liquefiers for industrial gasses and breathing air. RIX specializes in applying oil-free technology to high-pressure applications and other highly demanding environments. RIX has been in business since 1878 and has been proudly serving our US Armed Forces for over 120 years. With a solid industry reputation that is second to none, RIX is the established leader in American-made compressor engineering and manufacturing.
Sausalito Yacht Club
WBFV is proud to be an honorary member of the Sausalito Yacht Club (SYC), dedicated to actively promoting the sport of boating, sail training, and sponsoring yachting and yacht racing events.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Currently, WBFV reaches out via partner agencies that provide services to at-risk veterans (Veteran Justice Court, the VA, and the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS), and from these experiences learned how to develop a sound and safe teaching curriculum.
We conducted surveys of participants, VA service officers, and other veteran not-for-profit leaders. Here are a few testimonials representative of the feedback received:
Brian, US Navy SEAL, restoration and sailing program participant:
“I didn't know quite what I was getting into--or how I had come to Wooden Boats for Veterans to begin with, but I got a wild idea somewhere about sailing and wooden boat building and it seemed a good place to start. It became an opportunity to come together with fellow Veterans from all wars, and to be placed among people and places that support Veterans in general, and specifically, organizations like WBFV. ”
Mike, US Navy Vietnam Veteran, Retired San Francisco Firefighter, volunteer:
“I am so proud to be affiliated with WBFV. The members have given Veterans who’ve participated a renewed sense of purpose and vigor in learning about the sea and how a sailboat moves through the water. I wholeheartedly endorse their program and recommend without hesitation that they be supported so as to fulfill their objectives toward healing veterans.”
Judge Ken Ross, San Francisco County Superior Court, Veteran Justice Court Program:
“Terry and WBFV have created a meaningful program for us to partner with in the service of restoring Veterans in our program to thriving and productive citizens. We are so grateful for their support.”
Don Shalvey, Ed.D., Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Advisor to WBFV:
“These Veterans worked closely together, using only wind as propulsion. This approach builds a restorative mindset and a sense of confidence in oneself and the collective community. Now triple and quadruple the number of veterans who can benefit, especially when a more formal evaluation can identify the outcomes and results of this work at scale. And then, provide them the purpose of navigating the boat they restored, to deliver critical veteran services to those rural and out of the way areas where veterans ultimately reside in our great state. THAT is the promise of this program – veterans helping other veterans.”
BUILDING A PROGRAM
From these results and feedback it was apparent t hat WBFV has an effective approach to addressing the Problem of improving veteran employment and enrichment in California. The issue then is in rationally building a program as efficiently as possible that is high-quality, scalable, measurable, targeting communities of greatest need, and staffed with highly motivated professionals.
WBFV intends to follow the best practices of a non-profit dedicated to excellence in workforce development and enrichment services.
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
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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
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Wooden Boats for Veterans
Board of directorsas of 09/05/2022
Mr. Terence Moran
WBFV
Term: 2021 - 2023
Jennifer Moran
Telamon Engineering Inc.
James Johnson
Apple
Frank DeSimone
Mentor
Greg Mendez
Marin County District Attorney's Office
Charlie Hart
St. Francis YC
Matt Cline
Salvation Navy
Sue Shalvey
University of the Pacific
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:
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: 11/14/2020GuideStar 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 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- 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.