PLATINUM2023

DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE INC

The Power of Plants and People

aka DCH   |   Wilmington, DE   |  www.thedch.org

Mission

The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) inspires individuals and communities through the power of plants.

Ruling year info

1980

Executive Director

Mr. Vikram Krishnamurthy

Main address

1810 North Dupont St

Wilmington, DE 19806 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Wilmington Garden Center

EIN

51-0252857

NTEE code info

Environmental Beautification (C50)

Garden Club, Horticultural Programs (C42)

Employment Training (J22)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The work of DCH strengthens the social fabric and builds more livable towns and cities by enhancing the environmental, economic, and aesthetic qualities of our cities and state. Working together, we create neighborhoods that are healthier, more attractive, and more ecologically sustainable. Because much of our work occurs in low income neighborhoods with higher rates of disease, environmental contamination, and poor access to healthy foods, our educational efforts also emphasize the personal health and sustainability benefits of gardening.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

DCH Membership Program

DCH is a membership organization that provides support for community gardeners throughout the city; beautifying Delaware's roadsides with native vegetation; maintaining many of Wilmington's gateways, corridors, and streetscapes; leading regional conservation stewardship projects to enhance the urban forest in public green spaces; and providing educational programs for children, teens, and adults. Our programs serve thousands of people every year both within the City of Wilmington and its immediate surroundings. Pre-pandemic, DCH successfully attracted over 900 subscribing members and engaged 600 (citizen and corporate) volunteers annually.

Population(s) Served
Adults

We work with local community groups, municipalities, corporations and volunteers to design, plant, and care for approximately 23 public landscapes that include highly visible gateways, right of ways, traffic medians and traffic islands.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Incarcerated people

Tree planting, care, education, and citizen stewardship programs for city street trees, park trees, community/neighborhood trees, and private tree care consultation.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth

DCH has initiated, supported, and sustained community gardens since our founding. We also founded Wilmington's first urban farm as a larger-scale operation for production and community-based food access.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Economically disadvantaged people

We offer a variety of gardening education programs for children, youth, and adults, including workshops, lectures, trips and tours.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth

DCH operates a 9-week horticultural job skills training program for unemployed, under-employed or formerly incarcerated individuals, which offers job placement and life skills training.

Population(s) Served
Young adults

Working as an extension of our BTC program, DRCC functions as a 1–2-year cohort model with projects designed to support economic opportunity through job training, address climate change, encourage land stewardship, and promote health and environmental equity for underserved communities. The program was launched in 2022.

Population(s) Served
People of African descent
Ex-offenders
Economically disadvantaged people
Older adults
People of African descent
Ex-offenders
Economically disadvantaged people
Older adults

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of clients placed in internships

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Young adults, Unemployed people

Related Program

Branches to Chances: A Return to Work Program (BTC)

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

DCH summer intern works on our grounds and public landscapes along with a Public Allies intern. The Branches to Chances Program places 8 individuals each year in an internship position.

Number of job skills training courses/workshops conducted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Young adults, Unemployed people

Related Program

Branches to Chances: A Return to Work Program (BTC)

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Horticulture classes, life skills training, and financial literacy are part of these courses.

Number of rallies/events/conferences/lectures held to further mission

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Greening Education and Outreach

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Lectures, conferences, garden visits and fund raising events to engage our constituents in multiple ways to convey our mission

Number of volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Volunteers work throughout the organization on programs, events, and administration.

Number of corporate volunteers

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Corporate groups help with large scale volunteer projects like tree plantings, landscape clean up and plants, or special events.

Number of people on the organization's email list

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Social media has helped us increase our email list each year.

Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Context - describing the issue we work on

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

DCH was founded by volunteers in 1977. Volunteers help in all aspects of our organization to help us deliver our mission.

Total number of organization members

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

DCH Membership Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Our member program has individuals, students, seniors, household, sustaining and business or non-profit members.

Number of species introduced to the area(s) managed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Public Landscape Beautification

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We introduced native species into our public landscapes as well as our headquarters gardens.

Number of trees planted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Community Forestry

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2020 we've planted 135 trees. We continue to increase the tree canopy in Wilmington and other counties in Delaware.

Number of grants received

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Grants for programs, facilities and events.

Total dollars received in contributions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

Donations to Annual Appeal, unrestricted, in-kind and memorial.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

DCH is the only nonprofit membership organization in Delaware that mobilizes and inspires community greening statewide in urban and suburban environments. By inspiring an appreciation for improving our environment through horticulture, education, and conservation, we have become a leader in improving and beautifying communities by harnessing the power of our members, volunteers, and staff to go out and make a difference. Our members come from Delaware and the surrounding region and bring with them a passion for plants only matched by that of our staff members. With more than 600 active and dedicated volunteers annually, we have a tremendous amount of community support, which allows us to accomplish the impossible.

Since 1977, the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) has cultivated a greener community by bringing people and plants together. Our work includes creating and maintaining the first Urban Farm in the city of Wilmington, creating and supporting over 40 community gardens, beautifying public landscapes, planting and advising on the urban placement of trees, and hosting community events and educational programs, including our Branches to Chances Return to Work program.

We approach the problems we are working to solve through the variety of programs and approaches we employ. Our greening programs in local neighborhoods engage local leadership to develop and lead beautification projects, so we build local capacity to initiate and sustain our work. Our education programs reinforce greening outcomes by establishing a knowledge base for children and adults to understand and appreciate the value of our work. Our advancement efforts engage members, donors, and the public in joining and supporting this work, which has been identified as the primary reason people support our organization. Our professional staff make these things happen, and through contractual relationships, partnerships, program revenue and long-term endowment support, we are able to sustain these efforts financially.

We have had tremendous success in Wilmington and have created lasting relationships, landscapes and programs, which have been sustained over time - some at a maximum impact based on our staff capacity, some that have grown thanks to volunteer capacity, and others we have grown by adding our own staff capacity over time.

Next phases for the organization include taking what have been successful programs and initiatives in Wilmington and expanding beyond New Castle County, DE.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Constituent (client or resident, etc.) advisory committees,

  • 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 strengthen relationships with the people we serve,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,

Financials

DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

DELAWARE CENTER FOR HORTICULTURE INC

Board of directors
as of 03/08/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Paul Ignudo

EDis Company

Term: 2022 - 2024

Ann D. Wick

DCH Volunteer

Sally DeWees

DCH Volunteer

Marybeth Johns

Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs

Carrie Wiles

North Creek Nursery

Walter Matthews

U.S. Probation & Parole

William Kelly

Wilmington Trust

Marilyn Whittington

Delaware Humanities Forum (retired)

Annmarie Long

Coffinity

James Bailey, Jr.

Bailey Law Firm

Tyler Bozzuto

Nemours Estate

Paula Hearst

Black Cemetery Restoration Civic Assoc. , Mt. Zion Cemetery

Ivey Ibrahim

Central Baptist Community Development Corporation

Sharon Loving

Longwood Gardens

Beth Wells

Wells Consultants

Eileen Dallabrida

SmithReports

Beverly Zimmermann

Out & About

Scott Parker

Verdantas LLC

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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 ? Yes
  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 1/23/2023

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
Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic (2+ races/ethnicities)
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data