Scenic Virginia, Inc.
Preserve. Protect. Enhance.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Virginia Viewshed Register
We are developing a Virginia Viewshed Register program to confer official state recognition on significant views and vistas in the Commonwealth.
Annual Scenic Awards Recognition Program
Presentation of the Annual Scenic Awards, with a particular emphasis on projects that can be replicated in other areas of the Commonwealth. Scenic Virginia presents awards in the following categories: Scenic Hero, Scenic Lands Preservation, Scenic Water Corridor Preservation, Creative Scenic Enhancement, Scenic Tourism, and recognition of new State Scenic Rivers. - Presentation of the Annual Virginia Vistas Photo competition, which promotes the beautiful vistas in the Commonwealth and reminds Virginians of how lucky we are to live here.
State and Local Legislation
We monitor legislation during the annual General Assembly Session in Richmond and year-round at the local level to ensure that citizens are aware of the benefits of scenic beauty, as well as potential threats.
Virginia Vistas Photo Contest
Our annual photo contest serves two primary purposes: 1) It reminds Virginians of the scenic beauty around us, and 2) it provides Scenic Virginia with an enviable databank of beautiful photographs from all regions of our Commonwealth.
Scenic Resources Toolbox
The in-development Scenic Resources Toolbox will serve as an online compendium of best practices and creative solutions for scenic issues across a variety of fields and disciplines (e.g., Landscape Architecture, Planning, Government Administration, Law, etc.). We are currently working with Virginia Tech to develop the structure and format. Once established, we will continue enhancing and editing the information so that the most current and relevant information is available to citizens, organizations, and administrators.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Virginia Conservation Network 1998
Scenic America 1998
External reviews
Photos
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?
Scenic Virginia is working to help each locality in our Commonwealth identify the scenic place and spaces that are most cherished by its citizens in the hope that future development can be directed away from these areas.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have developed a project that is the first of its kind in the U.S. to identify special scenic places at the local level and to allow citizens to nominate the most special for inclusion in a new Virginia Viewshed Register.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have matched a $50,000 challenge grant from the Judith Haskell Brewer Fund of the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. Armed with that funding, we are ready to hire a Scenic Resources colleague to roll out the program across Virginia.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Dr. Patrick Miller, then-Chair of Virginia Tech's Landscape Architecture Department, approached us in 2018 to express interest in the project. Scenic Virginia noted that the prior Governor's land conservation program did not include a Scenic Category because "Scenic is subjective." We asked Dr. Miller to help us refute that notion.
He and Ph.D. candidate Jisoo Sim undertook a yearlong literature review of articles and papers related to scenic resource management. Their resulting paper showed that the characteristics of a scenic viewshed CAN be quantified in a scientific manner -- something that had never been done before.
As part of their work, Dr. Miller and Ms. Sim developed protocols for the nomination, evaluation, and designation of scenic viewsheds. Scenic Virginia convened a panel of national viewshed experts to review the processes. That group confirmed both the validity of Dr. Miller and Ms. Sim's work and their proposed protocols for designation.
Scenic Virginia Executive Director Leighton Powell has now presented the new project at local, state, national, and international conferences. Professionals in Visual Resource Management (VRS) have praised the project and noted that it is the first of its kind.
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 bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, 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 aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, 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?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting 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.
Scenic Virginia, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 02/05/2022
Lisa Mountcastle
The Garden Club of Virginia
Term: 2022 - 2023
Kathleen Kilpatrick
Past Director of Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Term: 2022 - 2023
Sally H. Thomas
Albemarle Board of Supervisors (retired)
Charlotte Buttrick
Virginia Outdoors Foundation
Richard G. Gibbons
Landscape Architect
David S. Kenerson
Virginia Global Management
Lisa Mountcastle
Community Volunteer
Carthan Currin
Consultant
Kathleen Kilpatrick
Retired
Sherry Swinson
Longwood College
Josephine Fisher de Give
Piedmont Environmental Council (retired)
Mary Fleming Finlay
SC League of Conservation Voters
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 ? 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? 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? 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:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/05/2022GuideStar 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 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 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.