Arts, Culture, and Humanities

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK

aka Christmas in the Park, Inc.

San Jose, CA

www.christmasinthepark.com

Mission

Christmas in the Park is a comprehensive, community-focused, non-profit organization dedicated to adding to the celebration of the holiday season by coordinating a free Christmas event that includes holiday décor and entertainment, along with special programs and festivities to serve the interests of our community.

Ruling Year

1985

Executive Director

Mr. Jason Minsky

Main Address

171 Branham Ln. Ste. 10-234

San Jose, CA 95113 USA

Keywords

the bay area, christmas in the park san jose, holiday, Blinky

EIN

77-0046955

 Number

1759120776

Cause Area (NTEE Code)

Arts, Cultural Organizations - Multipurpose (A20)

Community, Neighborhood Development, Improvement (S20)

Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)

IRS Filing Requirement

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

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Social Media

Programs + Results

What we aim to solve

With a population of over one million in the City of San Jose and nearly two million in Santa Clara County, the need for a safe and inexpensive place for the community, especially those in underserved areas, to gather in celebration of the holiday season is greatly needed. The cost of living anywhere in the Bay Area is so high and people are living paycheck to paycheck. Multiple families live in one household on many occasions because the median price for a house is well over $850,000 in San Jose. These people need somewhere to go where they can feel special, enjoy time as a family and not have to worry about how it will affect their wallets.

Our programs

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Christmas in the Park

Where we work

Our Results

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one. These quantitative program results are self-reported by the organization, illustrating their committment to transparency, learning, and interest in helping the whole sector learn and grow.

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Total number of free admissions

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

Children and youth (0-19 years),

Adults,

Families

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context notes

In 2018, our event was shortened due to a special event and in 2019 our event had rain on 12 of the 38 days - 9 of which were weekends where attendance is much larger.

Total number of off-site performances held

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of donations made by board members

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context notes

Board members donated over $60,000 last year to Christmas in the Park.

Number of participants engaged in programs

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context notes

This encompases our tree decorating, entertainment, playhouse and Santa programs and is an estimate of at least 10 people per organization participating with 736 groups as well as 15k Santa visits.

Total number of performances

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of volunteers

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of youth who volunteer/participate in community service

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Total downloads of the organizations mobile application

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context notes

New feature for 2019

Hours of volunteer service

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Average daily attendance

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context notes

Over 38 days, 650,000 people attended Christmas in the Park last year.

Number of website sessions

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of website pageviews

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of people on the organization's email list

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of new website visitors

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of Facebook followers

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Total dollars received in contributions

TOTALS BY YEAR
Population(s) served

No target populations selected

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context notes

Combines donations, special events and sponsorships

Charting Impact

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What is the organization aiming to accomplish?

What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?

What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?

How will they know if they are making progress?

What have they accomplished so far and what's next?

By providing an admission free, safe and entertaining environment Christmas in the Park hopes to offer a place for families and friends to celebrate during the holiday season. We also aim to bring our community together and provide an experience that is unique and special to everyone - something that people can call their own.

A strong effort to secure local and national sponsorships, applying for grant funding, a robust vendor program and a few special events round out the ways our organization is able to stay a safe and admission free event for our community. Through our tree and entertainment program we are able to engage with more than 650 local groups, organizations and businesses and they become part of our event through their talents and creativity. By partnering with other non-profit organizations we are able to raise awareness of their missions and help them raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in monetary donations and items. Our robust volunteer program allows local high school students and community-minded adults to be a part of our community event through their efforts on a year-round basis.

An experienced staff and dedicated volunteer core have been a part of Christmas in the Park for decades. Knowledge of the event industry and continuing education as well as creative development enhance or ability to to keep our event relative and inviting.

In 2018 and 2019 we had a combined attendance of over 1 million guests. Interest from a community participation standpoint continues to rise as we improve our social media presence and sell-out our programs and special events.

We have continued to hold an admission free event for our community for the past 40 years. As we continue to bring our event to life each year, we balance tradition and implement new features relevant to the interest of today. Our attendance continues to stay strong, even with competing events popping up in our area. In years to come our event will be more interactive, will feature new technology and continue to be a destination for our community during the holiday season.

External Reviews

Photos

Financials

CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK

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  • Address, phone, website and contact information
  • Forms 990 for 2018, 2017 and 2016
  • A Pro report is also available for this organization.

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Operations

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

Need more info?

FREE: Gain immediate access to the following:

  • Address, phone, website and contact information
  • Forms 990 for 2018, 2017 and 2016
  • A Pro report is also available for this organization.

See what's included

Board Leadership Practices

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section, which enables organizations and donors to transparently share information about essential board leadership practices.

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

BOARD ORIENTATION & 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 & 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?

Not Applicable

BOARD PERFORMANCE

Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years?

Not Applicable