PLATINUM2023

Oregon Parks Forever

Enhancing & preserving special places and experiences in Oregon's parks

aka Oregon State Parks Foundation   |   Portland, OR   |  www.orparksforever.org

Mission

Oregon Parks Forever is dedicated to raising funds to preserve special places and experiences in Oregon's federal, state, local and tribal parks for the enjoyment of present and future generations. Our funding priorities include: - Protect the facilities, amenities, and trails that are already built - Teach children about the environment and outdoor resources - Increase park accessibility, especially in underserved communities and populations. - Promote and provide opportunities for healthy activities like hiking, cycling,

Ruling year info

1995

Executive Director

Mr. Seth Lincoln Miller

Main address

1501 SW Jefferson Street

Portland, OR 97201 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Oregon State Parks Trust

Oregon State Parks Foundation

EIN

93-1177836

NTEE code info

Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (C12)

History Museums (A54)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Oregon has many kinds of public lands. In fact, almost 60% of the land in the state is owned by a governmental entity. However, Oregon state, county and local parks are not supported by Oregon income taxes. For example, Oregon State Parks have not received a single penny of funding from Oregon state taxes since 1998. Instead user fees (day-use, camping, and others) provide 55% of the funding and the state lottery program provides about 44% of the operating budget for the park system. These sources of funding are flat or declining (after adjustment for inflation) yet expenses and visitation is increasing. Day Use Visitation to parks across the state is exploding, and so is the wear and tear on the facilities and amenities. To ensure the experiences and places we love are in great condition and available to our children and grandchildren, it us up to us to prepare the parks for the next generation.

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?

Ticket 2 Ride

A fund to enable schools from low- moderate income communities to apply for money to pay for gasoline and bus drivers to fund field trips to the Oregon state parks

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Economically disadvantaged people

Adding a network of 10 bike pods along the Oregon coast to enable cyclists to lock their bikes, gear and food; charge their electronics such as cell phones; fill their tires and water bottles; and perform minor repairs on their bikes.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Students

We are pleased to continue supporting a summer program for high school students at Cottonwood Canyon State Park that we incubated, but is now run by Eastern Oregon University. Our current role is to raise scholarship funds and to raise funds and supplies for the solar energy classes.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Adolescents

We are working with partners to develop a program to place electric all-terrain wheelchairs near select parks.

Population(s) Served
People with physical disabilities

We are working on a project to offer a sort of Nature Scavenger hunt called Track Trails on as many as 50 existing trails across the state. By adding kiosks with brochures that kids can use as guides to things to look for on the trail, we provide interest and excitement to their hike, and the chance to get prizes when they finish.

Population(s) Served
Families
Children and youth

We are seeking to emulate a program that has been successful in Michigan for eight years called Michigan Cares For Tourism. In this stewardship program, large groups of volunteers are brought together for two-day fix-ups at park properties that have suffered from deferred maintenance and have been deemed important to tourism. This program would be accomplished in partnership with multiple agencies and non-profits.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Since the 1990's, Oregon has seen significant increases in the number of acres burned statewide each year. 2020 saw the second largest number of acres burned since 1990 with more than one million acres of trees burned on Oregon lands. 2021 followed with a similarly devastating fire year, as well as a heat dome event that killed many trees in the Coast Range.

Our goal is to help the public lands get replanted soon, so that in the future our children and grandchildren can enjoy the same green and lush forests and landscapes we have.

We have set a goal of funding the replanting of ONE MILLION trees.

Population(s) Served

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.

Maximum number of participants allowed on field trips

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

Adolescents, Children, Ethnic and racial groups, Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Ticket 2 Ride

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We interpret this question to ask how many students per field trip, not

Number of trees planted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Wildfire Tree Replanting

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

We seek to enhance and preserve special places and experiences in Oregon's parks now and for future generations.

Oregon parks are some of the most popular state parks in the nation. They are vital to Oregon's way of life. The parks connect people with meaningful outdoor experiences. They engage people through education and outreach. They preserve special places in Oregon for future generations. They attract employers, employees, and tourists -- generating more than $1.6 billion annually for the communities near the parks.

Oregon Parks Forever does NOT fund the annual operating expenses of the park systems. Instead, Oregon Parks Forever focuses its attention on programs and activities that increase the capacity of the park system to keep up with Oregon's population growth and the popularity of outdoor recreation. We enhance access to healthy outdoor activities, build a deeper connection between parks and people through education, preserve and protects the historic and cultural resources within the parks, ensure parks are welcoming to ALL people regardless of socio-economic status, and ensure the long-term viability of our organization to be able to support our parks.

We fund multi-year capital campaigns and a annual projects as well.
- We seek to raise funds to replant ONE MILLION trees killed by wildfires and extreme heat events.
- We regularly fund school field trips for Grade 3-5th graders in Title One Schools throughout the state.
- We are installing hiker/biker kiosks to improve the experience by providing a place to lock up items, to charge electronics, to fill tires and water bottles, and do minor bike repairs.
- We raise funds for scholarships and solar energy education for high school students in eastern Oregon.
- we are working on a program to install Nature Scavenger hunts on existing trails across the state.
- We are developing a stewardship program to begin to attack the problem of deferred maintenance in park facilities and amenities.

We operate with a staff of two full-time and two part-time and nine Board of Trustees.

We have an email list of over 400,000 recipients of our monthly eNewsletter.

Examples of accomplishments include:
- We have raised funds to replace 555,000 trees burned by summer wildfires as of 1.31.2022
- Raised funds to build an Experience Center at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.
- Raised funds to renovate the Vista House in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.
- Raised funds to establish the Kam Wah Chung Chinese Heritage Museum.
- Renovated seven iconic lighthouses dotting the Oregon coast.
- Funded the first 50 yurts in state parks anywhere in the country.
-

Financials

Oregon Parks Forever
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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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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.

Oregon Parks Forever

Board of directors
as of 06/09/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Ms. Brigitte Sutherland

Brian Harney

NW Natural

Brigitte Sutherland

Perkins & Co. LLC

Seth Miller

Oregon State Parks Foundation

Eric Valentine

Randy Jones

Oregon DEQ

Danny Newman

Tonkon Torp

Katie DiBiase

Moss Adams

Jan McGowan

Indep Consultant

Kevin Price

Retired Parks Dept

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 ? 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/30/2021

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or other sexual orientations in the LGBTQIA+ community
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 06/30/2021

GuideStar 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

Data
  • 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • 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.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • 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.