ROSIE THE RIVETER TRUST
We can do it...Today!
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Trust seeks to expand the resources and programs of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, which has limited funding and resources to fully disseminate it's unique and highly important historical education programs which trace the seeds of civil rights, women's inclusion in the skilled labor force, disability rights, and integration of people of color into the workplace during the cataclysmic time of World War II. Our programs honor the ordinary extraordinary people who stepped to huge challenges, worked through struggles, learned to collaborate and changed our society in the process -- for the better. We believe these lessons are vital to all Americans. Although we've grown steadily and attracted increasing visitors to our Visitor Center on the edge of San Francisco Bay, we must still find resources to cast a wider educational net accessible electronically and otherwise to educators, researchers, students, and individuals.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Every Kid in a Park
Since 2016, Rosie the Riveter Trust and the National Park have produced a program to successfully provide bus transportation and bring more than 4000 fourth graders, teachers and aides from more than 80 classrooms in the East Bay Area to our Visitor Center located on the San Francisco Bay waterfront. In each visit, students learn how people from diverse backgrounds overcame the immense challenge of a world war, innovated and acquired new skills, learned to work together, and changed society. The children enjoy a healthy one-mile hike along the Bay, as they learn about national park threats such as climate change and sea level rise. At the Rosie the Riveter Memorial site, they are introduced to social movements that emerged from the war, including civil rights, women’s rights, and worker safety, as they read the moving words of the women who lived the experiences enshrined in the Rosie legacy. At the Visitor Center, all children receive a one-year free visitor pass to visit national parks with their families for free. The overall goal of the program is to increase national park stewardship and equal access to national parks for all people in the U.S.
Rosie's Girls
Rosie’s Girls is a unique summer camp that challenges girls at a transitional age, in middle school, by engaging them in activities considered “non-traditional” for girls, such as carpentry, welding, sailing, forest fire fighting, horticulture, police, fire, engineering, other trade and skilled jobs, and more. Each girl learns to take risks and to succeed and thrive in areas that they had never dreamed they could, simultaneously learning to explore their inner dreams, engage in teamwork with others, build more personal confidence, and to envision a productive and exciting future.
The programs’ objectives are as follows:
• To build confidence, inner strength, and a vision of a better future for at-risk middle school girls at a formative time in their lives;
• To teach young women to take on tasks and to learn hands-on skills which are considered non-traditional for girls, so that they can learn pride in surmounting challenges and enjoy success by overcoming fears;
• To teach skills, build confidence, and encourage inner strength and independence that can reduce violence against young girls now and in the future, as well as reduce self-abuse, early teen pregnancy and risks of alcohol and drug use;
• To demystify a variety of careers for women, demonstrating the many paths open to them, and show girls that other young women have overcome significant hurdles to reach their career goals;
• To open new horizons for girls to explore their inner needs and worth and to dream big dreams at a time in adolescence when they are socially in transition and vulnerable.
Our camp is unique among Rosie’s Girls camps in that we offer all spots available to the girls most in need. Rosie the Riveter Trust and the national park are focused enriching the lives of local people, and particularly those who can benefit most from interaction with their own urban national park, even as we work to convey important history to people from across the nation. Rosie’s Girls focuses on Richmond’s most vulnerable teen girls, as well as on the many local families in need of positive summer activities for their pre-teen and teen-age daughters. With Richmond’s poverty level rising beyond 20%, the Trust and park have chosen to provide special programs that underscore the lessons of its history – and that inspire the “We Can Do It” spirit that brought people together to overcome great odds.
Preservation of Sites, Artifacts, and Stories
The Trust and Park have captured hundreds of oral histories and restored sites to help tell the stories of the WWII Home Front era. In addition, they continue to document vital history with film projects, such as a film now in progress about the way WWII accelerated social changes in the U.S. Efforts to preserve important physical sites and artifacts are ongoing.
"Capture a Legacy" Film Project
In December of 2015, Betty Reid Soskin, the National Park Service’s oldest park ranger, age 94, was invited to the White House to introduce the President of the United States at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. She has become a regional, national and international legend because of for her ability to interpret social changes that emerged out of the WWII transformation, including greater opportunities for women and people of color in the workforce. Betty’s nine decades have given her a special ability to interpret history from the perspective of an African American woman. Starting her story as the granddaughter of a former slave, continuing through a wartime job as a clerk in a Jim Crow union hall in the Kaiser shipyards, and venturing into the 60’s Civil Rights era and today, Betty’s programs at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park illuminate, as no one else’s can, both war-time innovations and the massive subsequent social changes that were accelerated by war-time needs. Her presentations are irreplaceable and booked in advance. She has been interviewed by local, national and international media ranging from the Today Show to the UK’s Guardian; but news clips only provide a tiny window on her unique ability to trace the history of vital social change issues, and to inspire people with her unique perspective on this historical period and what it has meant in moving our society toward greater inclusiveness.
Our goal is to complete a 30-minute documentary film that captures her unique perspective and elegant interpretations of history so that we can preserve her legacy and inspire new generations to consider how far we have come and how far we still need to go.
This project has already produced large archive of her life and influence on the way national parks relay history, a 30 minute film of her Visitor Center presentation and a 45 minute documentary will be available for release to television and for public viewings by mid-2019. She is now 97 and still working at the park and travelling to inspire people of all colors across the U.S.
Where we work
External reviews
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?
STRATEGIC GOALS
Rosie the Riveter Trust helps the National Park Service fund, acquire, and preserve key historic sites and resources. The Trust publicizes, hosts, and organizes special funding and promotional events to further the objectives of the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park. Our supporters include businesses, educators, governments, healthcare providers, individuals, and labor unions, all devoted to preserving and reporting the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front story and the diversity within our regional and national communities.
The Trust defined five strategic goals for calendar years 2014–2019. These goals represent the five most important areas of work the Trust will pursue to support the National Park Service's efforts and to become a sustainable organization with a long-term future. The five goals are as follows:
GOAL #1 PRESERVE
Many of the Park's future facilities are in private ownership and in need of rehabilitation. Irreplaceable oral histories, memorabilia and objects from the World War II Home Front era are held by an aging Home Front generation. Rosie the Riveter Trust assists the National Park Service in preserving historic assets.
GOAL #2 EDUCATE AND INSPIRE
Rosie the Riveter Trust fosters National Park Service research, interpretation, and communication of the Home Front story. The Trust is dedicated to promoting an ongoing dialogue about the significance and lasting impact of the Home Front experience among academics, researchers, the community, schools and those who experienced the World War II Home Front.
GOAL #3 VISIBILITY
Rosie the Riveter Trust enhances the visibility of the National Park Service efforts at the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park, raising consciousness and promoting local, regional, and national community involvement in the Park.
GOAL #4 ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
Rosie the Riveter Trust builds and maintains a self-sustaining organization to assist the National Park Service efforts to preserve World War II Home Front resources and interpret and communicate the Home Front story for years to come.
GOAL #5 FUND RAISING
Rosie the Riveter Trust raises funds to support programs for the Park. The Trust, a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation, is supported by earned income activities, grants, and generous contributions from corporations, foundations, individuals, and labor unions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Trust began building its programs with strategic goals developed as part of a Business Plan created with the University of California Haas School of Business at Berkeley. In 2014, after accomplishing most of the Business Plan goals, we updated our Strategic Plan, then created work plans for the Organization, NPS/Trust collaborative operations, and for specific Board committees, like our Development Committee. Each plan reflects the overall strategic plan, but delves into the required details and strategy for necessary projects, such as collaborative work with NPS, fundraising, and specific program development objectives.
Our strategy for Rosie's Girls and youth program development, for instance, has been to improve facilities and instructors, negotiate a more permanent facility with workshops, develop a career pathway connection to former campers now in high school so that we can further support their ability to succeed, and more.
Our strategy for expanding Park Visibility has consisted of building our support and prospect base by capturing many visitor names, developing our electronic and print outreach, and making strategic appearances at large public events, conferences, and trade union conventions. We are also developing a documentary film about our celebrated 97 year old park ranger, Betty Reid Soskin, to capture media visibility, and we recently partnered with the Water Transportation authority in the launch of a new ferry from our waterfront adjacent to the park, connecting with San Francisco and tourist and visitor opportunities there.
To expand our ability to preserve historic artifacts and historic buildings, we are developing a major donor campaign, developing additional naming and other revenue opportunities as feasible for our existing restored sites, and raising funds to complete permanent purchase of the largest WWII Home Front collection of artifacts in the U.S. which is now housed at the park and available for use.
In 2018, we acquired a National Park Foundation Capacity Grant for Organizational Development and in Phase 1 of that work we conducted an Organizational Assessment and summary retreat. In Phase II, which we are now beginning, we will be building a new 3-5 year Strategic Plan with a team that includes National Park Service representatives, board and staff, and developing the 3-5 year Action Plan, Budget, and other plans needed to guide high level implementation. We have also received funding for board development and board staff roles work to ensure that we use our people resources at the very highest level in accomplishing the large goals we are likely to set.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Trust board has mounted many successful projects in it's nearly 20 year existence, including support to establish the Rosie the Riveter Memorial and the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. We have an active 10 person board and approximately 14 additional members of board committees, including representatives of major companies like Kaiser and Wells Fargo, ethnic diversity scholars, environmental and real estate lawyers, finance professionals, educators and others.
Nine years ago years ago, the Trust hired professional staff and began building its support base. We also created a business plan and created and established a profitable gift store that is earning increasing revenue each year as park visitors grow. We now have a stable $400,000 a year operating budget and two full-time staff, plus volunteers who help us manage our educational gift store. We have also built a strong database, communications infrastructure, financial procedures and more.
Our park is a unique "partnership" park, and so we have been working to build partnerships throughout the Bay Area, and at home in Richmond California. We work regularly with groups like the YMCA who help us execute our summer programs, with Golden Gate National Parks, which has been supportive of many Park and Trust programs, and with partners on specific projects such as community park renovation with Trust for Public Land, skills training with local union apprenticeship and training centers, and collaboration with the City and the school districts to enhance access to our unique educational offerings.
We have gone from zero to a base of nearly 3000 donors, increased our revenues from our store steadily each year to approximately $175,000 (gross) and expanded our yearly fundraising event income from a net of $26,000 four years ago to more than $100,000 in 2018. We have also built a membership program for the long-term and we are steadily acquiring new grants, individual supporters and gifts from donor advised funds and other operating and special project support. We believe this park will continue to be a Bay Area and national treasure with expanding programs badly needed to inspire historical understanding and new, new inclusiveness, innovation and creativity that our country will need in years to come.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Achievements 2019
1. Strategic Plan Goal #1 Preserve – Honoring and Preserving Home Front Stories
Continued to support the national park in acquiring and digitizing the fascinating Von der Porten collection. This is one of the largest collections of WWII home-front artifacts housed in any museum.
Continued to manage and maintain the renovated Maritime Child Development Center in Nystrom Village as a benefit in upgrading that under-served community, as a living park site housing a school, and with regularly scheduled national park tours and more.
2. Strategic Plan Goal #2 Educate and Inspire – Innovative Workplace Models, Youth Programs, Public Education Programs for all ages
Conducted initial screenings of our documentary film about Legendary Ranger Betty Reid Soskin. Hosted multiple screenings of the final cut.
Brought more than 1,000 fourth graders from under-served classrooms to the park to learn history, take a 1 mile hike on the bay front, learn about protecting the bay, and national parks, and receive a free pass to all parks.
* During the summer, thirty girls from low-income families received free full scholarships to take part in our unique Rosie's Girls summer camp, developing confidence, leadership skills and a vision of non-traditional women's career options. Four high school girls joined our leadership track to mentor. We upgraded the instruction in welding and carpentry and took the girls on a four day trip to Yosemite.
3. Strategic Plan Goal #3 – Visibility
Put on another successful Rosie Rally Home Front Festival with a new outreach effort aimed at bringing local families from many backgrounds to this fun, free family-friendly event. More than 2500 people attended and we produced outreach materials in Spanish, English and Mandarin.
4. Strategic Plan Goal #4 -Organizational Capacity
Completed an Organizational Assessment
Completed an Organizational Work Plan and a Development Plan including 100% of board making a significant financial contribution.
5. Strategic Plan Goal #5 – Development
Produced Annual Dinner Benefit event with 220 attendees for our third sold out year. The dinner was an important educational event and to honor our corps of Rosie (and Roger) docents who engage audiences at the park.
Worked with a fundraising consultant to further engage board members in development work.
Increased store revenues from approximately $4,000 per month in 2013 to an average of $10,000 per month.
Built membership from approximately 200 to 800 members and more than 3,000 donors.
Not accomplished. We have not yet been able to expand Rosie's Girls to more girls due to staffing and monetary constraints.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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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.
ROSIE THE RIVETER TRUST
Board of directorsas of 02/08/2022
Letitia Moore
Holland & Knight
Jane Bartke
Retired teacher and former Mayor of El Cerrito
Mark Cameron
Miller Starr & Regalia
Letitia D Moore
Holland and Knight
Tom Butt
Mayor, City of Richmond California
Lynne Horiuchi
Recent Lecturer University of California Berkeley and Author
Nicholas Targ
Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
Kyle Wichelmann
Chief Financial Officer Seton Medical Center
Warren R. Harber
Pres. Financial Systems Kaiser Permanente Health Plan
Michelle Fadelli
Manager of Public Policy and Communications, First 5 Marin
Cathy Durfee
Finance Professional
Diane Hedler
National Director of Quality with Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente
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 ? 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? Yes
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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