The Traveling School
Inspire. Engage. Empower
The Traveling School
EIN: 81-0544729
as of November 2023
as of November 13, 2023
Mission
The Traveling School amplifies student voices through transformative education to ignite positive change.
Ruling year
2014
Executive Director
Jennifer Royall
Main address
PO Box 7058
Bozeman, MT 59771 USA
EIN
81-0544729
Equal opportunity in education
Secondary education
Environmental education
Leadership development
Population served
Adolescents
Women and girls
NTEE code
Secondary/High School (B25)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Through an experiential international semester, The Traveling School empowers young women to be engaged and confident leaders. Ultimately the organization aims to alter gender inequality by giving young women a high-value education that concentrates on leadership development. Our society continues to see fewer females in leadership positions across all sectors. Through rigorous academics, outdoor adventure and leadership development, students gain confidence, are engaged in global issues and develop leadership skills. Alumnae emerge from the program with the tools to become our next female leaders.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Fall Semester to southern Africa
During our fall semester, 16 students ages 15-18 and their four teachers explore southern Africa for 15 weeks. Rigorous experiential courses include: Math, History, Environmental Science, English, Physical Education, and Global Studies. Our custom-designed and place-based curriculum is based on the region of travel: Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Academics focus on the impact of Apartheid on modern South Africa, wildlife biology, the complexities of the diamond industry, and contemporary issues of the region. Students engage in local communities, participate in community service, develop strong outdoor skills, and build self-confidence and leadership skills.
Spring Semester to South America
Our spring semester travels to South America. Traveling School students immerse in Spanish language study throughout the semester, building conversational skills and confidence. Standards-based courses designed to examine the region include: Math, History, Environmental Science, English, Physical Education, and Global Studies. Rigorous regional academics follow the course itinerary through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia with an intensive focus on the Amazon rain forest, Machu Picchu and the Inca civilization, and contemporary politics. Students engage in local communities, participate in community service, develop strong outdoor skills, and build self-confidence and leadership skills.
Western US - Fall and Spring
Traveling School students unleash their inner explorer and discover the western United States with an adventurous spirit. Our Interdisciplinary curriculum asks students to confront the intersection of historical and contemporary issues through various lenses. Students navigate booming rapids while contemplating the social and economic effects of hydroelectric energy. They stargaze in the desert while discussing the injustices of dispossessed Indigenous homelands. They backpack through the Rocky Mountains while considering the geological, political and cultural forces that shape them. This 15-week semester develops students' critical inquiry skills, broadens their understanding of power, privilege and identity in the US, hones outdoor skills, and strengthens community-based leadership principles.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) 2023
Semester Schools Network 2023
National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) 2023
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsPercentage of students who report being moderately or extremely engaged in their learning during their Traveling School semester.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls, Adolescents
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percentage of students report their Traveling School semester improved their ability to: exhibit confidence in their own opinions, develop personal leadership skills and adapt to new situations.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Percentage of parents report the Traveling School semester increased their daughter's: confidence, perseverance, flexibility, willingness to fail.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students per classroom during the reporting period
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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?
The Traveling School aims to provide an exceptional semester of learning and growth for high school girls. Our vision for this academic semester is to cultivate engagement, leadership, and confidence in these young women.
Through this experience, The Traveling School's objectives are for our students to develop the following traits:
*Inspired to Learn*
Students invest in their own learning process, incorporate new ways of thinking and multiple perspectives, and become the architect of their educational experience.
*Able to Adapt and Take Risks*
Students are willing to take calculated risks based upon possible successes rather than perceptions of difficulty of fear of failure. They are able to adapt and grow with challenging situations.
*Globally and locally engaged with widened perspectives*
Students engage with new situations and culture, recognize how cultural lenses affect perception, and travel with the spirit of a world citizen.
*Develop a Powerful Voice*
Students understand and practice expeditionary behavior to cultivate a successful group living experience and develop personal leadership techniques.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Over the course of a 15-week semester, students earn high school credit, develop outdoor skills, and build leadership skills as part of an all-female environment that fosters global competence and self-awareness. Traditionally, fall semesters are spent in southern Africa (traveling through Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa), while Spring semesters are spent in South America (Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia). Due to COVID-19, The Traveling School is now offering a semester based in the western US (Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona) and will only run the US-based semesters in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Throughout the semester, we focus on:
1. *Inspiring Academics*
The Traveling School emphasizes student-centered instruction that is inquiry-based and experiential in nature. Students earn full academic credit for six semester courses in mathematics, history and geography, science, English, foreign language (Spanish spring semester only), health and physical education, and global studies. Students learn quickly that the world is their classroom, and their teachers and books are a merely a few of their resources. Learning comes to life through the places we visit, the people we meet, and especially from the stories they tell us. Regional curriculum and custom-designed textbooks support academic activities and cultural experiences. We focus on critical thinking and understanding that many perspectives exist in any situation. Of course there are tests and readings, but there are also debates, interviews, and academic activities where students engage in the surrounding environment.
3.*Outdoor Adventure*
Students camp, hike, backpack, canoe, mountaineer, rock climb, rappel, mountain bike, whitewater raft, and more. Outdoor experiences push students to try new activities, embrace the unknown, turn challenging situations into opportunities, and assess risk and act appropriately so they can enter new experiences with self-awareness and confidence.
4. *Leadership Development*
Leadership skill development is practiced in all aspects of the Traveling School semester. Starting with self-leadership (self-awareness, self-care), students learn to become independent. Next, students develop strong communication and conflict resolution skills to build community and strong relationships and promote group responsibility. Students leave the semester with confidence in their own ideas and an ability to address conflict, exhibiting confidence as a leader.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
*Highly Qualified Faculty
The Traveling School hires teachers with teaching certifications, advanced degrees, and/or extensive relevant experience. Our faculty are trained in: risk management; mission and culture; educational philosophy, international travel protocols; crisis response; wilderness and international medicine; and leadership.
*Administrative Staff
The Executive Director articulates the school's vision and future. As the organization's leader, she supervises all programs; establishes standards of conduct; and develops and implements the educational goals. As the chief financial manager, they develop and maintain the budget and provide financial oversight for all spending and is responsible for ensuring the program is in compliance with standards in education, international travel and risk management. The ED guides a staff of six, which oversees all program operations/
*Volunteer Board of Directors
The Board of Directors consists of former faculty, parents, and community members who contribute to the school's success through its governance, strategic planning, and fiduciary oversight.
*Accreditation
Since 2004, The Traveling School has been accredited through the Council for Standards on International Educational Travel. This accreditation ensures The Traveling School follows best practices in standards of international youth education and exchange programs.
*Domestic and International Partnerships. The Traveling School is a member of the Semester Schools Network (offering semester-long educational opportunities for high school students) and the National Coalition of Girls Schools (the leading advocate for girls' education with a distinct commitment to the transformative power of all-girls schools). In addition, The Traveling School's success is directly tied to our strong partnerships overseas which include international non-profits, schools, guiding services, and other overseas businesses. With the creation of the new western US semester, The Traveling School is continuing to build partnerships in this new course area as well.
*Funding
The majority of our revenue comes from earned income via student tuition. Remaining revenue is provided by individual donations and grants which fund our financial aid program. This structure provides secure funding for our growth and ensures our ability to provide financial aid to students.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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 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 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 collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, 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 demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
3.35
Months of cash in 2022 info
10.4
Fringe rate in 2022 info
11%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
The Traveling School
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of The Traveling School’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$2,650 | $82,868 | $101,769 | -$77,524 | $102,665 |
| As % of expenses | -0.3% | 8.7% | 11.1% | -19.3% | 10.6% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$5,155 | $80,827 | $100,109 | -$79,528 | $100,684 |
| As % of expenses | -0.5% | 8.5% | 10.9% | -19.7% | 10.4% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $919,630 | $1,030,591 | $1,014,933 | $475,842 | $948,373 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 4.0% | 12.1% | -1.5% | -53.1% | 99.3% |
| Program services revenue | 90.7% | 85.7% | 76.5% | 0.2% | 68.8% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| All other grants and contributions | 9.5% | 13.9% | 22.7% | 99.3% | 31.1% |
| Other revenue | -0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.1% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $957,284 | $947,723 | $913,164 | $402,515 | $966,208 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 12.2% | -1.0% | -3.6% | -55.9% | 140.0% |
| Personnel | 40.2% | 43.3% | 46.2% | 79.1% | 47.1% |
| Professional fees | 10.1% | 8.1% | 6.3% | 5.2% | 1.8% |
| Occupancy | 3.5% | 3.7% | 4.0% | 2.2% | 0.1% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 13.6% | 11.6% | 13.2% | 0.0% | 12.1% |
| All other expenses | 32.6% | 33.4% | 30.3% | 13.4% | 38.9% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $959,789 | $949,764 | $914,824 | $404,519 | $968,189 |
| One month of savings | $79,774 | $78,977 | $76,097 | $33,543 | $80,517 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,870 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $0 | $6,000 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $1,039,563 | $1,028,741 | $996,921 | $438,062 | $1,129,576 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 6.3 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 27.6 | 10.4 |
| Months of cash and investments | 6.3 | 8.5 | 9.2 | 27.6 | 10.4 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 4.7 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 14.2 | 7.2 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $501,386 | $673,917 | $701,561 | $927,019 | $838,262 |
| Investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Receivables | $17,351 | $14,050 | $7,975 | $45,624 | $5,669 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $10,769 | $9,292 | $15,292 | $15,292 | $15,292 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 53.7% | 68.3% | 52.4% | 65.5% | 78.4% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 28.2% | 33.9% | 21.5% | 37.0% | 29.1% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $381,577 | $462,404 | $562,513 | $482,985 | $583,669 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $150,851 | $30,351 |
| Total net assets | $381,577 | $462,404 | $562,513 | $633,836 | $614,020 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Jennifer Royall
Jennifer is a lifelong educator whose Traveling School history began in 2003. She successfully ran semesters in Africa and South America and fell in love with the power of The Traveling School’s mission. She believes students learn best when the material is relevant and accessible and that the power of engaging in another culture can broaden personal points of view, enrich global understanding and transform lives.
In 2008, Jennifer joined The Traveling School's administrative staff and later transitioned to the Head of School, becoming Executive Director in 2016. Prior to this, she spent nearly 20 years in the classroom. With a M.Ed. from Lesley College and a BA from Duke University, she earned her National Certification along the way. As a middle and high school teacher, she endeavored to broaden the traditional classroom by infusing place-based academics and engaging in local communities. In 2001, Jennifer received recognition for her efforts with a Milken National Educator Award.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
The Traveling School
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
The Traveling School
Board of directorsas of 11/22/2023
Board of directors data
Christine Bacon
Christine Hrenya
Kim Belvin
Meredith Center
Karen Guile
Kyle Holt Hopkins
Natalie Trono
Flora Weeks
Chrissie Monaghan
Zoe Oldham
John McBride
Helen Wilson Burns
Cassy Harris
Lisa Power
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/22/2023GuideStar 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 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 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.
- 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.
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- Letter of Determination
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