Strategic Plan 2012-2015 - Hidden Villa

HIDDEN VILLA
STRATEGIC PLAN
2012-2015
Inspiring a just and sustainable future
through our programs, land, and legacy

Dear Friends and Supporters,
It is with much excitement and pride that we share this next phase of
Hidden Villa’s Strategic Plan with you. Our dedicated Board, staff,
volunteers and community partners have been working over the past year
on a process of evaluation, assessment and planning for the future.
Our mission “to inspire a just and sustainable future through our programs,
land and legacy” captures the spirit of Hidden Villa so completely that we
decided to use these categories of “Programs,” “Land,” and “Legacy” as our
major themes; as responsible stewards, we have added a fourth category
of “Fiscal Sustainability.”
The Board and staff at Hidden Villa have
focused on ensuring that this Plan, informed
and inspired by our mission, is the roadmap
that will set the course for the future of the
organization. We’re happy to report that all
of the work included in our last two Strategic
Plans is on track to be completed and that
we are now poised to delve into the next
three years.
Here are some of the initiatives that we’ll be focusing on during the next
three years:
Programs: Two exciting areas of growth within the organization are our Residential
Internship and Youth Development Programs. We are expanding our
internship opportunities to include Development, Sustainable Land Management,
and Youth Development in addition to Agriculture, Animal Husbandry,
Environmental Education, and Community Programs. Our Youth Development
Program is planning to reach even more at risk, underserved youth with
programs designed to help them build skills that will set them up for greater
success in school and, more importantly, in life.
Land: Hidden Villa’s land is a tremendously valuable resource, and we take
its stewardship very seriously. Over the next three years we plan to increase
both internal and community-based education concerning land conservation
ethics and also to adopt a conservation hydrology model that will inform our
ongoing practices for water use.
Legacy: In keeping with the Duveneck Family legacy of activism around
social justice issues, we will be developing and hosting a series of “Duveneck
Forums,” which will be open to the public. These forums will celebrate the
family’s legacy of social activism and inform the public about ways in which
they can get more actively involved in making positive changes in society.

Fiscal Sustainability: In order to ensure the sustainability of our programs
and scholarships, we must have a solid financial plan to support the organization.
We are committed to ensuring that our programs remain accessible to
all and have developed a range of creative and engaging initiatives to enable
us to identify and secure the necessary funding from supporting individuals,
foundations and Corporations that provides approximately half of our current
operating budget (approximately $1.3M in support).
Hidden Villa is a unique place and organization, and it can be a challenge
to capture and articulate everything that makes it so special. We are grateful to
Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former Hidden Villa Board
member, for his description:
It does not matter whether one interprets the activities of Hidden Villa as the
supplying of a missing element in American life or as the reinforcement of tendencies
once strong but in danger of being obliterated by urbanization and technology.
Either way, Hidden Villa performs an indispensable function. In a time when
the health of the earth is too often forgotten or disregarded, it brings to children
(and their parents, and their teachers) the commitment to earth citizenship and
stewardship. In a time of ethnic, cultural, and religious discord, it gives children the
experience of living and learning together, in equality and harmony, in the company
of the good earth. In a time of increasing and dehumanizing urbanization, it makes
possible for hundreds of young people each year the experience of putting foot to
natural ground, learning and accepting the animals of the wild and the farm, and
learning something of the intricate interdependency upon which human life and
all other life is built. It restores, for however few and however briefly, a degree of
wholeness to the adventure of growing up in America.
Through these experiences, this sharing, this uncovering of the natural world and
the revelation of our obligated part in it, Hidden Villa tries to build, sustain, and
enhance a vision of the community of life. October 1981
It’s remarkable just how appropriate and relevant Wallace Stegner’s words
remain today and of course, we couldn’t have said it any better ourselves!
Many thanks to each and every one of you, our friends and supporters, for
your commitment to Hidden Villa and our ongoing mission “to inspire a just
and sustainable future through our programs, land and legacy.”
Bill Whitmer,
Board Chair
Chris Overington
Executive Director

Hidden Villa
Hidden Villa is a nonprofit educational organization that uses its organic
farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to
learn about the environment and social justice. Hidden Villa stretches
over 1600 acres of open space in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about
40 miles south of San Francisco.
Our mission is to inspire a just and sustainable future through our programs,
land and legacy.
Hidden Villa was founded by Frank and Josephine Duveneck, who purchased
the land in 1924 and offered it as a gathering place for discussion, reflection, and
incubation of social reform. Over the following decades, the Duveneck family
established the first American Youth Hostel on the Pacific Coast (1937), the first
deliberately/consciously multiracial summer camp in the United States (1945),
and Hidden Villa’s Environmental Education Program (1970). The Trust for
Hidden Villa was established as a nonprofit in 1960.
Whom We Serve
Participants in Hidden Villa’s on-site activities live primarily in Santa Clara and
San Mateo Counties, although we do also attract participants and visitors from all
around and outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
Guiding Principles
1. We deliver a wide variety of relevant educational experiences that teach people
respect for the environment and for each other.
2. We encourage program participation from diverse communities.
3. We engage diverse elements of the community to participate in the design,
implementation, delivery, and evaluation of our programs and services.
4. We build alliances with other organizations in the community to optimize
resources and deepen our impact.
5. We care for and sustain the natural, human, and financial resources entrusted to
us, as well as the living legacy inspired by the Duveneck family.
2

What we’ve accomplished…
To give you some context for our current plan, here are a few of the major accomplishments
from our last three year Strategic Plan (2009-2012).
We have….
• Created a closer alignment of our environmental education themes (both in
onsite programs and offsite school partnerships) with the State Science Standards
Framework.
• Developed more appropriate signage, which is both interpretative and
educational (ongoing).
• Fostered cross-departmental initiatives that provide education about healthier
food choices and sustainable farming.
• Expanded our “food security” partnership with the Mountain View Community
Services Agency.
• Developed a continuum of Middle/High School programs in Redwood City that
are focused on developing green collar job training opportunities.
• Cultivated a closer relationship with Foothill and De Anza Colleges and now offer
college classes and continuing education as an integrative part of our residential
internship program.
• Developed”externship” experiences and classes that allow our interns to
broaden their education, rotate between departments at Hidden Villa, and create
individualized projects to further enhance their career development.
• Provided greater educational enrichment opportunities for volunteers to expand
their knowledge base and skill set.
• Updated our website to enhance its capabilities and make it more attractive and
user friendly.
• Upgraded our online curricula, now accessible via our website, and developed
supporting workshops for school teachers and other educators.
• Built more intentional relationships with corporations through a comprehensive
Corporate Social Responsibility plan.
• Implemented a more effective social media and networking strategy.

In the following pages we’ll share highlights of the four strategic themes we
will be focusing on over the next three years. These themes: Programs, Land,
Legacy and Fiscal Sustainability capture the main components of the work we
do to fulfill our mission of inspiring a just and sustainable future.
Programs:
1. Partnerships with other organizations
• Create a Strategic Partnerships plan.
• Define standards and a process for the development and ongoing evaluation of
organizational partnerships.
• Develop Annual Plans with specific deliverable goals with our current major
partners: Heifer International, The Children in Nature Collaborative, and The
Mountain View-Whisman and Redwood City Unified School Districts.
2. Environmental Education
• Fully integrate Hidden Villa’s Environmental Educational Program (HVEEP),
Community Programs and our offsite Partner School Programs.
• Expand our Food and Nutrition programming to address child health issues by:
– Partnering with food advocates
– Developing curricula for young learners
– Introducing stand alone offsite school programs
• Address the barrier of transportation costs that keeps some community members
from accessing Hidden Villa, through the development of transportation
partnerships and/or the use of corporate shuttles.
• Enhance Staff/Intern/Volunteer expertise in ecology and natural history through
the creation of a Naturalist Certification Program.

3. Internships
• Increase the time and resources available for the Internship coordinator to better
manage the expanded Internship program.
• Evaluate and expand the role and range of “externships.”
• Evaluate the benefits and costs of second year Internships.
• Expand and enhance the current Alumni program to keep former Interns
connected to Hidden Villa and to serve as networking resources for future
Interns.
• Expand Internship opportunities in Development, Sustainable Land Management,
and Youth Development.
4. Youth Development
• Build on our current success in developing strong, replicable programs. Define
outcomes so that we can measure success.
• Increase our fee-paying client base.
• Develop programmatic sustainability through additional staff, volunteers and/or
consultants.
5. Evaluation Initiative
• Engage a working group of the Mission Fulfillment committee to conduct a
thorough assessment of the metrics (both quantitative and qualitative) that are
currently employed to evaluate the success of our programs.
• Identify existing best practices and instruments within this field and develop a
set of recommendations for improvements and enhancements in this area.
• Implement these improved metrics and processes over time both to improve
programs and evaluate the extent to which our programs are fulfilling the
organizational mission.
5

Land:
1. Environmental Advocacy
• Expand our educational offerings in conservation ethics, including the use of best
management practices for staff and volunteers through trainings and forums.
• Showcase interpretive models of conservation in action, such as gray water
filtration systems, root cellars and bio-swales.
• Improve energy conservation within our existing buildings, outdoor areas, and
systems (enhanced insulation, solar showers) and research other appropriate
initiatives, such as composting toilets.
• Increase our solar power generation capacity (and potentially add an electric
vehicle charging station), with a focus on panel installation on existing buildings.
2. Water Conservation
• Adopt a conservation hydrology model that focuses on reducing the rate of water
flow, enhancing rainfall infiltration, and following best practices regarding water
use, including more drip irrigation systems and the replacement of some of our
existing plumbing systems.
• Develop an interim flood/drought plan for contingency purposes.
• Add additional water swales as appropriate to facilitate greater infiltration.
• Retain a “rehabitation” consultant regarding Adobe Creek, including fundraising.
3. Develop a long-term Capital Needs Assessment Plan
(and multi-year budget)
6

4. Public Access
• Improve public safety by replacing existing speed bumps to reduce vehicular
speed on the property.
• Improve visitor experience through enhanced interpretive materials that provide
valuable informational content with minimal visual impact.
5. Information Technology
• Assess current IT resources, including dedicated staffing.
• Develop and implement an organization-wide plan for improved internet
connectivity.
• Focus on existing databases and develop more effective methods of warehousing
and information sharing, especially in consultation with the Development
Department.

Legacy:
1. Advocacy
• Develop and implement a Duveneck Forum series focused on our legacy of
addressing issues around social justice.
• Create a framework for the evaluation of Hidden Villa’s social justice programs,
offerings and advocacy, and form recommendations for change based on those
findings.
• Design a basic and inclusive set of guidelines and tools for staff, Board, and
departments to use to facilitate understanding of and participation in mutual
definitions of social justice and advocacy.
• Develop measurable outcomes based on Hidden Villa’s definition of social
justice and advocacy to meet the needs of changing programs and to encourage
continued active participation in the self examination process.
2. Family History
• Provide greater information on the history of the Duveneck family, using
materials donated from the Los Altos History Museum.
• Develop public programs that highlight and celebrate the Duveneck family
legacy, particularly in areas of social activism.
• Digitize and edit the existing Duveneck family video archives and develop
protocols for sharing highlights on our website.
3. Youth Development Initiatives
• Bring high school-aged youth from a variety of cultures and backgrounds
together through a range of integrative day and residential programs, to enable
them to develop a greater understanding of and appreciation and respect for both
the beauty of their diversity and their shared experiences, values and needs as
young adults.
• Address the developmental asset needs of underserved youth resulting from
immigration status, previous legal issues or gender bias.
• Develop partnerships with other organizations to design and implement powerful
programs to help young adults to build support networks and gain the skills
they need to become more effective in contributing to meeting the needs of their
communities.

Fiscal Sustainability:
1. Governance
• Evaluate the current Board meeting structure/process.
• Develop and host a Blue Ribbon Lunch for cultivation.
• Implement an Annual Board Development Plan.
2. Development
• Define and adopt a Donor Bill of Rights.
• Evaluate and enhance the vehicles currently used to communicate with donors.
• Broaden our individual donor base through a greater emphasis on our programs
and their impact on participants.
• Better integrate social media into our fundraising efforts through the use of “day
challenge” matches with existing donors.
3. Investment Management
• Evaluate and edit our existing policy as appropriate.
• Consider the engagement of an external Fund Manager.
4. Ropes Course
• Upgrade and enhance our existing ropes course for use in the engagement of
Corporate supporters.
• Similarly use the upgraded course as a more integral element within our Summer
Camp and Youth Development programs.
5. Continue to develop additional revenue generating
opportunities from currently unencumbered land.
9

How to Get Involved!
Take a class
We have a wide array of hands-on classes that connect you, and the entire family,
to our food, watershed and eco systems. www.hiddenvilla.org/calendar.
Explore the Farm & Wilderness
So much to do and see at Hidden Villa — please visit our website
www.hiddenvilla.org.
Share Your Time and Build a Team
What could be better than a day on the farm? Come make a difference and have
fun all at the same time. Service projects and ropes course; Share your objectives
and we will design a day to strengthen your team. For more information
about volunteering and team building activities please contact
volunteers@hiddenvilla.org or call (650) 949-8652.
Invest Your Resources
When you make a gift to Hidden Villa you expand our ability to inspire a just and
sustainable future. You make our programs and scholarship opportunities possible.
Join our Online Community!
Learn about upcoming events, discover opportunities and share what inspires you.
Sign up for our online newsletter at www.hiddenvilla.org
Like us at www.facebook.com/hiddenvilla
Follow us at www.twitter.com/hiddenvilla
Become a Season Pass Holder
By investing in a Season Pass you help Hidden Villa steward our land and reinforce
the value this place has for you and your community. A Season Pass permits one
car to skip the usual $5 parking fee and park in our lot during our public operating
season (September through May and select open weekends in the summer). They
also make a great gift for hikers, joggers, families with children and regular visitors.
10

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the Morgan Family Foundation for their generous support of our
Strategic Planning process.
Many thanks also to the Board, staff and community stakeholders who dedicated
so many hours working to plan for Hidden Villa’s future!
Board of Trustees
Eric Chang
Edgar Chavez
Mary Colvig
Mai Dam
David Duveneck
Joe Eandi
Jeremy Eddy
Jerome Elkind
Sally Falkenhagen
Diane Greenberg
Michael Hamilton
Shehzad Merchant
Martin Neiman
Richard Peers
Stew Plock
Nobuko Saito Cleary
Bob Sator
Justin Sears
Beth Steinberg
Leah Sutton
Richard Thornton
Peter Thurston
David Ulate
Bill Whitmer
Rita Whitney
Community
members
Sumbul Ali-Karamali
Lysbeth Goodman
Dan Quinn
Kathie Underdal
Diane Ciesinski
Carl King
Tom Livermore
Marita Vargas
Staff
Suzanne Allcroft
Nathalie Arch
Nikki Bryant
Liz Babbs
Elizabeth Binkley
Armando Carrillo
Daniel Chmielewski
Karen Chmielewski
Margaret Davis
Bill Dudley
Nathan Hammer
Garth Harwood
Nicolette Heaphy
Sandra Hutchings
Taylor Hutchinson
Bryden Johnston
Pliny Keep
Aspen Kvicala
Samantha Langevin
Susan Love
Jason McKenney
Milly Maples
Kate Marland
Jake Mendell
Chris Overington
Jessica Peralez
Stacey Poncia
Dan Ronco
Jake Salt
Molly Stermer
Kimi Schell
Tenaya Schnare
Maggie Shields
Marc Sidel
Blair Thompson
Diana Vasquez
Diny van der Velden
Serena Wagner
Josie Watson
Lucy Zhang
Photography: Laurie Aubuchon and Lucy Zhang
This brochure is made possible by a generous donation from Alexander Atkins Design, Inc.

26870 Moody Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
www.hiddenvilla.org