MISSION
Trailkeepers of Oregon’s (TKO) mission is to protect and enhance the Oregon hiking experience through trail stewardship, advocacy, outreach and education.
VISION
Oregon’s trails are a place where people can go to connect with nature and one another. They are accessible and welcoming to all communities. The trails and the natural lands that visitors explore are well cared for by TKO inspired stewards and dedicated public resources.
VALUES
QUALITY
We build, restore and maintain trails at the highest standards to leave a lasting
legacy.
INCLUSION
We create partnerships with diverse communities and work together to make
trails and nature welcoming and accessible.
LEADERSHIP
We give voice to Oregon’s hiking community, building bridges between the
public and decision-makers to ensure a thriving trail system in Oregon,
accessible to all communities.
APPRECIATION
We connect people with nature, inspiring a responsibility to maintain access to
Oregon’s natural places.
COLLABORATION
We develop collaborative relationships and trusting partnerships with land
managers, volunteers and trail supporters to make significant impact with
limited resources.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, Inclusion, and Belonging IMPACT GOALS
TKO strives for all people to have safe access and feel that they belong in Oregon’s outdoor spaces by establishing a culture of anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
I. Prioritize DEI Values
- Develop an annual strategy for committee representation to ensure
diverse perspectives are included from staff, Board, and volunteer
community. - Set a strategic goal to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in all
committees, with a recurring agenda item for reporting DEI objectives. - Organize monthly DEI committee meetings with an agenda reflecting
current goals and areas of focus. - Have committees share across different organizational program areas
and strategic impact areas. - Hire a DEI staff person dedicated to internal and external growth by the
end of 2024. - Establish specific budget categories for supporting DEI capacity across
staff, organizational support, and program execution by the end of 2024. - Write a formal policy of expectations in partnership agreements that
holds partners accountable to TKO’s values by the end of 2024. - Review new and existing projects to prioritize value to DEI goals.
Establish justifications for prioritization, and create a living document of
prioritized projects. - Develop Belonging as a core concept in TKO’s value system and DEI(B)
practices.
II. Provide Education & Training
- Engage DEI consultants to host two to four DEI training sessions per year
for staff, Board, and lead volunteers. - Develop TKU DEI workshop curriculum for staff, Board, and volunteer
leadership development by the end of 2024. Present this curriculum on at
least a biannual basis. - Continue to conduct the annual DEI spectrum analysis during the TKO
Leadership Summit. - Identify at least two secondary and K-12 educational partnerships for
workforce development and youth initiatives. - Implement accessibility criteria for new Oregon Hikers Field Guide content
and update existing guides by 2030. - Advocate for increased access in at least two areas that need upgrades to
accommodate more people as part of an equity initiative. - Provide a workshop on mental and emotional health training annually.
Open workshop to staff, Board, and lead volunteers.
III. Identify & Lower Barriers
- Invest in resources and policies to recruit, hire, train, and retain staff with
equity best practices for diversified recruitment efforts. - Host at least ten single-identity and community-focused events by the
end of 2024 to proliferate diversity in our community of TKO volunteers. - Establish a ridesharing and other car-free system for events.
- Offer modified programming that accommodates the needs of all
participants—accessible, family-friendly, half-day events, etc.—to expand
into new communities and regions. - Implement the TKO Gear Library in spring 2024 for participants to easily
utilize. - Improve programming based on feedback from post-event surveys.
Measure this improvement based on next year’s surveys. - Send out an annual TKO survey to inform organizational understanding of
supporter and participant experiences and needs. Improve programming
based on this feedback.
IV. Develop Lasting Relationships
- Create an engagement best practices plan by the end of 2024.
- Identify five underrepresented communities in Oregon to engage with
initially. - Hold five listening sessions in 2024 to educate TKO about their needs and
how we can best engage with them. - Table five events in 2024 involving our identified underrepresented
communities. - Build awareness of the five identified underrepresented communities
through TKO’s Heritage Month spotlight program.
STEWARDSHIP Impact Goals
Provide safe and fun experiences to volunteers, build and restore trails to provide a quality hiking experience, and teach stewardship ethics to visitors of Oregon’s natural places.
I. Support an Inclusive & Rewarding Culture
- Ensure a safe space for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ volunteers through staff and
Crew Leader training and support materials for event participants. - Empower volunteers with knowledge to ensure a safe, rewarding
stewardship experience and continue to update stewardship tools such as
the Trailkeeper Code for Safety-Fun-Service and TKO’s Safety Preamble
to align with current best practices. - Provide alternatives to physical stewardship opportunities for volunteers.
- Improve diversity, equity, and inclusion among the volunteer base by
prioritizing partnerships with currently underserved and marginalized
communities. - Ensure a rewarding experience for volunteers through ongoing
opportunities for feedback and program refinement by having monthly
and annual survey tools reviewed.
II. Engage People in Stewardship
- Engage a broad community of volunteers through ongoing opportunities
to participate in trail stewardship across Oregon. - Attract new volunteers through accessible projects that provide for a
variety of skill levels, locations, and time availability. - Retain volunteers by providing opportunities that foster the use of
developing skills. - Ensure timely recognition of volunteer contributions and milestones.
- Collaborate with the Development Committee and staff to connect
donors to what is being accomplished with their contribution.
III. Promote Safety & Quality
- Maintain and update protocols for risk management, emergency
response/documentation, and volunteer experience to ensure
programming is safe and fulfilling. - Host quarterly emergency response training/practice opportunities.
- Facilitate regular First Aid/CPR training opportunities for staff and
volunteers. - Utilizing current educational best practices, develop and implement
Trailkeepers University (TKU) curriculum to be accessible to a diverse
audience of learners. - Develop resource and field reference materials for TKO-approved trail
design and construction standards. - Be a nationally recognized organization with expertise that is
a resource for partners outside our state to help improve the quality of
professional and volunteer programming globally.
IV. Develop Leadership
- Increase participation in TKO’s leadership pipeline to develop more
volunteer Crew Leaders and Ambassadors. - Create and/or provide training, mentorship, and certification
opportunities for TKO staff and volunteers. - Create and/or provide opportunities for Crew Leader and Ambassador
leadership and technical skill growth. - Create and/or provide professional development opportunities for TKO
staff.
V. Expand Partnerships
- Strengthen relationships with current land managers and other
programming partners. - Build relationships with land managers in Oregon’s urban centers to offer
close-to-trailhead projects and begin growing strong and active volunteer
bases across Oregon. - Develop a strategy for statewide growth to support volunteers, crew
leaders and relationships with public land managers outside the Portland
metro region. - Participate in statewide and regional trails coalitions and events.
VI. Enhance Trail Systems
- Increase trail mileage and major reroutes and realignments.
- Collaborate with local, county, state, and federal agencies to plan new
trails and restore or maintain existing trails. - Provide opportunities for education for Crew Leaders and Assistant Crew
Leaders in planning and developing new trails to agency standards. - Conduct ongoing discussions with land managers during trail construction
to ensure that work is done to their specifications.
ADVOCACY Impact Goals
Advocate for trails and the experience of trail users in Oregon with public agencies, policy makers and land managers.
I. New Trail Campaigns
- Strategically commit to new trail campaigns to both promote the need for
new trails and the role of TKO as an advocate for trails. - Commit to concurrent campaigns across Oregon at the federal, state and
local levels. - For each trail campaign, assess trail feasibility and establish consideration
values within trail project proposals, accessibility improvements, family-
friendly trail systems. - Develop concept maps and vision documents to inspire support for new
trail concepts and highly impacted areas. - Establish a working group of community members, TKO staff and Board
members to identify existing hiking sections of the Oregon Coast Trail to
have ongoing system improvements proposed and routine maintenance
performed. - Establish TKO as a Signature Trails collaborative partner for trail
stewardship, enhancements and public education and outreach, in
conjunction with land managers and other partners.
II. Establish TKO Advocacy Initiatives
- Develop an annual work program for advocacy staff capacity and Board
participation through committee structures, diverse work groups for
campaigns and fiscal support of the Oregon Trails Coalition legislative
initiatives. - Seek dedicated funding capacity for ongoing staff support for TKO’s
advocacy work program. - Develop general position statements on trail and accessibility issues
(capacity, overuse, new trails, maintenance funds, etc.). - Develop process for handling “quick reaction” situations wherein TKO is
approached by other advocacy groups, land manager partners, or the
media to take action or provide a statement. - Implement strategies in our volunteer programming to build awareness,
education, and advocacy in hiking and volunteer communities across
Oregon. - Connect with federal and state elected officials annually and send letters
of support or opposition as needed to lawmakers and other government
leaders. - Manage fiscal sponsorship of the Oregon Trails Coalition
and supervise staff, and have TKO Executive Director and Board
representation on the OTC Steering Committee to align
the hiking community with the greater outdoor recreation community of
Oregon.
III. Engage with Public Agency Planning Efforts
- Be an active participant in public agency trail planning processes and
provide leadership on issues affecting the trail community. - Advocate for sustainable and accessible trail design, equitable and
inclusive access to public lands, representation of historically marginalized
or excluded communities in the recreation planning process and funded
trail management plans. - Provide letters of support or opposition as needed to land managers and
regional governments. - Advocate for construction of proposed trails included in the 2015 Oregon
State Parks Columbia River Gorge Management Units Plan. - Create a TKO project team to support and advise on the execution of the
Oregon Coast Trail Action Plan:- Ground-truth gap solutions and convene partners
- Build a partner-led stewardship program for trail system
connectivity and enhancements - Establish TKO as the Oregon Coast Trail’s cooperative partner for
trail stewardship and enhancements in conjunction with land
managers and other partners.
COMMUNICATIONS Impact Goals
TKO will seek to connect and engage communities with potential trail users by celebrating the idea that anyone can be a Trailkeeper.
I. Be a Statewide Voice
- Create a scalable and sustainable framework for regional communication
strategies in regions with a TKO staff presence by March 2025. - Develop a TKO media kit and pitch deck that captures the value of TKO’s
audience and communication channels by Fall 2025. - Assess different methods of community involvement in communications.
- Identify barriers to volunteering in the world of TKO communications.
- Pilot a system for removing said barriers to improve communications
capacity through volunteers by March 2026. - Foster a culture of inter-committee project support by creating a
framework for committees to share resources and information.
II. Establish a modern, user-friendly, and accessible web experience across
TKO platforms
- Continue the Oregon Hikers Accessibility Project by adding relevant
accessibility data to popular hikes across Oregon. - Improve the clarity and navigability of TKO’s website and ensure TKO’s
and Oregon Hikers’ websites meet internet accessibility standards. - Establish a skilled and robust volunteer base that supports TKO’s and
Oregon Hikers’ websites. - Research and develop an Oregon Hikers development plan involving
both a website rebuild and a funding strategy through 2024. Execute said
plan in 2025.
III. Build out the TKO Brand
- Continue to build and evolve well-rounded TKO and Trailkeepers
University style guides. - Develop Oregon Hikers sub-brand and style guide in conjunction with
website development planning.
DEVELOPMENT & FUNDRAISING Impact Goals
Inspire broad community support for TKO by ensuring that contributing financially is accessible and celebrated.
I. Inspire Contributions & Steward Donors
- Publish and distribute an annual report to share stories of TKO activities,
provide financial information, and report to donors on how their
contributions enabled TKO’s success. - Organize quarterly in-person meeting opportunities for donors and
supporters. This includes things like celebrations of new trail openings,
lunches at the TKO office, guided hikes, hikes with local celebrities, and
inclusion at Well Kept events. - Recognize all contributions within seven days of receipt. Acknowledge
donated time, expertise, and financial resources. Thank all major donors
with a personal message. - Record all significant donor interactions in the CRM to strengthen
relationships and cultivate philanthropic interests. - Maintain a diverse range of giving opportunities to inspire donors at all
levels, including online and offline platforms, estate giving options, in-kind
giving, and a wide range of encouraged giving levels.
II. Plan for Diversified Revenue
- Raise $500,000 in individual giving annually and $150,000 in corporate
giving annually by 2028. - Diversify revenue so individual giving, corporate giving, and non-
government grants represent at least 40% of annual revenue. - Create, implement, and refine a fundraising plan that sets annual goals for
major gifts, grants, and individual giving campaigns while identifying
storytelling opportunities. - Establish a legacy/estate giving plan by 2026, that includes
a prospecting strategy, donor communications plan, gift notification
process, and CRM tracking. - Implement and grow revenue opportunities associated with
OregonHikers.org, and continue developing the site as a donor
engagement resource in 2024.
III. Grow Capacity & Improve Systems
- Recruit and hire a full-time Development Manager by September 2024.
- Continue growing capacity for development, through staff and contracted
support, commensurate with organizational growth. - Convene a monthly Development Committee with a minimum of four
volunteer members. - Facilitate quarterly training opportunities for the Board on fundraising
best practices rooted in Community Centric Fundraising Principles. - Collaborate quarterly with the Communications Committee to align
messaging and calendar. - Systemize collaboration with program staff and volunteers to improve
donor communications regarding grant applications, reporting,
storytelling and other program needs. - Identify and cultivate donors across the state so individual giving remains
geographically proportionate with TKO program growth statewide.
EXECUTIVE Impact Goals
TKO strives to efficiently and sustainably grow the organization, expanding its impact statewide, while moving toward long-term
organizational stability.
I. Prioritize Diversity/Equity/Inclusion/Belonging
- Create regional representative positions on the Board based on one year
of continuous work in a region. Fill positions on a rolling basis. - Model representation on the Board to our current and near future
stewardship footprint creating a congress of stewardship. - Increase diversity on the Board and in volunteer leadership by inviting
more members from underrepresented communities. - Collaborate with the DEI committee to implement goals, including but not
limited to expanding Tribal relationships and holding annual DEI trainings
for staff/volunteers.
II. Monitor Growth with Thoughtful Planning and Evaluation
- Review progress on the strategic plan at least annually, and report
progress on strategic goals to the public in our annual report. - Conduct a thorough review of the strategic plan every 3-5 years.
- Work with staff to develop an annual budget and ensure monthly review
of financial statements/cash flow. - Implement a formal process to review and make recommendations to the
Board on requests for fiscal sponsorship. - Ensure all TKO policies are reviewed and updated at least every two years.
- Provide strategic guidance on geographic growth opportunities.
III. Manage Risk Appropriately
- Recruit and manage a standing Health Advisory Team to provide expertise
and diverse perspectives on health and safety protocols. - Implement safety training protocols to include wilderness first aid and
evacuation training, paid for by TKO or provided by partners, for all Crew
Leaders. - Provide strategic guidance on legal risk, financial risk, and human
resources concerns. - Identify programmatic opportunities and ensure TKO programs are within
our mission.
IV. Create a Healthy Board & Rewarding Service Experience
- Provide timely orientation training for new Board members.
- Facilitate ongoing professional growth opportunities for all Board
members, including training on finance, nonprofit legal issues, decision-
making, and conflict resolution. - Manage a proactive leadership pipeline to anticipate leadership needs
over the next three years while recruiting and preparing future Board
officers and committee chairs. - Conduct annual Board retention and recruitment of 11-15 members in
accordance with organizational DEI goals. - Establish collaboration between Board and staff leadership.
- Set an annual timeline for meetings, elections, and retreats by each
November for implementation the following year. - Annually review Board member roles, expectations, and strategy.
- Create and activate an advisory group of Board Alumni with roles in
strategic direction, committee membership, and leadership retreat
planning. - Support committee recruitment and create continuity in committee
structures.
CREDITS
2023 TKO BOARD
Maya Agarwal, President
Vicente Harrison, Incoming President
Christina Taylor, Past President
Nova Miranda, Secretary
Pablo Medina, Treasurer
Jaime English
Shasta Zielke
Tom Kloster
Katie Vaughan
Ingry Thurow
Curtis Barnard
Kate Harbour
Eric Montes
2019 TKO BOARD
Paul Gerald, President
Schuyler Warren, Vice President & Treasurer
Jaime English, Secretary
Terry Donahe
Vicente Harrison
Ben Hedstrom
Maegan Jossy
Elaine Keavney
Tom Kloster
Megan Zabel Holmes
COMMITTEE VOLUNTEERS & PAST BOARD MEMBERS
Cheryl Hill
Curtis Smith
John Sparks
STAFF
Steve Kruger, Executive Director
Nat Ferraro, Engagement Manager
Lindsay McIntosh-Tolle, Stewardship Manager
Steven Moore, Office Manager
Vito Perrone, Saw Program Manager
Susan Schen, Portland Stewardship Coordinator
Josh Durham, Gorge/Hood Stewardship Coordinator
Trevor Bradford, South Coast Stewardship Coordinator
Loren Payne, Portland Engagement Coordinator
Carl Bohacek, North Coast Stewardship Coordinator
Noelle Windesheim, Central Coast Stewardship Coordinator
A PDF version of this plan can be downloaded from this link.