Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center of Virginia Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

In 2024 we continued serving small and medium groups but not large groups, in order to protect the health and well-being of our employees. We served public, private, and homeschool groups and taught them about the Lewis and Clark Expedition and its local roots. We gave tours to adult groups and tourists from both in-state and out-of-state.We ran outdoor arts programs for visitors of all ages related to exploration, such as journaling based on the Lewis and Clark journals and photography that connects historical exploration with modern skills. We continued research and exhibition planning for an expanded interpretation of York, the enslaved member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. We worked on watershed issues in partnership with other area nonprofits and presented student-made watershed videos created on field trips to the Exploratory Center. We continued to write for the Thomas Jefferson Planning District watershed newsletter.In 2024 we implemented the school lesson plan and interactive art exhibition developed for the City of Charlottesvilles Sister Cities Commission. We made presentations on York to other organizations, such as the United Way, and we researched and published articles on history and museum interpretation in a regional newspaper and a national magazine, including articles focused on York. Throughout the year, we worked with volunteers from the University of Virginia on renovating our full-sized boat replicas and collaborated with scholars to further develop a French foreign language tour.As hosts, we carried forward and completed planning for the 2024 Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation national conference, which took place in Charlottesville in September 2024. We participated in the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundations governance (including one Board of Directors membership) and in the broader planning for their conference. We continued to open our building to events for other nonprofits and government agencies, participated in the BAA Rivanna River Festival, hosted a conference for teachers of deaf and blind students organized by VCU, and hosted a meeting of the Charlottesville Albemarle Tourism Bureau and their stakeholders.In the summer of 2024 we again ran small group camps for children related to exploration. We partnered with CBI Forest School on outdoor programs, including photography, filmmaking, and other skills of exploration. Throughout the fall, we continued our small- to medium-sized field trip programs and adult programs. We offered a variety of community programs, including an event focused on fishing and art projects involving the river and a community event focusing on Indigenous cuisine. We also continued extensive research and program development to support the 2025 LCTHF Annual Meeting.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 68%; rating input score 68
• Program expense ratio: 50%; rating input score 50
• Fundraising efficiency: $1.37 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 90.9%; rating input score 91; 18th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Limited
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 0%; rating input score 0; 9th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 1 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 14
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -36%; rating input score 33; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 10.99; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: -4.1% per year; rating input score 0; 40th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 51st percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -2.6% per year; rating input score 0; 28th percentile among comparable filings