South Coast Botanic Garden Foundation Inc.

THE MISSION OF SCBG IS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY BY PROVIDING A UNIQUE HORTICULTURAL AND WILDLIFE HABITAT EXPERIENCE, AND TO REPRESENT A MODEL OF EXCELLENCE FOR LAND RECLAMATION AND SUSTANABILITY. ACTIVITIES INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL CLASSES, PROGRAMS, AND SPECIAL

The Garden envisions a world where people are connected to nature, aware of their personal impact on

SCBG encourages staff at all levels to participate in professional development, whether through on-line resources or in-person conferences and classes. Over the past two years the organization has hosted leadership development sessions with Manager and Director level team members to encourage growth, self-awareness and teamwork through facilitated group sessions. Entry-level employees actively participate in departmental and all-staff meetings. During the past year the entire organization was invited to enhance their data management skills through access to a wide array of live on-line coursework available via Blackbaud University, and their interpersonal skills through pre-recorded on-line coursework available via ThinkHR.

The Garden's leadership is actively involved in external mobilization. Our COO serves as President of the American Public Garden Association, a network of 500+ gardens around the world. Our CEO served on the LA County Department of Public Health Arts and Culture Task Force to create guidelines for pandemic operations. Strategic partnerships are held with corporate entities like Northrop Grumman to connect the local workforce to the mission of the Garden. The Garden actively works with the County Supervisors, State Senators and Congressmen to advocate for nature connectivity for our constituents. The Garden is actively connected with local school districts to provide necessary services for our local schoolchildren.

2020 can be described as a year of extreme adaptability. With the new "work from home" and "distance learning" requirements in place, we found that our constituency needed contact with nature more than ever. We adapted to the health code requirements of masking and distancing and crowd control with timed ticketing procedures, a new workforce of safety rangers and new check-in procedures for our guests. When we found that the demand for nature was greater than the available allotment of tickets, we extended our hours in the mornings and afternoons and even created a holiday light show to provide space for celebration during a time when gatherings were not allowed. Further, we reinvested proceeds from tickets and membership sales into new experiences to encourage our guests to stick with us even when the pandemic restrictions were lifted. As a result, we were able to triple our attendance and membership over the course of the year.