Barbara Erickson, the first female president of America’s oldest conservation non-profit, in front of the William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Cummington, MA.Stephanie Zollshan Photography
Barbara Erickson is growing America’s oldest conservation non-profit by leaps and bounds. What is her secret?
Long before there was a National Park Service or a National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees, as they are commonly known today,) began to save culturally and environmentally important properties for the public. The Massachusetts non-profit, founded by a young Boston landscape architect named Charles Eliot in 1891, is a leader in conserving historic and natural landmarks, with 117 properties that range from grand mansions to working farms to large woodlands and early industrial sites. All are open to the public.
The fourth president of The Trustees, Barbara Erickson, is the first woman in that position. Since 2012, when she took the helm, the non-profit’s net assets have grown from $236 million to $301 million, and revenues have gone from $21 million to $35 million, representing a 60% growth.
“For me, it is incredibly important that this organization not be a secret,” she says. “We are constantly innovating.
“Conservation is holistic. In the 1960s the environmental movement splintered from the conservation movement; we bring them back together.”
At a time when interest in history is waning and many museums struggle to remain relevant, Trustees properties have seen an annual increase from 1 million to 2 million visitors. Since Erickson became president, membership has increased from 100,000 to 140,000, and the number of programs has ballooned from 900 to 5,000 annually.
“The historic house tour of 20 years ago is not popular any more,” Erickson says. “We invested in our houses and created art programs and signature events that trick people into history. As a result, we saw visitation explode: people fall in love with these places and return again and again.”
In addition to growing it in all directions, she has brought changes to the organization itself, including bringing women into leadership positions.
“Our line of work has traditionally been male-dominated,” Erickson says. “The majority of our executive team is female. It is important for the women on our staff to see this.”
Under her leadership, The Trustees have lengthened employee maternity leave and introduced paternity leave. A favorite new program initiated by Erickson gives employees a paid day off to visit any Trustees property they have not seen before.
“For our employees, we want a vibrant benefit to being here.”
The Trustees’ holdings are growing as the non-profit acquires one or two new properties a year. A recent initiative creates a series of parks on Boston harbor. They are only the most recent manifestations of an initiative started 128 years ago.
“When Charles Eliot started the Trustees, he was concerned about the disappearance of our special cultural and natural places,” Barbara Erickson says. “He was especially worried about the public losing access to the coast.”