Volunteer Park Trust
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Volunteer Park Trust does
Volunteer Park Trust is a volunteer-led nonprofit organization founded in 2012 to preserve and enhance Seattle's historic Volunteer Park, an Olmsted Brothers-designed city and national landmark. The organization operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Seattle Parks Foundation, which provides 501(c)(3) status, donation processing, invoice payment, and operational guidance in exchange for a 10% administrative fee on revenue plus credit card processing fees. Its only compensated staff is a part-time administrative and operations coordinator; all governance, committee leadership, and execution are delivered by volunteers serving on a Steering Committee, an Advisory Council, and seven standing committees (Emerging Leaders, Development, Landscape, Events, Marketing, Capital Projects, and Summer Series).
The Trust's product surface is non-digital: it delivers free community events (the flagship Summer Series at the Amphitheater, Halloween Pet Parade, Holiday in the Park, Olmsted Walking Tours, and Restoration Days), volunteer work parties (monthly Second Saturday Work Parties, Spring/Fall Restoration Days), and physical capital improvement projects (the 2022 Amphitheater replacement, lily pond path improvements, water fountains, tree identification plaques, welcome signage, irrigation upgrades). The Summer Series at the Amphitheater, produced in partnership with Modern Enterprises LLC, drew 11,000+ attendees across six free concerts in 2025.
The revenue model is a four-stream nonprofit funding structure: individual community donations ($71,000+ in FY25), corporate sponsorship primarily underwriting Summer Series concerts ($124,000 in FY25), government grants from Seattle's 4Culture office ($10,552 in FY25), and episodic estate gifts ($200,000 in FY25 from a longtime donor). All programs are free at point of use; the organization operates with 76% program efficiency, with operations and administrative costs totaling approximately 10.3% of revenue plus the 10% fiscal sponsorship fee. FY25 total revenue was $406,000, ending with a $522,321 cash balance largely designated for future capital projects and reserves; recurring revenue in non-estate-gift years is approximately $190,000–$215,000.
Volunteer Park Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Volunteer Park Trust
- Legal name
- Volunteer Park Trust
- Website
- https://volunteerparktrust.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Volunteer Park Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Park Stewardship and Community Programming
- NAICS
- Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)
Keywords
Where Volunteer Park Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Volunteer Park Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Community Donations: Individual donors contribute at various levels, from small gifts under $100 to major donations. In FY25, community donations totaled over $71,000 from individual supporters.
- Corporate Sponsorship: Businesses and foundations sponsor events and programs, with sponsorship revenue primarily supporting the Summer Series concerts. FY25 sponsorship revenue was approximately $124,000.
- Government Grants: The organization receives grants from government sources, including $10,552 from Seattle's 4Culture office supporting operations and free community events.
- Estate Gifts: One-time major gifts from donors' estates, including a $200,000 estate gift in FY25 from a longtime donor who loved Volunteer Park.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free community events with optional donations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Volunteer Park Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Volunteer Park Trust preserves and enhances Seattle's Volunteer Park by funding and managing capital improvement projects (amphitheater, water fountains, walking paths, fencing, landscaping), producing free community events including the Summer Series at the Amphitheater, and coordinating volunteer stewardship through seven standing committees and monthly work parties. The organization operates as a volunteer-led nonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of Seattle Parks Foundation.
Product overview
Volunteer Park Trust operates as a volunteer-led nonprofit organization managing Seattle's historic Volunteer Park. Rather than a unified software product, its offerings consist of event programming (the Summer Series at the Amphitheater, community events), physical infrastructure (the Amphitheater venue, water fountains, walking paths), and community engagement programs (volunteer committees, newsletter). The organization functions under Seattle Parks Foundation's 501(c)(3) status and does not offer software products or APIs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Summer Series at the Amphitheater A free outdoor concert series held at the Volunteer Park Amphitheater featuring local and regional musicians across multiple genres; the 5th Annual Summer Series runs July-August 2026 with six free Thursday performances open to the public.
- Community Events Annual free community events including the Halloween Pet Parade, Holiday in the Park, Spring Restoration Day, Fall Restoration Day, and Olmsted Walking Tours that engage volunteers and celebrate the park community.
- Capital Improvement Projects Park improvement projects including path resurfacing, water fountains, welcome signs, tree identification plaques, irrigation systems, street lamp restoration, and trash/recycling can replacements that preserve and enhance Volunteer Park's facilities and Olmsted heritage.
- Volunteer Programs Volunteer engagement through seven standing committees (Emerging Leaders, Development, Landscape, Events, Marketing, Capital Projects, Summer Series) plus monthly Second Saturday Work Parties that enable community members to contribute to park maintenance and improvement.
- View from the Water Tower Newsletter Monthly email newsletter titled 'View from the Water Tower' providing news and updates about park events, projects, volunteer opportunities, and donor appreciation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 11,000+ attendees at 2025 Summer Series across 6 free concerts
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Volunteer Park Trust
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Volunteer Park Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Volunteer Park Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, key and supporting.
- Seattle Parks FoundationcoreThe Seattle Parks Foundation provides Volunteer Park Trust with its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status as a fiscal sponsor. The Foundation receives all donations, pays invoices, handles payroll for contractors, and provides operational guidance. VPT pays a 10% administrative fee on revenue plus credit card processing fees. This partnership began when VPT was formed in 2012.
- Seattle Parks & RecreationcoreSeattle Department of Parks and Recreation maintains and manages Volunteer Park. VPT works closely with SPR on capital projects, landscaping, and sustainability initiatives. SPR maintains the park while VPT raises funds for improvements and manages construction projects.
- Friends of the ConservatorymajorThis nonprofit supports the historic Conservatory at Volunteer Park. VPT collaborates with the Friends on events and park-wide sustainability initiatives.
- Friends of Seattle's Olmsted ParksmajorThis organization works with VPT to protect and restore elements of Volunteer Park's plantings, structures, and circulation routes related to the Olmsted Brothers' 1909 plan.
- Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM)majorSAAM occupies the original, renovated art deco Seattle Art Museum building in Volunteer Park. VPT collaborates with SAAM on events, park-wide sustainability initiatives, and capital projects.
- Modern Enterprises, LLCkeyModern Enterprises is the production company responsible for producing the Summer Series at the Amphitheater, handling all technical production aspects of the free concert series.
- Seattle Conservation CorpssupportingVPT has partnered with the Seattle Conservation Corps on capital projects including the lily pond path improvements, benefiting from skilled labor support for park improvements.
- ORA ( Olson Kundig Architects)keyORA (Olson Kundig Architects) is the award-winning architectural firm that designed the new Volunteer Park Amphitheater, completed and opened in July 2022.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Volunteer Park Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Friends of the High Line: Nonprofit that maintains and programs the High Line elevated park in New York City. Comparable on fundraising-dependent park stewardship, free public programming (concerts, events), and capital project delivery within an urban park setting.
- Central Park Conservancy: The nonprofit partner dedicated to restoring and managing New York City's Central Park. Closely analogous to Volunteer Park Trust in mission (single urban park stewardship), volunteer-driven governance, capital project delivery, and free public programming.
- Prospect Park Alliance: Nonprofit that restores and operates Brooklyn's Prospect Park in partnership with NYC Parks. Direct comparable on a single-park focus, public-private partnership with a municipal parks department, capital project execution, and free community events.
- Piedmont Park Conservancy: Nonprofit that funds and operates Atlanta's Piedmont Park in partnership with the City of Atlanta. Directly comparable in structure: dedicated park trust, free concerts and community events, capital improvements, and corporate sponsorship of programming.
- Washington Park Conservancy: Portland-based nonprofit supporting Washington Park's restoration and programming. Comparable single-park focus, Olmsted-era landscape stewardship, free community events, and donor-supported capital improvements.
- Forest Park Forever: Nonprofit that maintains and enhances St. Louis's Forest Park in partnership with the City of St. Louis. Comparable as an urban park conservancy running free public programming (concerts, festivals) and funding capital restoration projects.
- Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy: Nonprofit partner supporting San Francisco's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Comparable park-friends/parks-conservancy model, free public events and tours, volunteer coordination, and capital project fundraising layered on top of public park management.
Others
- Seattle Parks Foundation: Fiscal sponsor and umbrella nonprofit that provides Volunteer Park Trust's 501(c)(3) status. Sister ecosystem organization rather than a direct competitor — operates citywide, while VPT is dedicated to a single park.
Broad incumbents
- Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates and protects parks and green space across the U.S. Broader incumbent working on park creation, conservation, and policy rather than stewarding a single park, but operates in the same urban park philanthropy space.
- National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit focused on preserving historic places, including Olmsted-designed landscapes. Broader incumbent that overlaps with Volunteer Park Trust's historic-preservation and Olmsted restoration work but operates across many sites nationally.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Volunteer Park Trust social profiles
Digital presenceVolunteer Park Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Volunteer Park Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
Volunteer Park Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Volunteer Park Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Volunteer Park Trust
What does Volunteer Park Trust do?
Volunteer Park Trust preserves and enhances Seattle's Volunteer Park by funding and managing capital improvement projects (amphitheater, water fountains, walking paths, fencing, landscaping), producing free community events including the Summer Series at the Amphitheater, and coordinating volunteer stewardship through seven standing committees and monthly work parties. The organization operates as a volunteer-led nonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of Seattle Parks Foundation.
Is Volunteer Park Trust a public or private company?
Volunteer Park Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Volunteer Park Trust founded?
Volunteer Park Trust was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Volunteer Park Trust based?
Volunteer Park Trust is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Volunteer Park Trust make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Community Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorship, government Grants and estate Gifts.
Who are Volunteer Park Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Friends of the High Line, Central Park Conservancy, Prospect Park Alliance, Piedmont Park Conservancy, Washington Park Conservancy, Forest Park Forever and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Seattle Parks Foundation is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Trust for Public Land and National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Does Volunteer Park Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Volunteer Park Trust.
What industry is Volunteer Park Trust in?
Volunteer Park Trust's product category is Public Park Stewardship and Community Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAI, Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services, with a secondary code of THAAAAAH, National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access). Its NAICS code is 71219 and its SIC code is 7900.