Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Work and Learn Program
The Work and Learn Program is dedicated to provide a unique educational experience working and living as part of the Yestermorrow community. Program participants learn basic design/build skills, and at the same time are able to take a variety of courses offered by talented faculty from all over the country. Participants provide Yestermorrow with support in the day-to-day operations of the School while participating in hands-on learning opportunities both in and out of formal classes.
Courses
Yestermorrow’s courses are specifically designed to demystify the designing and building processes using hands-on, experiential learning to teach students the art and wisdom of good design and the skill and savvy of enduring craftsmanship as a single, integrated process.
This creative process offers students unique insight into the oftentimes disparate worlds of the architect and the builder. Architects are routinely trained without any building experience that might inform their designs, and builders are trained to execute without a sense of the overarching purpose or design of the project.
Combining design and building offers numerous advantages and promotes the creation of intentional and inspired buildings and communities that enhance our world. From the professional design/builder to the do-it-yourself design/build homeowner, every designer should know how to build and every builder should know how to design. This philosophy sets Yestermorrow apart from other educational institutions.
Professional Development at Yestermorrow
Yestermorrow is committed to providing educational opportunities for practicing professionals and students in the fields of architecture, environmental design, fine arts, landscape design, engineering, and planning. Our goal is to expand the horizons of those already in the design and construction field, and to deepen their understanding of the interrelationships between the design process and the construction process. We offer Continuing Education(http://www.yestermorrow.org/aia-ces.htm) credits through the American Institute of Architects(http://www.aia.org/) for a wide variety of courses at all scales of design/build. Our Professional courses are marked throughout the curriculum with the AIA symbol.
Courses and Instructors
Yestermorrow is unique in its professional field. Since 1980 our nationally-recognized instructors have been teaching all aspects of the building arts and trades to present and future members of the design/build team: student, homeowner, designer and builder. Courses are intensive and constantly engaging, challenging students to solve complex design problems through the integration of the design and construction processes. We offer a low student-to-instructor ratio, allowing individualized instruction and personal attention. Our instructors and staff consist of over one hundred professional architects, builders and artisans who come from across the nation to the mountains of central Vermont to share their expertise with our students. View current course listings(http://www.yestermorrow.org/courses.htm) .
Certificate Programs
Yestermorrow offers four certificate programs designed for individuals looking for intensive, in-depth, hands-on opportunities for deepening understanding, acquiring functional skill sets, and widening career opportunities. Open to educational enthusiasts of all ages (from 18 up), our certificate programs offer intensive learning opportunities for anyone seeking a blast of career development in a timeframe substantial enough for real growth, but short enough to squeeze in around other family and career obligations.
Semester Program
The full-immersion, credit-bearing semester in green building and design complements architecture, building science, engineering, and environmental design majors and has wide application in liberal arts curricula.
-Gain important hands-on skills developing a real-world project
-Explore concepts of sustainability through practice
-Earn college credit
-Work with expert instructors who are professional designers and builders
-Add practical and relevant experience to your professional résumé
-Open to college students, recent graduates, and professionals
-The only pre-requisite is self-motivation—no previous architecture or construction experience necessary
-Financial aid may be transferable
In this program, students translate theory into practice, ultimately building an architecturally innovative high-performance shelter that they collaboratively design. Students gain experience in team design and facilitation as well as project management. They develop their own positions and arguments for good design and sound ethical and environmental building practice. They leave knowing how to use a variety of hand and power tools and feel comfortable on a building site. They are empowered with the ability and confidence to measure and implement appropriate technology now and into the future.
And they do this all while developing a tight network of friends and academic and professional colleagues. Nowhere else can liberal arts students get this level of intensive, hands-on instruction for college credit from leaders in the fields of design/build and green building.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Yestermorrow's courses are specifically designed to demystify the designing and building processes using hands-on, experiential learning to teach students the art and wisdom of good design and the skill and savvy of enduring craftsmanship as a single, integrated process.
This creative process offers students unique insight into the oftentimes disparate worlds of the architect and the builder. Architects are routinely trained without any building experience that might inform their designs, and builders are trained to execute without a sense of the overarching purpose or design of the project.
Combining design and building offers numerous advantages and promotes the creation of intentional and inspired buildings and communities that enhance our world. From the professional design/builder to the do-it-yourself design/build homeowner, every designer should know how to build and every builder should know how to design. This philosophy sets Yestermorrow apart from other educational institutions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Teach. We will expand our course offerings related to design/build for healthy, inclusive, and climate-resilient communities.
Experiment. We will become a living laboratory for sustainable design/build, and experiment the latest best practices for net-zero, regenerative design, and resource-efficient fabrication.
Convene. We will bring people from diverse fields and backgrounds around the table, and expand our role as a hub for conversations across disciplines and boundaries.
Impact. We will ensure our programs have positive, measurable impacts for individuals and communities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Yestermorrow’s influence on the design/build community has been far reaching. But the current moment demands that we advance and accelerate our work to create a healthier, more socially just and climate-resilient built environment. We will expand our efforts to develop tangible, replicable, and scalable community-based design/build projects that address climate change and social justice. And we will work in service with historically oppressed people - low income people, People of Color, women, and LGBTQ people - to co-develop courses that are relevant to their needs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2021 Yestermorrow increased its BIPOC Scholarship Fund to $30,000. These funds will support our mission to diversify our student base as well as the building, construction and architecture fields.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Yestermorrow, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 04/10/2022
Ms Erin Maile O'Keefe
The Human Connection Project
John "Sucosh" Norton
Macrae Rood
Charles Shackleton
Dan Reicher
Hank Louis
Bruno Grimaldi
Laura Moss
Gunnar Hubbard
Blaine Snipstal
Megan Nesbether
Bill Reed
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 04/10/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.