KEY PLANNING ISSUES

As WCT staff and Trustees began the strategic planning process, we faced several circumstances that were not present in any previous planning: naming a new Executive Director as the founder stepped aside; the continuing and unpredictable impact of COVID-19; a racial reckoning locally and nationally, with the environmental conservation sector examining its own role in social justice; and the completion of the Campaign for Rushton Woods Preserve by year-end 2022.

With the assistance of the nonprofit consultant group Schultz and Williams, a consulting firm for nonprofit organizations, staff and Trustees collectively worked to identify the key planning issues to be addressed for a successful transition to the next chapter of the organization’s development. Through a series of surveys, interviews, and retreats we identified the following key planning issues: Core Activities; Identity, Brand, and Community Engagement; Organizational Culture and Operations; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Financial Sustainability; Governance. Small working groups composed of both staff and Trustees were formed to develop draft goals for each key planning issue. These groups met over a series of months between 2021-2022.

Key Insights

• Both Trustees and staff emphasized that the staff is WCT’s greatest strength; staff members are highly regarded for their expertise and commitment to fulfilling WCT’s mission.

• Staff identified internal communications, departmental silos, and unclear roles and responsibilities as significant internal challenges.

• The Board identified the smooth transition to a new Executive Director as a top priority, positioning WCT for continued growth and success.

• Staff and Trustees agree that image and public awareness are key issues for WCT to address in long-range planning, impacting community engagement and fundraising.

• Both Trustees and staff identified fundraising and financial sustainability as a top internal challenge and critical priority for planning.

• Brand awareness, peer competition for donors, and increased land development/threats of development were noted by staff and Trustees as the greatest external threats to WCT.

• Staff and Trustees agree that equity and inclusion are key values at WCT.

• Core activities create a suite of unique assets that make WCT distinctive, but allocation of funding and resources varies.

• Educating and engaging the public in advocacy for land protection and conservation was raised as a critical area for expansion to consider in long-range planning. Building new audiences, locally and regionally, will not only further WCT’s mission but have a broader impact on the health of the planet.

• At a Board retreat, Trustees affirmed their fiduciary duty and their role in maintaining a strategic vision for WCT.