Canalway Partners | Strategic Plan 2019

STRATEGIC PLAN SPRING 2019

Funded by

Facilitated by

The Cleveland Foundation

Laura Junglas

The Towpath. Canal Basin Park.

And Beyond.

TAB L E O F CO NTENTS 1. Background

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2. Overview of Process

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3. External Environment Scan/Trends

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4. Internal Environment Scan

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5. Program & Project Descriptions

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6. Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

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7. Themes

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8. Summary of Strategies and Key Objectives

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9. Strategic Action Plan

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Organizational Strategy

Programmatic Strategy

Operational Strategy

Appendix A: Summary of Stakeholder Surveys

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1. Background Canalway Partners, a trade name of North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor Inc., has been serving Cuyahoga County since 1985 as a grass roots organization advocating for the creation of a regional park and recreation area based on a trail system and active exploration of the region’s significant cultural, historic and natural features.

North Cuyahoga Valley Corridor was incorporated in 1985 and operated under the trade name Ohio Canal Corridor from 1994 to 2014. The trade name Canalway Partners was adopted in 2014 as the result of a rebranding effort and was chosen to reflect the organization’s focus, the Ohio & Erie Canalway, and the fact that all of its accomplishments depend on a partnering relationship with an array of organizations, agencies and individuals.

that was completed and published in 2000. This management plan has been the guiding blue print for the work of Canalway Partners.

Canalway Partners’ supporters and stakeholders were instrumental in obtaining congressional approval of the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area corridor in 1996 and, along with Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition (OECC) based in Akron, co-founded an umbrella organization called Ohio & Erie Canalway Association (OECA)1. Upon federal approval, work began on a management plan

This Mission is accomplished by:

The mission of Canalway Partners is to create a park system that follows the route of the historic Ohio Canal from Cleveland through Zoar to Dover/New Philadelphia by promoting historic preservation and interpretation, expanded recreational opportunities and sensitive economic developments.

• Managing the development of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area in Cuyahoga County.

• Linking natural and cultural assets via the Towpath Trail, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and America’s Byway.

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• Increasing public awareness through community education and diverse activities and events such as RiverSweep and the Towpath Trilogy.

• Forging dynamic public private partnerships to develop key physical projects.

• Promoting the Ohio & Erie Canalway as a tourist destination; showcasing its natural, cultural, and historic resources.

The mission of Canalway Partners is to create a park system that follows the route of the historic Ohio Canal from Cleveland through Zoar to Dover/New Philadelphia by promoting historic preservation and interpretation, expanded recreational opportunities and sensitive economic developments.

Canalway Partners is governed by a 11 member volunteer board and has two full-time and two parttime employees. Funding for Canalway comes from special events and program fees, a variety of local, state and federal government sources, foundation grants, and individual and corporate donations. The annual operating budget is $450,000, primarily (64%) funded by fees and sponsorships associated with the various program services such as the Towpath Trilogy and River Sweep. Grants make up 32% of the total budget from federal funding obtained through the OECA allocation.

About 1% of the budget is from donations or contributions from corporations or individuals.

The work of Canalway Partners includes projects and activities related to completing the towpath trail and related programming to achieve the recommendations in the heritage corridor management plan and promote the heritage area.

The major “bricks and mortar” portion of the management plan, completion of the towpath trail is in the final stages with the expected completion in June 2021.

The implementation of the Canal Basin Park, the northern “terminus” of the towpath, is in the last phase of the towpath trail. This is projected for completion in the mid-2020s. These “bricks and mortar” project endeavors have included spearheading and coordinating the trail design and construction, fund raising over $54 million, troubleshooting problems that develop, creating “wayfinding” signage and collateral materials and working in collaboration with external stakeholders to create and complete connector trails.

In addition to promoting the heritage area and its assets, Canalway sponsors several programs each year that include the Towpath Trilogy, a series of three differing levels of running races on the towpath, RiverSweep, an annual spring clean-up that focuses on the Cuyahoga River and the connecting areas, Take a Hike, and the newest collaboration, Cleveland History Days.

These events are designed to educate children and adults on the historical, recreational and educational resources along an interpretation of the history of how the Ohio & Erie Canalway affected the development and growth of the region.

1 OECA is a nonprofit designated by the U.S. Congress in the Ohio & Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor Act of

1996 as the management entity for the National Heritage Area. The Association operates as a regional extension of its two founding organizations: Canalway Partners, representing Cuyahoga County, and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, representing the southern three counties of Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas.

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2. Overview of Process The Board and senior staff of Canalway Partners conducted a strategic planning process that began in Fall of 2018 and was completed in Spring of 2019. The process was funded through a grant from The Cleveland Foundation and facilitated by Laura Junglas, President of Nonprofit Org Doctor LLC.

The process entailed a series of meetings between the Strategic Planning Committee and staff that included: 1

Review and discussion of history of Canalway Partners and the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area

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Review and discussion of current projects and programming

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Identification and survey of key stakeholders; review of the summary report of feedback from 25 stakeholders

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Discussion of trends in the industry, funding, programming, internal operations financial performance, strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities

There are several significant matters facing Canalway Partners at this point in its lifecycle.

They are organized in three broad categories as illustrated in the pyramid on the following page.

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ORGANIZATIONAL mission, vision, trends, competitors, partners, and market position

PROGRAMMATIC programs and activities to achieve specific outcomes related to the mission and target audiences

OPERATIONAL systems, policies, and personnel in areas such as finance, human resources, communications, and information technology

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These are summarized as follows:

Organizational • Overall governance: In order to achieve our mission and maintain a sustainable, flexible organization, we need to ensure that board and committee membership represent the constituency Canalway Partners serves. As a result, a succession and board building plan that will support the organization’s strategic initiatives going forward needs to be created and implemented and the Board of Directors understands their roles and responsibilities.

• Canalway Partners has reached a point in its life cycle where a key component of its core existence, completing the towpath trail, has chiefly been met.

Going forward, Canalway Partners must determine its renewed organizational focus and effectively communicate its role in the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, along with its accomplishments, future plans and brand identity.

• Since its inception, Canalway has operated as a “lean” organization and relied on a small staff and a few sources of repeat revenue to maintain its programming. While successful at raising funds for the trail completion, the majority of these funds do not flow through the organization, nor was there any “administrative overhead” fees earned.

Changes in the funding environment and limited unrestricted funds require Canalway to focus on creating a resource

development plan that expands its financial resource base so it can continue the implementation of the heritage area plan.

• Stakeholders and partners are critical to supporting and completing the work and Canalway has had some challenging relationships with some over the years.

There hasn’t been an on-going relationship development process with partners and stakeholders. In addition, there are many other players competing in the arena to build paths and connections to the lake front, river and towpath area that grab the attention of stakeholders and partners.

• Canalway needs to create more awareness about its accomplishments and “blow its horn” about its successes over the years.

This refocus of the organization requires Canalway to re-establish itself in the market by creating renewed interest in its brand identity and marketing its achievements.

• The retirement of the long-time Executive Director has created a sense of urgency in a succession plan since he has been the key (only) staff in implementation and management of various “bricks and mortar” projects, in particular completing the towpath trail.

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Programmatic • Canalway has operated on a parallel “program and project” path. Over the years, a core group of programs have been created internally that have for the most part been very successful in generating revenue and attendance. The programs are focused on creating interest and education around the towpath trail and heritage area. The projects have mainly focused on collaborations with others and require the Executive Director to work with partners and stakeholders (i.e., City of Cleveland, Metroparks, community groups) to complete. In addition, these projects haven’t typically involved any income generation directly to Canalway. From a program/ project perspective, Canalway needs to focus on creating a workplan that will assess the effectiveness of what it has been doing and re-orient from the “construction of towpath” mind set to creating education and linkages that align with the heritage management plan.

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Operations • Until now, the organization has operated in a very informal way, largely based on the style of the Executive Director and small staff. As the transition in leadership occurs, it is expected staffing structure will need realignment and the operating culture and structure will change based on the workplans to be developed and creation of more formal systems that strengthen organizational structure and sustainability.

The following pages (18-31) contain more detail on the environment analysis, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that led to the issues summarized above. Pages 38-49 contain the strategic plan resulting from the information collected and analyzed as a part of this process. The Stakeholder Survey and summary is contained as Appendix A.

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3. External Environment Scan/Trends

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What’s happening in the industry in general? What are the biggest challenges/obstacles? (mix of responses from planning committee and stakeholder interviews—complete summary of stakeholder interviews is in separate section of this report)

Ohio and Erie Canalway Association (OECA), working through its founding groups, Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition (OECC) and Canalway Partners, has almost achieved it lofty goals of completing the 110 mile towpath trail known as Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

OECA is the “umbrella entity” and OECC and Canalway Partners are the founding groups that operate under the umbrella. OECA receives funding from federal sources that is then allocated to the organizations and to some third parties through a competitive grant program. However, based on the stakeholder survey results, outside stakeholders are not clear on the roles of the various groups as they see one corridor, two groups managing it and multiple landowners. Some believe this model doesn’t really make a lot of sense and suggested there needs to be some sort of management plan for the entire corridor not just bits and pieces. External stakeholders who understand the three different entities asked was why OECA can’t act as one organization representing the entire heritage area.

OECC and Canalway operate with different management structures and staffing levels.

Historically, Tim has done more of the “marketing” and Dan more of the “lobbying”. Funding issues are managed separately for both organizations. There are several joint committee meetings of the two organization each year but there has not been enough education of the newer Canalway Board members on the relationships between OECC and the OECA which results in confusion and misunderstanding. For example, many external stakeholders viewed OECA and Canalway Partners more as competitors than collaborators.

Assessment conducted by National Park Service/Westat in 2012 indicated OECNHC has a successful model for service delivery and outcomes in meeting objectives of the original management plan.

Several stakeholders interviewed questioned whether Canalway needs to exist any longer since the towpath is coming to completion. They wondered what the next steps were for the CANALWAY PARTNERS STRATEGIC PLAN

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organization once the towpath and Canal basin park are completed.

Current ED has been the chief advocate and spokesperson. Stakeholder feedback indicated there was no consensus on whether the org can survive a change in leadership.

It’s not just a towpath trail, there is an entire historical narrative that ties to how the area grew into what it is today. This has been overlooked to a large extent to focus on towpath construction.

There needs to be more focus on the historical interpretation.

What are emerging opportunities and what can Canalway Partners take advantage of?

Canalway Partners should be leading the conversation about advocacy, awareness and coordination of programming and collaboration related to the heritage corridor. There needs to be more attention to interpretive programming and marketing. There used to be “shared� (with OECC) staff people who did this in the past but that has fallen off. Should work with others to do that so there is no duplication.

Strengthen the linkages to the heritage area, and leverage development in the community by continuing to offer grants for public art, wayfinding, story-telling and new trails. Fund programs that bring folks to the trails, and heritage area. There needs to be an organization to work with the communities adjacent to the heritage area to create opportunities for continuity in the visit experience. For example, if one takes towpath from Akron to Zoar, there are not many options for reliable services like overnight accommodations.

Complete towpath trail and Canal Basin Park.

Create a management structure that aligns with completing the heritage area management plan and current strategic connections to the area.

Create and package visitor experiences that include a variety of budgets.

Use current technology to facilitate visits, create an app, improve website.

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What is trend in funding for this type of programming?

Federal funding is sunsetting and has been renewed. It is not clear if this will be a resource in the future, so Canalway Partners could potentially have to replace about 30% of its revenue.

Heritage tourism is a popular trend for programming to generate new sources of funding.

“Health and wellness” programming is another popular trend that could provide some sources of revenue if designed to meet objectives of funders.

User fees have been successfully generated for the running and other activities; possible source of funding in the future but need to be explored for applicability to other programming.

What are other trends impacting the organization?

City partners have changed over the past several years and relationships need to be reestablished and strengthened.

What does the board see as the strategic vision? What is the legacy of the organization?

Key stakeholders are not clear about role Canalway Partners will play going forward. Question posed was “Is this a natural ending point for the organization”?

Federal funding may be at risk given the current environment.

Relationship management and networking activities needs to more strategically refined to move organization to next level of heritage area development.

The towpath is essentially the spine and all the other trails coming off of it feeds the spine. There are lots of other groups working on the trails and other things. External stakeholders are not clear what role Canalway Partners plays in working with other groups on “connector trails”. The trail linkages take on their own identity depending upon the champion leading that effort (i.e., Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail).

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4. Internal Analysis

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What are your operational or program delivery strengths?

Very good at following original plan to get towpath trail completed.

Events are very well planned and managed. Kathy keeps a written log of process and general operating procedures for each event and does a good job at generating sponsorships for the various events.

Running races are very popular and considered a strength by stakeholders.

“Lean and Mean” is considered internal strength—ability to get things done via partnerships and collaborations with others with minimal staffing.

Canalway has some unrestricted income sources generated through the programming/running events and also has an “endowment” that can provide some unrestricted capital for seed funding.

What are operational or program delivery weakness/ challenges?

2 FT staff, 2 PT staff; Office Manager position is a mix of admin, marketing and events management. This results in a limited capacity to expand/enhance programming since there is not a large amount of new funds coming in and staff capacity is limited given other duties that need to be accomplished to run the “day to day”.

Current operations are managed very informally. Limited policy and procedures in place, no formal job descriptions or recent updates. This has led to a seeming overlap in some staff roles, resulting in lack of clarity on who should be doing what.

Current ED retirement will result in some transition challenges based on projects needing oversight and follow through, along new ED getting “up to speed”.

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Canalway has focused its work on completion of the towpath trail, or the “spine” with limited involvement on the “ribs” that connect to the spine.

Canalway has not been able to play a strong role as a convener in managing varying interests of external partners and stakeholders.

The relationship/interaction between OECC and Canalway is not clear to some external stakeholders and newer board members. This results in a lack of clarity and misperception about the two entities.

Analysis of revenue and expense shows there has been an operating loss for the past 4 years. That is not sustainable.

What is current resource development plan? What is current Marketing Plan?

There is no formal resource development plan in place. Fund raising done on "ad hoc" basis and is project based versus operational. Volunteer management is done using a part-time person.

Marketing is done through events offered throughout the year, mainly focused on running races and thru social and web-based media, e-mail, and word of mouth.

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Governance and Board of Directors Development Board needs to engage in succession planning for itself and the ED position to include diversification (i.e. age, race, ethnicity, etc.)

Tim’s role once he officially retires has to be defined and managed. This has been defined for the interim by the board and will also involve the successor Executive Director.

Process for new leadership development needs to be defined and managed closely to ensure the transition to the new ED is successful.

Implementation and monitoring of strategic plan will be a key in keeping Canalway Partners on track. Some board members may need to be more involved in “day to day” during transition period.

Advisory Committee will be re-established and will need attention on its structure, management, strategic membership selections and work plan to focus on strategy at “big picture” level.

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PROGRAMMING AND EVENT SUMMARY (Created and managed by Canalway Partners)

EVENT/PROGRAM

Towpath Trail

Towpath Trilogy (3 Races)

River Sweep

Cleveland History Days

Cycle Canalway

Stage 1: Harvard to Steel Yard

On-going

May each year

First year in 2018, 2019 successfully completed

On-going

Facilitator, coordinator

Staff (Kathy) coordinates

Staff (Kathy) coordinates

Role of Canalway nees to be refined based on results of Yr 1 & 2 activity

Staff (Kathy) coordinates

NEXT STEPS

Continue with plans for completion of trail

NA

NA

Define roles/ responsibilities (i.e. tracking & coordination at events)

NA

FUNDING SOURCES Does it breakeven, make profit or loss?

Doesn't require direct funds from Canalway Partners

Makes profit through sponsorships and registrations

Makes profit through sponsorships

First year in 2018 Sponsorships and other donations; made a surplus in '18, '19 not defined

Sponsorships and other donations

# of PARTICIPANTS

NA

Varies

830 volunteers in 2019

Roughly 3,000 people participated in various events

Staff (ED) manages and oversees work plans

Detailed staff coordination required to plan; volunteers used for day of activities

Detailed staff coordination required; collaboration with other groups; volunteers used for day of activities

First year handled mainly by “committee”; needs refinement based on “lessons learned” and future possible collaborations

STATUS

Stage 2: Steelyard Completed Stage 3: Steelyard to Literary Stage 4: Scranton Flats Canal Basin Park CANALWAY ROLE

STAFFING/ VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

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PROJECT ACTIVITY

(Collaboration with others) PROJECT NAME

Towpath Connectors

OECA Strategic Grants

Canal Basin Park

Hart Crane Park

Huletts

Take a Hike

STATUS

4 connector paths completed, many to go based on original plan

Administered In process; City Asset owned thru OECC with has intent to and developed Canalway input move forward, as park by progress slow Canalway

In storage, need to be moved by August 2021

Co-sponsored with Historic Gateway

NEXT STEPS/ CANALWAY ROLE

Needs to be incorporated with external stakeholder planning

Annual program

Continue to promote project and assist as needed

Not determined

Leader of task Force—Tim will work on this

Canalway “sponsors”

FUNDING SOURCES

Study done on connector trail; Canalway can assist in facilitating development but typically does not take lead and prefers working with a “champion”

Federal— renewed for now--how much longer will it last?

Mix of public and private sources

None

Have $500,000, not sure of final cost

NA

STAFFING/BOARD/ VOLUNTEER/ REQUIREMENTS

Staff time is required to work with outside group as facilitator

Committee of OECC and CWP members

Staff time required to monitor and follow up

NA, other than to monitor

Tim will be working on this post-retirement

Tom (Historic Gateway) leads this

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6. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

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INTERNAL ANALYSIS

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STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Staffing • The ED and Office Manager are extremely dedicated and have been instrumental in achieving incredible results over the years with limited resources. Part time staffing has increased to assist with volunteer coordination and social media/marketing.

Programs • Programs offered by Canalway Partners are well known and for the most part, all produce a surplus of revenue over expenses. Towpath Trilogy and River Sweep are “flagship” programs—what Canalway Partners is known for. We do an excellent job at coordinating these running events. Staff has created operating manuals and program has produced a good portion of revenue over the past three years.

• Utilizes collaborations of many stakeholders and partners.

Internal Systems • The majority of program procedures have been documented in writing and are regularly reviewed.

Staffing • The retirement of current ED and the transition to a new director while maintaining the services of the prior ED in a limited capacity will have an effect on operations that needs to managed closely.

• Staff/project communication is not consistent and causes some inter-staff confusion.

• The Office Manager and ED positions function as several jobs in one. The Office Manager performs program and event coordinator, administrative support and volunteer management, although that has been helped by hiring someone very part time to assist with volunteers. The ED has been performing project and organizational management, fundraising, marketing and community engagement/relationship development. All positions should be assessed for reclassification and potential restructuring, especially once the new ED gets in place.

Resource Development • There is no formal resource development strategy. Spend majority of time sustaining existing sources of funds.

• Financial capacity complete additional activities in heritage corridor management plan is based on current funding models that are not sustainable.

Brand Identity and Marketing • We have a “brand identity” that is somewhat confusing and in need of updating, but no specific public relations or marketing plan.

• While we are known in the community, we haven’t tooted our own horn as much as we should. Social media presence is improving due to hiring of part time marketing staff.

Internal Systems • Canalway does not have many formal systems in place (i.e., financial management, personnel policies, etc.)

Board Development • Board of Directors needs its own plan for development and recruitment to reflect Canalway Partners' service area.

Relationship between heritage corridor entities • Revisit and perhaps redefine relationship with OECC and create better communication with board about what happens between the two entities, along with OECA.

EXTERNAL ANALYSIS OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

External stakeholder perception • Work of Canalway Partners is viewed as quite an achievement given the limited staff and resources.

Generally a good reputation within community development community.

New Programming Opportunities • Programming Opportunities • • Based on current trends in the market, along with a transition from “bricks and mortar” and construction of trail to a more educational focus, there appears to be an opportunity for creating new programming opportunities related to heritage tourism and health and wellness.

• There may be some opportunities for Canalway to become more of a leader/convener in strategic real estate development activities as the trail connectors get further developed.

• The “green” and sustainability movements could be an area where NHST can make in-roads given its energy services programming.

Collaborative Opportunities • The multitude of stakeholders that are directly and indirectly involved in the heritage area represent opportunities for collaborations in various projects and programming. Canalway Partners can play a pivotal role in managing these opportunities.

External stakeholder perception • There is a fair amount of confusion when looking in from the outside related to the specific roles of OECA, OECC and Canalway Partnership, the three entities involved in the heritage corridor.

• There have been some rifts between Canalway Partners and some of its partners/stakeholders. This needs to be addressed in the future if the organization is to remain a player in the corridor.

Funding at all levels (public and private) • Unknowns related to federal funding and allocations for national heritage areas can affect our budget in the future.

• Grant funding has been limited due to lack of a fundraising strategy and perception by some that Canalway has reached the end of its “useful life” since the towpath will be completed in the near future.

• Private funders (mainly foundations) are pushing for consolidation of related organizations. While there is no specific indication that this will occur with Canalway Partners, the trend has been that larger entities with deeper capacity could absorb smaller organizations such as Canalway Partners.

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7. Themes Organizational • Now that it’s “built”, the entire heritage area needs to be marketed as one asset.

• Canalway Partners is a mature organization that requires a strategic focus on its future sustainability and renewal.

• Financial capacity to deliver programs and complete management plan is based on current funding models that are not sustainable.

• Can Canalway evolve into a “Cultural Development Organization”, like a CDC but broader geography and alliances, different workplan?

• Need to revisit and perhaps redefine relationship with OECC. They have more visibility related to towpath but Cuyahoga County’s portion will become more visible in coming years. In addition, both OECC and Canalway are on parallel tracks given their life cycles (time in business, retirement of long-term Eds, completion of key components of management plan).

• Newer board members don’t understand the relationships between the three organizations in the heritage area structure.

• Tim will have some sort of role after official retirement that has been defined by the board. Roles will include advisor, program and race management, and maybe some grant writing.

• Need to define “what” Canalway wants to be as an organization as it moves forward in its evolution and its renewed vision.

• Need to build staff capacity to execute

plans for projects upstream.

• Need to get better at building and deepening our relationships with stakeholders and defining a stronger role as a convener in managing varying interests of external partners and stakeholders.

Programming • Canal Basin Park is the primary "bricks and mortar" project that remains to be completed as part of the towpath trail. In order to be successful, there needs to be a clear, strong story around its significance and value to the heritage corridor and a compelling vision to engage external stakeholders who will be involved in completing the project.

• We need to play stronger role as a convener in managing varied interests related to the towpath trail linkages and programming.

• In the future, what are key performance indicators to measure our success?

Critical Issues • Succession planning at staff and board levels • Defining the focus for organization based on management plan, what is occurring in real time and the vision of the new ED • Resource Development Plan, including operating funds, volunteers, board members • Marketing Plan to ensure visibility, connections and impact in the service area • Plan to manage completion of trail and Canal Basin Park CANALWAY PARTNERS STRATEGIC PLAN

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8. Summary of Strategies and Key Objectives Timeframe: 2019 - 2021

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES GOVERNANCE Strategic Focus In order to achieve our mission and maintain a sustainable, flexible organization, Canalway Partners needs ensure that our governance process is adequate to achieve industry best practices and meet the needs of our stakeholders and constituency.

1. Create and implement a board recruitment and succession plan 2. Review org by-laws and board governance structure (committees, meetings, etc.) to ensure we are meeting “best practices” and have appropriate oversight; make needed changes 3. Determine feasibility of creating an Advisory Board to provide input and support to Canalway Partner’s Work Plans

based on implementation of the Corridor Management Plan and Communications Plan (Identity, Signage, Interpretation).

4. Conduct quarterly review of strategic plan and adjust as needed.

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY Strategic Focus Canalway Partners has relied on federal funds and limited program income as sources of revenue related to its core programs. In order to evolve as an organization in the current environment and to enhance unrestricted revenue, a formal plan for sustainability and resource development needs to be designed to maintain adaptability and relevance in its market and to achieve the selected outcomes delineated in the OECNHA Management Plans.

1. Create a fund development plan that will CANALWAY PARTNERS STRATEGIC PLAN

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incorporate new grants and other sources of unrestricted revenue 2. Determine key competencies and resources needed for Resource Development staffing BRAND IDENTITY and MARKETING Strategic Focus Canalway Partners has reached a point in its organizational life where a primary goal of completing the Towpath Trail has principally reached completion. Going forward, Canalway Partners must effectively communicate its role in the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, along with its accomplishments, future plans and brand identity.

1. Determine Canalway’s brand identity (mission, message, culture) for the future.

2. Develop marketing and public relations plan that incorporates a consistent message across all communication media.

3. Expand and enhance website and social media presence to promote identity, initiatives and programming.

PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION Strategic Focus Canalway Partners collaborates with a variety of partners to complete vital components of its Vision. Partner engagement and collaborations is vital as a component to Canalway Partners success in leveraging the existing momentum and investment in the northern portion of the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.

1. Evaluate the relationships and structure between OECA, Canalway Partners and OECC to determine if there are ways to identify priority projects and create a more streamlined approach to achieving outcomes proposed in the management plan 36

2. Re-engage with stakeholders once business strategy is refined and mapped out through an organized “calling program” to reintroduce them to Canalway Partners (linked to Marketing strategy) 3. Create plan to strengthen existing partnerships and create new ones to initiate a more collaborative approach to completing the work of Canalway Partners and creating “heritage partnerships” 4. Establish or join alliances with other groups working to achieve the vision of the heritage area; Identify opportunities to build our capacity and that of others.

PROGRAMMING STRATEGIES PROGRAMMING Strategic Focus As Canalway Partners completes work on the Towpath Trail, there are still many elements of the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area plan that present opportunities for programming and activities that align with our mission. These elements need to be identified and prioritized to become part of Canalway’s workplan for the next five years.

(Tied to Partnerships, Marketing, Resource Development) 1. Create workplan specific to completion of Towpath Trail and Canal Basin Park.

2. Assess effectiveness of current programming and refocus priorities based on elements of OECNHC management plan 3. Determine Canalway Partners’ role in real estate development related to its mission and programming

OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES OPERATING CULTURE & STRUCTURE Strategic Focus Strengthen organizational structure and sustainability by rejuvenating and improving operating systems and practices that drive organizational impact and engages staff in the mission of Canalway Partners and the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.

1. Implement an efficient and effective system of oversight and performance measurement to ensure the strategic goals and objectives are achieved.

2. Implement succession plan for Executive Director.

3. Review critical programming and staff functions annually, or when program parameters change.

4. Build a formal volunteer management system to increase the participation of the dedicated cadre of volunteers and to build upon these importance resources to accomplish many of Canalway Partners’ program objectives.

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9. Strategic Action Plan

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ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES GOVERNANCE Strategic Focus Enhance the governance process to achieve organizational effectiveness and meet the needs of our stakeholders.

Objectives

Who is Responsible?

Action Plan

Outcomes and Timeline

1. Create and implement a board recruitment and succession plan

All board members, Executive Cmte to lead

a. Design a summary of board expectations and use for recruiting

a. At least 2 new board members who represent diverse community groups will be added to board by 12/2020

b. Create board recruiting plan to represent the diversity of the community through which the towpath crosses and match needed skill sets

b. At least 2 non board members recruited to committees by 12/19

c. Recruit volunteers for committee c. Regular orientation service as a “feeder” for provided for new board prospective board membership members on-going

2. Create “dashboard summary” of strategic plan and key program goals that is reviewed quarterly, updated as needed, and can be used for staff work planning 3. Review by-laws and board governance structure (committees, meetings, etc.) to ensure we are meeting “best practices” and have appropriate oversight; make needed changes

4. Create an Advisory Board to provide input and support to Canalway Partner’s work plans based on implementation of the Corridor Management Plan and messaging plan

Consultant Board Staff

Board: Governance Cmte

Board Exec Cmte Tom will work on c.

d. Ensure new board members understand their roles and responsibilities through board orientation

a. Consultant will create dashboard summary of strategic plan for monitoring purposes.

a. Document that summarizes plan and can be reviewed on quarterly basis.

a. Review and update bylaws (every a. By law review and updated five years) by 12/19 b. Review and update committee structures

b. Establish resource development cmte 12/19

a. Prioritize selection criteria for between 20-30 members based on strategic linkages to work of Canalway Partners

a. Advisory board identified and in place by 3/2020

b. Develop recruiting process c. Create roles/responsibilities

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RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT & SUSTAINABILITY Strategic Focus Diversify the resources of Canalway Partners to create a sustainable and flexible organization.

Objectives

Who is Responsible?

Action Plan

1. Create plan for Resource Development staffing

New ED and Board

a. Determine key competencies and Hiring target of late 2019 or resources needed for end of 1st quarter of 2020

2. Diversify funding sources by creating and implementing a fund development plan that will incorporate new sources of funds including grants and unrestricted revenues

New ED and Res. Devel staff lead, support from board and Sr. Adv.

b. Use unrestricted funds to hire Resource Development professional

a. Assess probability of continuation of existing funding opportunities (i.e., government, program contributions, etc.) b. Create “case for giving” and compile stories about successes, accomplishments, etc. to build resource development strategy around.

Outcomes and Timeline

a. $ of new funds coming from individuals, corps, grants, etc., i.e. a. Raise $50,000 in new sources by 12/31/20

b. Create committee, timeline and action plan for implementation MARKETING AND BRAND IDENTITY Strategic Focus Effectively communicate the role of Canalway Partners in the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, to include its local and regional impact, future plans and brand identity.

Objectives

Who is Responsible?

Action Plan

Outcomes and Timeline

1. Determine Canalway’s brand identity (mission, message, culture) for the future.

New ED with support from Board and input from Sr. Adv. and Mkting staff

a. Review exiting mission, management plan and messaging; reconstruct brand identity based on strategic work plan for Canalway Partners (i.e., heritage or tourism or both?)

a. Brand identity update complete by 6/30/20

2. Develop marketing and public relations plan that incorporates a consistent message across all communication media.

New ED and Mkting staff lead, Sr. Adv. support

a. Create formal “talking points” that can be used by board and staff to implement marketing strategy

To be determined once new ED is hired.

3. Expand and enhance website and social media presence to promote identity, initiatives and programming.

New ED and Mkting staff

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b. Using connections with partners and other stakeholders, conduct PR “blitz” a. Conduct website audit to optimize user interaction

a. Updated website by 3/31/2020

b. Create social media strategy

b. Social media strategy implemented by 12/31/19

PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION Strategic Focus Increase partner engagement and collaborations to leverage the existing momentum and investment in the northern portion of the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.

Objectives

Action Plan

Outcomes and Timeline

1. Clarify and evaluate the Board members who relationships and structure are part of OECA between OECA, Canalway committee, New ED Partners and OECC to create a more streamlined approach to achieving outcomes proposed in the management plan and identify priority projects

Who is Responsible?

a. Better communicate relationships and interaction with OECA and OECC with Canalway Partners board

a. Communicate current activities at each board 3/19

2. Re-engage with stakeholders once business strategy is refined and mapped out

New ED

a. Create organized “calling a. To be determined once program� to re-introduce them to new ED is hired Canalway Partners

3. Establish or join alliances with other groups working to achieve the vision of the heritage area; Identify opportunities to build our capacity and that of others

New ED lead

a. Based on programming a. To be determined and work plan, alliances/ collaborations will be determined

Board & Sr. Adv. support

b. Continue joint discussions with OECC to share information and collaborations

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PROGRAMMING STRATEGIES PROGRAMMING Strategic Focus Align programming and activities with elements of the Ohio and Erie Canalway National Heritage Area plan (Tied to Partnerships, Marketing, Resource Development) Objectives

Who is Responsible?

1. Create workplans specific to completion of Towpath Trail and Canal Basin Park.

New ED with Sr. Adv. a. Monitor completion of towpath support est. finish date spring 2021 b. Work with partners/City in finalizing Canal Basin Park design, implementation plan 12/2019 revisit status

2. Assess effectiveness of New ED lead Sr. Adv. current programming and support refocus priorities based on elements of OECNHC management plan and change in orientation from construction of towpath to education and linkages 3. Determine Canalway Partners’ role in real estate development related to its mission and programming

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Action Plan

New ED and board

a. New ED lead Sr. Adv. support

a. To be determined once ED is hired 2020 timeline

Outcomes and Timeline a. Towpath construction completed to site of Canal Basin Park b. Design of park completed by 12/2020

OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES OPERATING CULTURE & STRUCTURE Strategic Focus Strengthen organizational structure and sustainability by rejuvenating and improving operating systems.

Objectives

Who is Responsible?

Action Plan

Outcomes and Timeline

1. Implement an efficient and effective system of oversight and performance measurement to ensure the strategic goals and objectives are achieved.

New ED, board

a. Use “dashboard summary” of strategic a. To be plan and key program goals that can be determined used for staff and board communication; once new ED Communicate program goals across is on board organization so staff can see where they fit in to bigger picture. b. Create system for holding regular (at least quarterly) staff meetings to update on key initiatives, staff accomplishments, review status of projects, critical deadlines, communication, etc. c. Implement employee performance assessment process and update to improve accountability for staff in meeting job/ program expectations. Communicate tool to all staff and conduct assessments. d. Review and update HR policies

2. Implement succession plan for Executive Director.

Board

e. Review existing job descriptions and update as needed

a. Review incumbent’s relationships with key stakeholders and keep them informed about the transition.

a. 7/31/19 have new ED in place

b. Identify key skill sets and traits needed for position. c. Determine time line and any overlap that may be needed with retiring staff.

3. Review critical programming and New ED staff functions annually, or when program parameters change.

d. Review succession plans annually and update.

a. Assess existing staff positions and job duties b. Revise job descriptions as needed. Make recommendations for consolidations/position modifications

4. Build a formal volunteer To be determined a. To be determined management system to increase the participation of the dedicated cadre of volunteers and to build upon these important resources to accomplish Canalway Partners’ program objectives.

a. To be determined

a. To be determined

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APPENDIX A

STAKEHOLDER SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY

The following is a synopsis of the comments from a total of 27 interviews, including 9 board members and 2 staff. A list of interviewees is included at the end of this section. Many of the comments were similar in nature so what is contained here is a summary, along with a compilation of responses that provide diverse feedback.

1. How long have you known about Canalway Partners?

a.

Less than 2 years

0%

b.

2-5 years 3%

c.

5-10 years 12%

d.

More than 10 years 85% 2. Type of stakeholder do you represent:

a.

Board member

b.

Funder

c.

Government entity d.

Client

e.

Other (staff, nonprofits)

9 4 1 3 10

3. The following questions are related to the Executive Director's succession plan. What are the key skills and traits needed in the future Executive Director?

• Is there a plan for transitioning?

• The executive director has done an amazing job of building the trail. He became Canalway Partners. It will be a challenge to replace this type of person.

• Tim has been saying he’s going to retire for years now. The question is, is he really serious?

• Who would be willing to step in to this situation after what happened (with Fran)?

Don’t understand why Fran did not work out. Many people thought she was great.

• The skills and traits necessary include someone who has a strong background in relationship building, collaboration, marketing, public relations and fund raising.

• Relationship building, networking, project management, real estate development, especially the acquisition piece.

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4. What is your vision for the process?

• Based on the conclusions of the strategic planning process establish desired skill set needed to complete the revised mission of Canalway Partners.

• Facilitated retreat to identify key characteristics of the future Executive Director.

• Create a subcommittee to discuss value of hiring a recruitment firm and to craft a job description.

• Recruit an interim director until a satisfactory replacement can be found.

• Transparent, open process with referrals from stakeholders and partners.

• Using institutional knowledge Tim and the board can provide, prepare a transition to the new Executive Director of the organization.

5. Any future role for Tim after retirement?

• 70% Yes in some role (advisory, fund raising, race management) • 20% No • 10% Maybe, in minor role 6. What organizations or individuals are the leaders or champions of Canalway Partners?

Tim Donovan and Tom Yablonsky were top individuals. Other entities mentioned were Land Studio, Metroparks, City of Cleveland, CVNP, Conservancy, Board members.

7. Thinking about your knowledge of the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area, how would you describe it to a friend or colleague?

• The average user doesn’t really understand all of the Federal mumbo jumbo about the name Ohio and Erie Canalway national heritage area. It is too long to remember for one thing. And people don’t necessarily understand what that means. How do you connect all the players to make it a seamless experience for the user?

8. How would you explain Canalway Partner’s mission to a friend or colleague?

• An organization that has been working on the construction of a trail that goes through rural industrial and urban areas.

• Builders/conveners of the construction of the towpath.

• The current vision (building towpath and completing Canal Basin Park) seems to be different from what others are working on. Seems that organization has become rooted in time and worked with their heads down, not paying attention to what is going on around them.

9. How would you describe the impact of Canalway Partners in the community?

• Canalway Partners has allowed other organizations to fly on its coattails. Without its vision for the towpath, none of this other stuff would happen.

• Impact has been to serve a critical role as a convener and intermediary.

• Advocacy and focus has transcended multiple decades.

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10. Thinking about the role of Canalway Partners, how has it changed over time and what do you see as its future role after towpath trail and Canal Basin Park are completed?

• Rebrand, reboot, reprioritize • Started as an advocacy group to sell a vision of the heritage corridor. Now need to create a maintenance vision to keep it alive. Play on-going role as steward.

• Evolve into a CDC type entity that could facilitate real estate projects and other programming. This entity would focus on the northern portion of the heritage area. This could also help facilitate some of the activities going on in the Flats area.

• There are many opportunities that Canalway Partners can take advantage of. There needs to be more collaboration with the other organizations that are involved.

• I'm not sure that many organizations or people understand what programming they already have so it's hard to say. The only programs I know about are the running races.

• It’s not just a towpath trail, there is an entire historical narrative that ties to how the area grew into what it is today. This has been overlooked to a large extent to focus on towpath construction.

• Does Canalway need to exist any longer? What is the legacy? Is it as caretaker role?

There are several other organizations that could potentially take on the role of convener.

The question becomes “how”?

• Current ED has been the chief advocate and spokesperson. Not sure if there can be a successful leadership transition to someone else.

• The organization has not been very open to networking and from time to I think there was a lot of tunnel vision.

• Rebuilding relationships is critical. There have been some strained relationships between some of the partners and Tim. Sometimes, it seemed that there was/is “clubhouse” or ”ownership” mentality with the Canalway Partner folks. They lost sight of the fact they are the champions of the project, not the owners.

• One corridor, two groups managing it and multiple landowners. This model doesn’t really make a lot of sense. There needs to be some sort of management plan for the entire corridor not just bits and pieces. It is very confusing. Don’t understand why OECNHA can’t act as one organization representing the entire heritage area.

• Our organization manages the programming on the part that we constructed so I really don’t see a role for Canalway Partners there.

11. What type of opportunities do you see in working with Canalway Partners and its programs in the future?

• There are many opportunities to serve as a convener and collaborator on building out from the “spine” of the towpath trail. Should work with others to do that so there is no duplication.

• Canalway Partners should be leading the conversation about coordination of programming and collaboration related to the heritage corridor. There needs to be more attention to interpretive programming and marketing. There used to be staff people who did this in the past but that seems to have disappeared.

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• Strengthen the linkages to the Heritage Area, and leverage development in the community by continuing to offer grants for Public Art, Wayfinding, Story-telling, and new trails. Fund programs that bring folks to the trails, and heritage area.

• Complete Canal Basin Park Create a management structure that aligns with trail and Canal Basin Park • Package visitor experiences that include a variety of budgets. Use current technology to facilitate visits, create an app, improve website.

• Current trends are in area of health and wellness and economic development. What programs are there or can be created that will include these areas?

• Someone needs to work with the communities adjacent to the heritage area to create opportunities for continuity in the visit experience. For example, if one takes towpath from Akron to Zoar, there are not many options for reliable services like overnight accommodations.

• Advocacy and awareness are two areas that they should be working on.

• Should organization dissolve or merge with another after path is complete?

12. Familiarity with other organizations that work on the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.

Generally, all respondents were familiar with Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley and knew about OECC. Many were not sure about the differences between Canalway Partners and OECC and OECNHA. Others mentioned Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Metroparks, City of Cleveland Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, Land Studio and surrounding communities and CDCs that border the trail.

13. What, if anything, distinguishes Canalway Partners from these organizations?

• Organization was ahead of its time had a vision that no one else did • They are focused on completing the mission of building the towpath.

• Canalway has been the “stitcher” of the spine for the towpath • Ability to raise funds (over $54 million) with no taxing authority and small staff.

• Flexible and nimble in working to get the mission completed.

• Its ability to navigate the more extreme conditions in the urban environments and understand the different roles etc. that the trail can play in different communities 14. What are major STRENGTHS of Canalway Partners?

• Commitment to original vision • Patience • Convener of partners and communities • Running activities are good • The fact that they have been able to get the towpath essentially completed. Tim has been the key person to get this done.

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15. What are major CHALLENGES facing Canalway Partners?

• Mission and relevancy—there is no plan for next steps. Are they still relevant in today’s environment? What are they advocating for? What are the connections to other communities?

• Fundraising is a key area. Federal funding will be sunsetting and given current environment, there is little chance for renewal.

• ED transition will be huge. Not much depth in staff capacity—does it even make sense to keep operating?

• There is no diversity on board.

• Programming is limited to running related activities. That excludes a lot of audiences.

16. What opportunities do you see for the National Heritage Area such as use of the towpath, recreation, historical interpretation, visitor services, or tourism marketing?

There are many possible opportunities: • Create plan for visitor experiences that addresses all levels, like families, singles, couples, high and low income.

• Increase on-line visibility and use to market • Create historical interpretation programming that ties to Heritage area and can be offered inactive/passive versions • Become more visible on the trail—create one or two trail head offices that would be visible to visitors. Don’t have to be traditional brick and mortar buildings, could be a camper or bus.

• Create a historical village similar to Hale Farm, maybe similar to Roscoe Village. Partner with another entity like Cleveland History Center to do that.

17. Are there any other programs and services Canalway Partners should consider offering?

• Now that it’s built, the entire area needs to be marketed as one asset.

• What does the board see as the strategic vision? What is the legacy of the organization?

• Relevancy in current environment. Is there a role to play and what is it? Is this a natural ending point for the organization? They haven’t really focused on much other than the towpath and some races.

• The question is why are there two organizations doing this work?

• How do the Federal relationships work? Do they need to be maintained? Does Canalway Partners need to do that or can someone else?

• The towpath is essentially the spine and all the other trails coming off of it feeds the spine. There are lots of other groups working on the trails and other things. Not sure if there is a role for Canalway Partners any longer.

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STAKEHOLDERS LIST

Steve Love Deb Yandala John Debo Jennifer Vasarhelyi Hannah Belsito Bob Jaquay Jennifer Coleman John Mittleholzer Greg Peckham Brian Zimmerman Dan Rice Ebony Hood Marlane Weslian Cory Riordan Jeff Lennartz Jim Rokakis Ken Silliman Katie Montgomery Jacob Van Sickle Sherman Farnham Derek Schafer Tony Brancatelli Kelly McCormack Freddie Collier Ed Rybka Conways Jennifer Rhoads

Cleveland Foundation Conservancy for CVNP Conservancy for CVNP CVNP Growth Association The George Gund Foundation The George Gund Foundation The George Gund Foundation Land Studio Metroparks OECC See You At The Top SVDC TWDC West Creek Conservancy Thriving Communities / Western Reserve Conservancy Former City Official Former Staff Bike Cleveland Former Board Member West Creek Conservancy City Council City Council City of Cleveland City of Cleveland Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cargill

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CANALWAY PARTNERS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Chris Ronayne, University Circle, Inc. Vice-Chairs Tom Yablonsky, EVP Downtown Cleveland Alliance David Jurca, Seventh Hill Immediate Past Chair Patrick Holland, Director, Solid Waste District, Retired Secretary Jack Kluznik, Weston Hurd LLP Treasurer Barbara Deeds, The Manning Group Trustees Patrick Cook, Microsoft Corporation Michael Dostal, CIBC US David Wagner, Hanna Commercial Real Estate Jennifer Maciko, Eaton Corp.

CANALWAY PARTNERS STAFF Tim Donovan, Executive Director Kathy Cole, Program Manager Jim Ridge, Brand Manager

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Canalway Partners PO Box 609420 Cleveland, OH 44109 (216) 520-1825 canalwaypartners.com