Message From Executive Director, Louise Turan

Never before in the history of Bartram’s Garden has there been the potential for so much growth and the need for so much preparation. New leadership in City government, the revitalization of the Schuylkill riverfront, future community development in southwest Philadelphia, and increased public attention on the value of urban green space hold unique opportunities for the Garden. We have also made great strides in the recent past on several fronts. We have established an endowment t fund programs and operations, created partnerships, built a new administrative building and public dock.

As it approaches its 300th year, Bartram’s Garden is looking ahead. We want to capitalize on the positive change underway and plan for the future. To achieve this goal, Bartram’s Garden must have an effective strategic plan with clear goals and strategies. The first step to strategic planning is a comprehensive organizational assessment using The Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool. This tool is designed to guide and focus the organization into the future through the five most important questions: What is our mission? Who is our customer? What does the customer value? What are our results? What is our plan? To answer those questions, we are looking outside the organization to our opportunities and our constituents.

Goals and Activities

Our planning process got underway in February 2008 and will take place, at least for its first phase, until September 2008. During this time period, Bartram’s Garden will work with Stern Consulting International to conduct The Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment. This process consists of the following:

• An environmental scan, which includes interviews with community leaders, peer organizations, and funders, for their feedback on the Garden’s opportunities and challenges.
• A board and management retreat for their perspectives on the five most important questions, organizational success in relation to those answers, and discussions about the results of the environmental scan.
• A completed plan with a focused mission, goals and results, as well as detailed objectives, action steps, and budget. This plan will increase organizational effectiveness and provide the guidelines for the best possible visitor experience.

• Engage Bartram’s Garden board, staff, volunteers, members, and the community in the assessment to determine the organization’s condition, strengths, challenges, and opportunities.
• Examine the Garden’s mission and programming in relation to best practices and external trends.
• Recognize and build upon strengths and being open to change.
• Develop a strategic vision, mission, goals, prospective budgets, and action objectives to move Bartram’s Garden into the future.
• Position Bartram’s Garden for sustainability in terms of charitable, government, community, and private sector partnerships.

Documents

Click here to view list of documents in support of the planning process.

Timeline

The new strategic plan must be complete by September 2008 for Bartram’s Garden to remain on the list of grant recipients from The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Philadelphia Cultural Leadership Program, which funds organizations identified as meeting high standards in programmatic, fiscal, and management performance. A grant from the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation will help us to continue being a leadership organization in the Philadelphia cultural community.

Feb-March 2008
Initiate planning for strategic plan, including identification of participants in an assessment team, environmental scan participants, strategic challenges, existing conditions.

March 18, 2008
Launch Drucker Process in an initial session with the board and staff.

April 2008
Convene assessment team to develop environmental scan.
April – Aug 2008
Conduct research phase of Drucker process, analyze findings, and develop reports.

• Develop the retreat design, distribute reports, and orientate participants.
• Hold full-day retreat to review findings and develop substance for Bartram’s Garden vision, mission, goals, and objectives.
• Develop initial draft of strategic plan and prospective budgets.

Results

Through the Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool, Bartram’s Garden will gain a strategic plan to guide its actions and policies to ensure sustainability and capacity for development over the next five to ten years. The plan will be used as a cultivation tool for current and prospective funders, community partners, and stakeholders. Most importantly, the feedback, action plan, and budgets will result in an enhanced visitor experience and an efficient, vital organization with a solid framework for growth. We look forward to sharing our vision and plan with our friends, neighbors, members and supporters. Thanks to all who are participating in this important planning process.

For more information about the strategic planning process, please contact me at lturan@bartramsgarden.org. For a pdf version of this document click here.

Our Consultant
Gary J. Stern, President, Stern Consulting International

Gary Stern is author of Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations Volumes I & II, editor of the revised edition of the Drucker Foundation Self-Assessment Tool, and has led the Drucker Training Team. Former senior consultant with Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Mr. Stern’s U.S. and international clients include the Arboreta at the University of California Davis and Santa Cruz, the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, the cable industry’s National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Commications (NAMIC), the Maine Public Health Work Group, National Council of Jewish Women, and United Way of the Alberta Capital Region.