Momentum - Trustees 2018-2023 Strategic Plan

2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

People.

Places.

Perpetuity.

OUR MISSION

To protect, for public use and enjoyment, places of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value.

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Message from the Chairman | Crafting the Plan

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Message from the President | Lessons and Successes

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Momentum

Protect the Places People Love

Respond to a Changing Coast

Elevate our Cultural and Agricultural Experiences

Invite the Next Generation Outside

Build The Trustees of the Future

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Where We Stand in 2018

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Acknowledgments

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Crafting the Plan Thank you for your support of The Trustees.

Members, donors, and volunteers like you play a key role in our ability to grow, thrive, and to fulfill our mission. We are pleased to present to you our strategic goals for the coming five years. We have named this plan Momentum in honor of the years of work that have led to this present moment of great opportunity. We are propelled forward by the achievements of the past, and today we strive to hold ourselves to the standards of our legacy.

In authoring this plan, we sought many voices and garnered help from experts near and far. And as always, we challenged ourselves to push farther and to think of the future. We assembled thought leader panels, staff working groups, governance task forces, and volunteer discussions. Each one reinforced and championed the idea that we are best when we focus and challenge ourselves. Trustees founder Charles Eliot

addressed the pressing problems of his day when he created a new organization “for the purpose of acquiring and holding, maintaining and opening to the public, under suitable regulations, beautiful and historic places and tracts of lands within the Commonwealth.” This plan allows us to look deeply at the challenges and problems of our day, and then to respond with equal fervor and passion.

We embrace, embody, and exemplify the simple but revolutionary idea that nature and culture can soothe the soul and improve our quality of life. In turn, we are obligated to care for and to preserve places of inspiring qualities. We seek to grow our momentum in saving and sharing Massachusetts’ most special places. How do we achieve such an auspicious mission? With audacity and courage. With planning and strategy. With all of you.

Peter B. Coffin Chairman, Board of Directors Chairman, Strategic Plan Board Committee

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THE TRUSTEES

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Lessons and Successes As the Strategic Planning Committee and our staff began to author this next five-year strategic plan, we looked to both the successes and challenges of the past five years. The voice and writings of Charles Eliot, our founder, reminded us to be bold, to serve the public, to save special places which could be lost forever, and most of all, to engage the people—the “trustees” of our places and our Commonwealth.

What goes into authoring a strategic plan?

First, we ask ourselves, “what problem are we solving, what ills are we seeking to heal, where can we lead?” Children who feel disconnected from nature and addicted to their gadgets.

A changing climate and an increasingly urban world. As the state’s largest and oldest conservation organization, we bear the responsibility of continued leadership on the issues facing our Commonwealth today and going forward.

We asked these questions as we were coming off the heels of celebrating 125 years. So naturally, we reflected, as well, on our legacy.

This next plan, Momentum, builds off the great work of the last five years, and seeks not to just move us forward, but to scale new heights. With our new outlook on 2023, we move off the path and forge new terrain, and continue to challenge ourselves to innovate—addressing the pressing needs affecting quality of life in New England. To take this incredible platform, these building blocks of the last five years, moreover the last 125 years, and go further.

Our 2023 plan is about responding to the challenges and opportunities around us, leveraging our momentum, and calling us to an even higher standard of excellence. To challenge us on what it means to lead. We will achieve this deepening of impact via five goals as outlined here. We invite you to be part of the work ahead of us. Together, we can carry forward the Momentum.

Barbara Erickson President & CEO

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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PROTECT THE PLACES PEOPLE LOVE We save the iconic and the most exceptional places in Massachusetts. That hasn’t changed in more than 126 years. Today, this work requires thinking beyond our traditional avenues and leveraging new partnerships and geographies. To complement our ongoing commitment to saving places of regional significance, we will mount one of our most audacious efforts to date to create iconic open space on Boston’s waterfront.

In “Protecting the Places People Love,” we go beyond the focus of acquisition of reservations to a goal that encompasses the whole journey of our landscapes—from the time they come into The Trustees’ portfolio of places to ensuring the best possible care in perpetuity, while planning for changing interests and environment. Over the next five years, we will save and share our incredible places statewide to create the healthiest, most spectacular array of reservations, where our resources thrive and our public can engage.

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THE TRUSTEES

[BY 2023...] »» Open four new reservations to the public »» Develop exciting new plans for a waterfront park in Boston »» Demonstrate leadership among our peers in delivering quality property care

INVEST IN CARE OF OUR PLACES AND ADVANCE THE PROFESSION We will model excellence in stewardship, statewide and regionally, with focused, datadriven advancements that support our integrated mission of resource care and public access.

PROTECT MORE SPECIAL PLACES We will continue our legacy work of protecting iconic reservations, ensuring that we continue to secure special places of cultural or natural significance and open them to the public. These are rare places, complex and big projects, and in some cases, we will look beyond what we have done historically.

HELP SECURE NEW ICONIC PARKS ALONG THE BOSTON WATERFRONT Working with our non-profit and municipal partners, we will create unique open space along the Boston Harbor. Just as we have done for the Massachusetts coast, we must now take a stand for Boston’s shoreline and build an open and protected waterfront that exemplifies resilient design, and serves as a destination for all residents of our capital city and beyond.

We will increase our investment to make those places of greatest visitation and resource importance exemplars of excellence. And we will pull the curtain back more often on our work, showcasing the “how” behind our stewardship expertise in order to advance various professions in the conservation field, and to remind our visitors about the resources and expertise required to care for the irreplaceable.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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RESPOND TO A CHANGING COAST We will effectively respond to our changing coast. The Massachusetts coast needs our voice. Second only to the federal government in land holdings, now is the time to leverage and invest in one of our most visible and visited assets—our 120 miles of protected coastline across 35 properties. Here we welcome more than a half-million visitors each year. Over the next five years, we will uplift our coastal systems through targeted conservation, broad advocacy, cutting-edge land management, and robust stewardship. In short, we seek to be the coastal conservation leader for Massachusetts.

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THE TRUSTEES

[BY 2023...] »» Author an annual “state of our coast report” to monitor the Commonwealth’s coastal health »» Establish year-round coastal education initiatives in Ipswich and on Martha’s Vineyard »» Build a robust coastal volunteer corps that serves the health of our ecosystems

INSPIRE AN INFORMED LOVE OF THE COAST PROTECT AND ADVOCATE FOR A HEALTHY COAST Our coastal properties have always faced significant risks from storms, flooding, erosion, and sea level rise—but now those risks are accelerating. A healthy coast is imperative to a safe Commonwealth. Over the next five years, we will advance land protection benefiting critical coastal systems like the Great Marsh and we will push for greater protection and planning to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate. We must use our authority to influence policymakers to protect these precious resources.

People care for what they love and what they understand. We will enhance our coastal education opportunities to reach more youth and school-aged students, as well as the general public. We will tell our story through compelling and thoughtful campaigns that inspire support and stimulate participation in support of the coast. We will better engage our visitors and volunteers through activities like legislative action days, shorebird volunteer programs, internships, and coastal clean-ups.

FOCUS ON OUR MOST VULNERABLE COASTAL AREAS We’ll partner with leading academic institutions and agency partners to actively pursue experimental and leading-edge technical trials to strengthen the protection, resiliency, and long-term sustainability of our coastal resources.

Collaborating with communities where we work, we will embark on initiatives like re-seeding acres of dying dunes, resulting in reclaimed healthy habitat for multiple species, or reducing the negative impacts of past ditching on marshland.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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ELEVATE OUR CULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCES Our cultural sites, including designed gardens and community farms, are platforms for engagement. We know that when we activate our existing reservations with programming, visitor amenities, year-round learning opportunities, and superior stewardship, we improve the public’s love and understanding of the importance of horticulture and agriculture. We have a unique opportunity to build upon these opportunities to elevate our cultural and agricultural places to become welcoming, wellcared-for, vibrant community centers for learning about design, gardening, history, art, and farming.

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THE TRUSTEES

[BY 2023...] »» Transform Long Hill and The Stevens-Coolidge Place into flagships of horticultural beauty »» Involve thousands more in educational programs and quality visitor experiences at our farms »» Create new display gardens, exhibitions and installations that “wow”

DEVELOP NEW AND CREATIVE WAYS OF STORYTELLING

BROADEN THE APPEAL AND ELEVATE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE Our historic and cultural sites, including our public gardens, are unique among our places in their need for special stewardship and collection care by specialists such as horticulturists, curators, conservators, and others. Through careful investment and strategic reimagining, we can elevate these places to raise their visibility, attract more visitors, and stimulate greater involvement in our cultural resources.

INVEST IN OUR COMMUNITY FARMS AS VIBRANT LEARNING PLATFORMS Our community farms offer many opportunities for families to experience total sensory learning—touch, smell, taste, hear, and see— while also engaging with the working mechanics of locally grown food. We will create new educational spaces at places like The FARM Institute (Edgartown) and Chestnut Hill Farm (Southborough), where kids and families can learn about farming through hands-on interaction with healthy food, including a dynamic day camp offer, and programs that engage the whole family.

Our flagship farm, Appleton Farms, will become known as a leading educational farm with a robust and inclusive offering of programs.

Our places, statewide, will come alive through storytelling. We will animate history, provoke conversation, and stimulate new thinking, challenging ourselves to initiate new ways to translate our cultural past. We will implement new interpretative strategies that include visual presentations of art, history, culture, design and horticulture wonder. Building upon the platform of our Art & the Landscape initiative, we will present a series of ever more creative installations at our properties sharing their magic, stillness, and beauty to further connect new art to nature.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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INVITE THE NEXT GENERATION OUTSIDE We will do more to invite the next generation outdoors. We must cultivate our replacements—the future generations who will carry on our work and care for our places and our mission. We know that the values and experiences that we have as young people influence the rest of our lives. We will do more to engage families—especially kids—in developing a passion for conservation and nature.

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THE TRUSTEES

[BY 2023...] »» Reach 300,000 people a year with family and youth programming »» Open a new flagship for recreation and the outdoors »» Grow our network of education partnerships

CREATE A NETWORK OF ADVENTURE INTERVENTIONS Playscapes and adventure installations have been successfully implemented and proven to welcome kids to relax and play in nature in a way that feels safe and inviting for parents and grandparents.

We will conceive and design architectural interventions that will fit the landscape and beckon the “inexperienced recruits” to experience the outdoor world in ways that are comfortable for them.

DEEPEN OUR CONNECTIONS TO SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS

DIVERSIFY AND GROW OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES We will design self-guided experiences, new content-rich family programs, and special promotional campaigns that will reach many more families and encourage young people to participate in outdoor play. We will ensure that the young arrive, and arrive routinely—driving a more intentional commitment to nature-based experiences that cultivate an appreciation of nature among an entire generation.

We will partner with schools, teachers, principals, and educators to transform the traditional field trip into an science-based learning opportunity for students in grades pre-K through 12. We will actively build new partnerships with schools in our communities at key sites. We will be a partner in a new nature-based preschool at Moose Hill Farm to help foster love and knowledge of nature from the beginning.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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BUILD THE TRUSTEES OF THE FUTURE We must always plan for perpetuity. We will secure our future through a balanced strategy of audience development complemented by fiscal sustainability. In order to cement our future, we must grow our tribe. We fuel our future dreams by engaging and attracting more visitors, members, and donors.

Through 2023, we will do more to leverage technology, improve amenities at our properties, and build a culture of community, membership, and volunteerism.

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THE TRUSTEES

[BY 2023...] »» Grow membership to 75,000 households »» Engage volunteers in 100,000 hours of service annually »» Strengthen partnerships in communities where we work

CONNECT TO COMMUNITIES

RECRUIT MORE MEMBERS AND DONORS We will further an organizational culture that celebrates our members and appreciates our volunteers. By employing digital tools to make our systems more efficient and to create better experiences, we will be able to recruit more visitors, program participants, and members.

Members and donors are the lifeblood of our work and are critical to realizing The Trustees’ mission.

CURATE A SENSE OF WELCOME We will develop new activities that extend the visitor experience and continue financial sustainability. We will respond to what visitors want in their visits, like food service, restrooms, and more access. This is all about the cycle that drives membership, volunteerism, and donations—not just because it makes sense financially, but because the experience is always world class and we promote a culture and a sense of welcome.

Our neighbors, visitors, and local officials are partners in our work. They facilitate an active and vibrant eco-system that encourages civic engagement. We will ensure that we know and understand our communities. We will extend a special welcome to those who hold our work in their public roles. We will embrace more volunteers on our properties, providing rewarding and dynamic opportunities that build a vibrant and committed constituency of stewards.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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WHERE WE STAND IN 2018

What we care for WHAT WE PROTECT

CULTURAL PRESERVATION

AGRICULTURE & HORTICULTURE

116 reservations

1 National Natural Landmark

7 working farms

74,115 total acres protected

6 National Register of Historic Places

31 milking cows

12,292 acres of core habitat

343 buildings and structures

56 acres of vegetable production

350 miles of trails

38,000 collection objects (and counting)

460 laying hens

7 National Landmarks 7 waterfalls and gorges 72 archaeological sites Land in 75 communities COASTAL CONSERVATION 120 miles of coastline 35 coastal properties 16% of all protected MA coastline 26 miles of barrier beaches 2,300 acres of salt marsh

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THE TRUSTEES

112 published finding aids (68 historic, 44 stewardship) 230,000 files in digital archives

45 pigs 125 beef cattle 11 public gardens 146.2 acres planted with gardens 6,280 shrubs, trees, and perennials catalogued (and counting)

Who we are THE NEXT GENERATION

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

140,000 members

$291 million in assets

2 million visitors

$150 million endowment

56,000 volunteer hours worked

$33 million operating budget

271 year-round staff

1,000 Founder’s Circle members

561 seasonal staff

$5 million membership revenue

450 governance volunteers

$2 million CSA / farm store revenue

253,000 program participants

122 campsites (2 campgrounds) 16 inn rooms (2 inns)

All figures based on data for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.

MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Leading with passion, purpose, and vision Momentum was authored through the input of many voices, leadership from senior staff, and feedback from members and donors. We thank the following individuals for their time, energy, expertise, and work during this process.

STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITTEE Peter B. Coffin David D. Croll Thomas D. French Brian M. Kinney Robert Mason Eunice J. Panetta Cyrus Taraporevala Phyllis Robin Yale EXECUTIVE TEAM Joanna Ballantine Barbara Erickson Jocelyn Forbush Alicia Leuba Matt Montgomery Noah Schneiderman Ed Wilson

Leadership roles for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.

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THE TRUSTEES

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ADVISORY BOARD

Amy L. Auerbach Clement C. Benenson Peter B. Coffin William G. Constable Karen S. Conway Paula V. CortĂŠs David D. Croll Andrew O. Davis Elizabeth de Montrichard Uzochi Chimdinma Erlingsson Jeffrey B. Fager David R. Foster Thomas D. French Roland E. Hoch Elizabeth L. Johnson Brian M. Kinney Edward H. Ladd Robert Mason W. Hugh M. Morton Eunice J. Panetta Michael Prior Cyrus Taraporevala

Eleanor Andrews Jeff Bellows Laura Bibler Andrew P. Borggaard Richard H. Churchill, Jr. Patty Crane Walter C. Donovan Philip J. Edmundson James V. Ellard, Jr. Charles D. Esdaile Michael Even Martha L. Gangemi Edward G. Garmey Spencer P. Glendon Marjorie D. Greville Doug C. Grip Douglas B. Harding Joshua A. Klevens Julia G. Krapf Theodore C. Landsmark John D. Laupheimer, Jr. Marie LeBlanc Martin Lempres

Alexandra Liftman Daniel K. Mayer David C. McCabe Kathleen T. McIntyre Pauline C. Metcalf Brian W. Monnich Amey D. Moot Al Nierenberg Russell J. Peotter Amy Poorvu Anthony Rochte Christopher A. Shepherd Regan Shields Ives Jonathan A. Soroff Arthur K. Steinert Hope E. Suttin Yanni Tsipis John Vasconcellos Julie M. Viola Elizabeth Weinberg Smith Phyllis Robin Yale Naomi Yang

THOUGHT LEADER PANELISTS Public Gardens William Cullina, President & CEO, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, ME Paul Redman, President & CEO, Longwood Gardens Casey Sclar, PhD, Executive Director, American Public Gardens Association MODERATOR: Cynthia Brockway, Program Director of Cultural Resources, Trustees Getting Kids Outdoors Kyle Huetter, Education Manager, Animals, Science and Environment, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Judy Braus, Executive Director, North American Associaion of Environmental Education David Elkind, Professor Emeritus of Child Development, Tufts University; Author, “The Power of Play” MODERATOR: Kristen Swanberg, Director of Education and Public Programming, Trustees

Land Conservation Dana Bech, Executive Director and Founder, Coastal Conservation League of South Carolina Tim Glidden, President, Maine Coast Heritage Trust Steve Rosenberg, Senior Vice President & Executive Director, Scenic Hudson Land Trust MODERATOR : Jocelyn Forbush, Chief, Programs and Operations, Trustees Recreation and the Outdoor Economy Cam Brensinger, Founder & CEO, NEMO Equipment Allon Cohne, Chief Marketing Officer, Vibram USA Rob DeMartini, President and CEO, New Balance Jessica Wahl, Government Affairs Manager, Outdoor Industry Association MODERATOR: David Costello, Principal, Rising Tides Associates

Future of the Historic House Richard Josey, Jr., Manager of Programs, Historic Sites and Museums, Minnesota Historical Society Katherine Malone-France, Vice President for Historic Sites, National Trust for Historic Preservation Morris Vogel, PhD, President, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, NY MODERATOR: Matt Montgomery, Chief, Marketing and Engagement, Trustees Digital Strategy Brendan Ciecko, Founder & CEO, Cuseum Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief Information Officer, City of Boston Rich Mintz, Executive Vice President, Blue State Digital MODERATOR: Robert Mason, Managing Director, Project 11; Board of Directors, Trustees

Food and Agriculture Megan Camp, Vice President and Program Director, Shelburne Farms, VT Jennifer Hashley, Director, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project Will Malcolm, Food Access Manager, Capital Roots, Troy, NY MODERATOR: Cathy Wirth, Director of Agriculture, Trustees MOMENTUM | 2018 – 2023 STRATEGIC PLAN

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PHOTOGRAPHY Front cover, inside front cover: ©T. Kates; P2: Courtesy P. Coffin; P3: ©C. Marshall; P5: Courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (center); P6: ©S. Rydgren; P7: ©Above Summit (left, right), ©T. Kates (center); P8: ©W. Townson; P13: ©M. Gardner; All other photos ©Trustees

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THE TRUSTEES

thetrustees.org/momentum