STRATEGIC PLAN EVALUATION

Transcription

1 STRATEGIC PLAN EVALUATION FY16 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY VISION: From the rugged mountains to the vast prairies, Montana s wild places are protected, connected and restored because Montanans value wilderness as essential to our heritage and way of life. MISSION: Work with communities to protect Montana s wilderness heritage, quiet beauty, and outdoor traditions, now and for future generations. VALUES: Innovation Exercise creativity, openness, and boldness in thinking and action. Integrity Stay true to our mission and values and give proper regard for people, wild places, and the reciprocal relationships among them. Collaboration Work with diverse communities to conserve multiple human and natural values and connections to place. Stewardship Display a strong responsibility to wild places, now and for the future. Tenacity Operate with courage and perseverance. NARRATIVE SUMMARY: This summary serves as an overview and evaluation of our work to implement MWA s current strategic plan leading into and during FY16. A list of important successes and challenges for each strategic direction are also provided below. Over the last year, we ve achieved a strategic transition in our program and campaign priorities. In the first months of 2015, we emerged from a years long period of intensive campaigning for passage of the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act (RMFHA) and the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act (FJRA). We found ourselves facing a Congress that was (and remains today) largely unresponsive to proposals for landscape scale conservation and a state legislature that was willing to consider the transfer of ownership or sale of American public lands. We responded by maintaining an offensive posture at the federal level with a narrower focus on locally driven campaigns as compared to the statewide campaign for passage of FJRA. We focused our attention on the cancellation of 18 mineral leases in the Badger Two Medicine, the introduction of legislation to enact the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project, and the 1

2 consummation of a collaborative conservation proposal for the Kootenai National Forest, among other important goals. One year later, on March 17th, the Department of Interior made an unprecedented decision to cancel the Solenex Company s mineral lease in the Badger because it was incompatible with the irreplaceable natural and cultural resources of a sacred place and because a prior administration had issued the lease without proper cultural consultation or environmental review. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell followed up her ground breaking decision with a visit to Montana at the invitation of Sen. Tester on May 3. While next steps remain uncertain, she is expected to announce the cancellation of 17 remaining leases in the Badger in the near future. Our efforts to renew collaborative conversations with partners in the Blackfoot and Clearwater River watersheds have yielded exciting results over the last year. We released a revised proposal to packed public meetings in Seeley Lake and Missoula in November. A steady flow of positive press coverage, op eds and LTEs have followed. We ve secured many meaningful endorsements for the proposal and worked closely with staffers for all members of our congressional delegation. Sen. Tester is considering the introduction of a bill as early as this year. In December, a seven and a half year root canal according to Idaho Forest Group s Tom Doherty was successfully completed. The Kootenai Forest Stakeholders agreement, including 180,000 acres of proposed wilderness, was approved by a remarkably diverse set of partners including two timber companies, the Troy Snowmobile Club and Republican State Senator Chas Vincent. Efforts to transition from agreement to legislative proposal are now underway. At the state level, we ve shifted from a defensive strategy during the last legislative session, where we defeated 12 transfer bills and organized the largest anti transfer rally in the West, to a an offensive strategy focused on the Governor s office. Months have dialogue with the Governor s staff and over 700 public comments to his office have since produced a firm commitment from Governor Bullock to articulate a clear public lands agenda at a press event in June. This agenda is expected to include funding for a new Office of Outdoor Recreation and a commitment to expand the Habitat Montana program. In addition to the work above, we ve been deeply invested the Flathead Forest Planning process and are anticipating a strong draft environmental impact statement this spring. That decision is expected to affirm our Whitefish Range agreement and set the stage for development of a legislative proposal. We ve completed the initial round of public engagement on the Lewis and Clark Helena National Forest and we re optimistic that our innovative and collaborative work in Lewis and Clark County will be a primary influence on decision makers as the process continues. We ve remained faithful to a challenging collaborative process focused on the future of the 2

3 Gallatin Range, and we look forward to working towards successful conservation outcomes through the Custer Gallatin forest plan revision that began in January of We also won a key victory with the release of the Divide travel plan on the Helena National Forest. The final Divide plan closely mirrors the vision and landscape recommendations of Montana High Divide Trails Partnership, protects four inventoried roadless areas, two uninventoried wild lands and an additional 28 miles of the CDT as motor free single track. The Upper Blackfoot travel plan will be released this spring and is expected to deliver more conservation gains. This year, staff, council members and a handful of dedicated volunteers committed to establishing MWA s newest chapter in the Butte Beaverhead landscape over beers in the long shadow of the Continental Divide. Looking ahead, southwest Montana will have a new bench of strong advocates cheering on storied landscapes like the East Pioneers, West Big Hole and Anaconda Pintler country. Also in the southwest corner of the state, MWA staff have been building from a 2013 agreement in the Snowcrests by partnering with local landowners, grazers and members of local conservation districts to find new ways to maintain our outdoor traditions, working landscapes and wilderness heritage for future generations. In the fall of 2015, the BLM released three Resource Management Plans guiding the management of millions of acres across eastern and central Montana. While these plans offered strong conservation protections to ensure the survival of sage grouse, they fell short of our goals for managing many areas for their wilderness values. Learning from past plans, we will move forward with partners who share equally high goals for the Lewistown Resource Management Plan, urging the BLM to protect nearly 100,000 acres of priority lands along the Musselshell and Missouri Rivers for both their wildness and wildlife values. Through CDT Montana, Wilderness Walks, and wildlife tracking workshops, MWA continues to engage volunteers in stewarding the CDT and connecting people to wildlands and wildlife across the state. It s worth noting that our CDT Montana program mobilized 159 volunteers this year and significantly influenced the national USFS guidelines for desired future conditions of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which will be finalized soon. One of our proudest moments this year was the recent release of hikewildmontana.org at an April 7th event headlined by Governor Bullock. Built with a grant from the Montana Department of Tourism, the hiking guide was launched with 227 trails. The guide was covered in all of Montana's daily newspapers dailies as well as the Spokesman Review, the San Francisco Daily Chronicle, the Seattle Times, the Washington Times, the Richmond Times Dispatch, and even the Lubbock Avalanche Journal. 3

4 While the online hiking guide was easily the most visible example of MWA s efforts to build power through web based communication and networking, there were other powerful examples as well. Quality writing and timely analysis on our blogs, Wild Word and What s New, have helped drive a boom in traffic to our website. We re currently on pace for 300,000 total page views and 158,000 sessions this year compared to 231,000 pages views and 123 sessions last year. We re also using web based tools to improve, advance and measure campaign objectives. Last fall, we began using a new organizing and communication tool box through Salsa. All blasts are now being conducted through Salsa to a larger audience (17,000 total addresses). Several Salsa action pages have yielded remarkable results, including 438 unique comments to the Governor (PLPH) and a total of 764 comments to Rep. Zinke on two separate bills. In regard to fund development, revenue projections are on pace to reach our objectives to meet with at least 60 major donors and prospects and to acquire at least 20 new major donors. To date, more than 45 meetings have occurred raising more than $283,000. Meanwhile, we are set to exceed our objectives to renew a minimum of 420 lapsed members and to increase total household membership to 3,691 or more. MWA has continued to create an organizational culture of philanthropy by engaging both council and staff in fundraising strategies. All field staff, for example, are stewarding donors within their regions in coordination with our development team. In addition, the Development Team is reaching out to Council Members to more fully engage them in all aspects of fund development. As part of building the aforementioned philanthropic culture, the Development Team is working to bridge the gap between it and other MWA departments. One example of this is the creation of a standing meeting between the Development Department and the Communications Department. Ensuring these two departments are on the same page helps both do better, more effective work. All the above work would not be possible without a strong operational core. Over the last several years, MWA has worked hard to become a model for operational effectiveness. From our progressive compensation philosophy and orderly employment manual to our staff backpack trip and reputation for flexible work schedules, we ve gained a reputation for a positive and increasingly resilient organizational culture. In November, we were recognized for this hard work when MWA was listed #41 on Outside Magazines top 100 places to work. And we ve continued to strengthen our operations since then. We ve firmly established a 6 person 4

5 leadership team to guide organization development; we ve created an online system for tracking insurance and other benefits; and we ve even gone to paperless expense reporting. SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES: Strategic Direction #1 Outreach and Mobilization: Share the values of wilderness and wild lands and their positive impacts on communities. Build broad based bipartisan support for wilderness protection through outreach and mobilization of influential constituencies. Designed and printed 40,000 rack cards and 25,000 coasters to promote hike.wildmontana.org. Promotional ads and content to air/print/display at MT public radio, Yellowstone public radio, KGLT, Montana Magazine, High Country News, the Trail 103.3, the Base Camp, the Crown Discovery Center, Destination Missoula,Wilderness.net, USFS Region 1, National Geographic s Crown of the Continent website, the Montana state library, the Bozeman Chamber and Sweet Peaks ice cream. Facebook fans nearing 43,000, well above the annual target of 35,000. Regarding wildmontana.org currently on pace for 300,000 total page views and 158,000 sessions this year compared to 231,000 pages views and 123 sessions last year. In January, we organized a public lands panel that drew a crowd of roughly 130 people (about half students and half broader community members) and was written up in the Bozeman Chronicle. MWA generated 20 LTEs on public lands, which have been published 26 times. In addition, our Communications Manager successfully pitched a story connecting Oregon extremists to anti public lands decision makers in Montana (Helena IR, Jan. 12), a pro public lands editorial to the Independent Record (Helena IR, Jan. 28) and a public lands article to the Missoula Independent, which heavily featured quotes from our Executive Director and MWA member Rick Potts (Feb 18). On May 3 MWA Council member Gerry Jennings delivers remarks about public land values and withdrawing 17 remaining leases in the Badger Two Medicine alongside Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell, Sen. Jon Tester, and other public lands advocates. Over 200 members of the public and media attend. Conducted over 150 winter and summer wilderness walks engaging over 1000 members of the public. Conducted 8 wildlands inventory projects in the HLCNF and CGNF engaging over 25 volunteers to conduct this inventory work. Successfully organized Wild Fest 2015 in the Butte Beaverhead area with over 300 attendees. Highlighted the importance of wildlands protection in southwest Montana with presentations and multiple outings. From May 2015 May 2016 organized and conducted over 20 successful Wilderness Walks/CDT Montana kick off events across the state. 5

6 Challenge: Maintaining capacity to conducting effective grassroots mobilization and outreach when multiple wildland conservation opportunities, agency planning processes, and threats are unfolding along similar timelines. As mentioned above new organizing and communication tool box through Salsa continues to increase MWA s ability to conduct targeted grassroots mobilization. Strategic Direction #2 Wild Lands Protection: Protect Montana s wild places through wilderness designation, administrative agency processes, collaboration with communities and stakeholders, and promotion of quiet trails. Secured the cancellation of the Solenex lease in the sacred Badger Two Medicine and continue to balance a successful legal strategy with thoughtful campaign and stewardship goals. Rebuilt, re branded and doubled down on generating public support for the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project. This proposal is now legislation ready and carries support from all three county commissions, motorized interests, businesses, outfitters and guides. In December, the Kootenai Forest Stakeholders, a coalition of timber partners, local elected officials, motorized users and conservationists, reached a historic agreement recommending 180,000 acres of proposed wilderness and over 50,000 acres of non motorized backcountry areas. Over the course of FY16, staff have been deeply invested in securing successful conservation outcomes through planning processes on over 7.5 million acres across the Flathead, Helena Lewis and Clark and Custer Gallatin National Forests and on the Lewistown Field Office (BLM). In the 2015 field season, CDT Montana engaged 159 volunteers, including 27 youth and 24 veterans, while working 40 miles of trial and building hundreds of feet of turnpike. Nearing eight years of collaborative work, Montana High Divide Trails extended their agreement to cover roadless lands in the Big Belts and helped shape a critical Travel Management Plan on the Helena Ranger District. In the summer of 2015 ahead of major planning processes, MWA expanded its wildland inventory program to cover priority areas on the Helena Lewis and Clark and Custer Gallatin National Forests, in addition to our ongoing inventory on BLM lands. Challenge: With so much mission critical work happening across Montana, our organization is challenged by our capacity to tackle each new program, planning process or campaign. 6

7 Strategic Direction #3 Youth Empowerment: Engage and energize the next generation of wilderness advocates and increase youth involvement in MWA. Three Wilderness fellows hired in the fall at 19 hrs/wk: Grete Gansauer (Whitefish), Brennen Cain (Missoula), and Kate Sheridan (Bozeman). Kate has since been increased to 40 hrs/week to help support PLPH program. All fellows split time in support of local program/campaign work and statewide PLPH work. We ve worked to strengthen campus involvement with MWA s mission by hosting PLPH panels at MSU and UM, advertising our events more broadly on campus and by developing a core group of students who turnout for organization wide events. On average, approximately students on UM and MSU campuses form a core group of student activists meeting twice a month with one outing per month. Staff continue to create ways for veterans to connect with one another, Montana s wildlands and MWA s mission by hosting panel discussions, coordinating veteran specific outings and connecting them to our work in the Badger. Summer of 2015, 10 young Blackfeet spent 4 weeks completing a variety of trail improvement projects in the Badger Two Medicine area of the Helena Lewis & Clark National Forest. The crew camped out behind Swift Dam and worked to clear trails, improve tread and install over 20 drainage structures to facilitate proper drainage that will help sustain these trails for years to come. Challenge/ Opportunity: Overall, NexGen engagement is becoming more integrated in the organization, but our capacity for deeper youth engagement is limited by the scope of our program work. Strategic Direction #4 Philanthropy: Weave a culture of philanthropy through all levels of MWA with emphasis on expanding council, volunteer, and staff networks of potential supporters and donor relationships. A. On track to increase membership by 25%, with a target goal of 15%. This is due to the deliberate execution a robust membership recruitment and retention plan. This, in conjunction with a highly functioning Major Gifts Program (which has received more than $283,000 in gifts in FY 2016 already) has us well on the the way to our goal of $2M in total revenue by FY B. Seeking increased foundation support at the rate of one to two new foundations per year is ongoing. Of note, since FY 2015 we have several proposals in that, if funded, would be new foundation support. These include Red Ants Pants and Keen, with other foundations supporting MWA at increased levels and / or new programs. These include the Western Conservation Foundation s and Patagonia s support for the Badger. In 7

8 addition, Kendeda s support of PLPH is new and in addition to its traditional support of MWA. Lastly, there are a number of new foundations that are currently being researched. C. Presently, MWA s Council has room for growth in fundraising. While most members are engaged in providing contacts, and are willing to make thank you calls, etc., the Development Department is in hopes of building the Council s involvement in fundraising, ideally having two or three be willing to go on donor visits and make asks. D. Since November 2014, MWA has quadrupled its development staff with the addition of a Development Manager, Database Manager, and Development Coordinator. This staff, along with Missoula based Community Engagement Manager s role in grant writing, has created a capacity sufficient to meet, or ideally exceeded, income projections for FY Challenge / Opportunity: With recent staff turnover in the Development Department, it is currently in a period of transition. While change can be challenging, with a recent retooling of the four Development Team members job descriptions, the Team is on track to become an ever increasingly effective and creative resource for MWA. Challenge / Opportunity: A current priority of the Team, as well as others on staff who fundraise, is to flesh out the Corporate Support Program. Several areas of MWA s work have been created or identified that provide investment opportunities for businesses on all levels. It is expected that, once in place, the Corporate Support Program will be a lucrative source of funding for MWA. Strategic Direction #5 Organizational Effectiveness: Build a strong, effective, efficient institution so that MWA remains an enduring force for the protection of Montana s wild places. Engaged Associated Employers to develop customized salary study and philosophy to guide compensation at MWA moving forward. Implemented beginning in FY Organizational realignment to redistribute leadership roles, responsibilities and reporting; leadership team development through facilitated retreat and coaching and restructuring of meetings. Throughout FY 2016 increased awareness around healthy organizational culture and resiliency. Continue to invest in quality organizational infrastructure. Ie. office space, computer systems, veridesks, etc. Implemented ExpenseWatch for desktop and mobile app to track, report and guide staff expenditures. Feb 2016 Enhanced hiring and onboarding process for greater consistency, completeness and organizational cohesion. Implementing Zenefits online HR tool for greater staff access to hiring tools and personal benefits information. May

9 Budget and reporting process refinements for greater staff accountability. Challenge/Opportunity: The MWA Operations Manual remains a priority. This will be a reference tool for staff to be clear about MWA procedures, practices, and culture. The capacity to complete this manual is limited. 9