PARTNERSHIPS: A NEW COOL WAY OF DOING BUSINESS

PARTNERSHIPS: A NEW COOL WAY OF DOING BUSINESS
Glenn Eugster, Assistant Regional Director, Partnerships Program, National Capital Region, National Park Service
April 3, 2001 Ocean City, MD.

NCR WORKSHOP IN OCEAN CITY, MD. THAT'S COOL!
PARTNERSHIPS? ARE THEY NEW? ARE THEY COOL? ARE THEY A WAY TO DO BUSINESS? LET'S WAIT BEFORE WE ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.

I'VE LEARNED FROM MY CONVERSATIONS THIS YEAR THAT THERE ARE MANY PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN PARKS, WITH COMMUNITIES AND FRIENDS GROUPS, WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES, STATES, AND OTHERS.

MARCH 2000 NCR STARTED THE PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM.
PURPOSE: TO FIND WAYS TO USE PARTNERSHIPS TO HELP NPS PARK AND PROGRAM MANAGERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS MEET NATIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES WITHIN THE NCR/ POTOMAC RIVER WATERSHED.

MY CHARGE WAS TO MAKE FRIENDS AND RAISE MONEY TO HELP US DO OUR JOB.

I GOT THE PARTNERSHIP TOOL KIT THAT OUR HEADQUARTERS OFFICE. I CALL IT THE BOX OF ROCKS--PLENTY OF EXPECTATIONS, PROPOSALS AND ENCOURAGEMENT GALORE BUT NO MONEY TO DO ANYTHING. FRANKLY, IN ORDER TO WORK ON PARTNERSHIPS YOU HAVE TO HAVE BLIND-FAITH THAT THESE APPROACHES WILL WORK. AS A TEST, AND SHOW OF COURAGE, WE GET TO START-OFF WITH NEXT TO NOTHING TO PROVE WE CAN REALLY MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN.

AND THAT'S COOL--WALK THE TALK, RIGHT?

WORKING IN NPS IS REALLY ABOUT M AND M'S RIGHT? MISSION AND MONEY? IT IS AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE AND CREATIVE FORUMULA TO USE.

OUR JOB IS ALWAYS ABOUT MONEY RIGHT? OBVIOULSY MONEY IS IMPORTANT BUT FRANKLY IT'S NEVER ABOUT MONEY. HOWEVER, IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT PEOPLE, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF NPS, AGREEING ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, HOW IT'S TO BE DONE, AND WHEN.

IT'S INTERESTING HOW WHEN PEOPLE GET ON THE SAME PAGE, THE MONEY ALWAYS IS THERE.

LET'S START BY TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS.

PARK PARTNERSHIPS CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT COLLABORATIONS. A PARTNERSHIP TYPICALLY REFERS TO ANY VOLUNTARY COLLABORATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOWARD A COMMON OBJECTIVE.

A PARTNERSHIP BUILDS SNYERGISTICALLY ON THE TIME, TALENT, AND SUPPORT OF ALL PARTNERS TO MUTUAL BENEFIT AND INTEREST.

WHEN I THINK OF PARTNERSHIPS I THINK OF STUART COWAN'S QUOTE FROM HIS BOOK ECOLOGICAL DESIGN. HE SAYS, "LISTEN TO EVERY VOICE IN THE DESIGN PROCESS. NO ONE IS A PAERTICIPANT ONLY OR A DEISGNER ONLY: EVERYONE IS A PARTICIPANT AND A DESIGNER. HONOR THE SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE THAT EACH PERSON BRINGS".

WHEN IT WORKS IT'S A WIN/ WIN PROPOSITION--EVERYONE CONTRIBUTES AND BENEFITS BY PARTICIPATING.

IN IT'S SIMPLIST FORM; PARTNERSHIPS ARE ANOTHER WAY TO HELP US HELP OURSELVES TO ACCOMPLISH OUR MISSION.

IT'S A MEAN TO AN END AND IT CAN RESULT IN:

A SHARED PURPOSE
INCREASED RESOURCES
SHARED EFFICIENCY
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
BETTER COMMUNICATION
INCREASED SUPPORT FROM WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE AGENCY
INCREASED ORGANIZATION MORALE AND IMAGE

THERE ARE MANY FORMS THAT PARTNERSHIPS CAN TAKE. FOR EXAMPLE YOU CAN:

RESPOND TO A GROUP YOU KNOW WELL
RESPOND TO A GROUP THAT YOU HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY WORKED WITH
TARGET AN OPPORTUNITY AND MAKE A PROPOSAL TO A GROUP
INITIATE A PROACTIVE OPPORTUNITY BYU IDENTIFYING A TASK OR ISSUE AND ISSUING A CALL FOR ASSISTANCE

WHILE THE BOX OF ROCKS DOESN'T COME WITH MONEY IT DOES HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CURRENCY OR CAPITAL. YOU CAN USE THIS CURRENCY TO GET THE M & M'S. WHAT PARTNERSHIPS BRING ARE:

FRIENDS--CO-WORKERS, OTHER OFFICES, OTHER AGENCIES, GOVERNMENT, CORPORATIONS, COMPANIES AND NON-PROFIT GROUPS THAT MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE SAME GOALS AND OBJECTIVES WE ARE.
A HIGH PROFILE PLATFORM, THAT IS BOTH UNIQUE AND DESIREABLE, TO MANY POSSIBLE PARTNERS--NATIONAL PARKS AND THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE! OUR PARKS, EXPERTISE AND IMAGE ATTRACTS PARTNERS THAT CAN HELP US HELP OURSELVES.
A WAY FOR OUR MANAGERS AND KNOWLEDGE WORKERS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY DEAL WITH THE PACE OF CHANGE, THE CONSTANTLY INCREASING DEMAND FOR INFORMATION, AND THE GROWING COMPLEXITY OF THE WORKPLACE--FORCES THAT ARE STRETCHING PEOPLE TO THEIR LIMITS.
A TOOL TO MANAGE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS TO HELP ENSURE THAT OUR MISSION WILL BE ACHIEVED. WITH PARTNERSHIPS MORE AND MORE THAN THE NORM WE NEED TO KNOW HOW TO USE THESE ARRANGEMENTS TO OUR BENEFIT.

PARTNERSHIP IS A TERM THAT IS USED LOOSELY AND CAN BE INHERENTLY LEAKY. REAL PARTNERSHIPS INCLUDE:
SERIOUSNESS OF PURPOSE ON THE PART OF ALL PARTICIPANTS.
AN IDENTIFIABLE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTNERSHIP GOALS AND EACH ORGANIZATION'S GOALS.
JOINT AND FULL PARTICIPATION OF EACH ORGANIZATION IN THE PARTNERSHIP'S ACTIVITIES.
A SUSTAINED LEVEL OF MUTUAL EFFORT.

LET ME TALK A FEW MOMENTS TO HIGHLIGHT SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH PARTNERSHIPS WITHIN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION.

COMMUNICATION: AT THE REGIONAL OFFICE MANY FOLKS WORK IN DIFFERENT OFFICES. WE ARE ALL BUSY DOING OUR OWN JOBS AND OFTEN DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR INTEREST TO LOOK AT THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR CO-WORKERS.

LAST YEAR WE BEGAN TO HAVE CONCERNS THAT WE WEREN'T COMMUNICATING THE MISSION OF NPS AS EFFECTIVELY AS WE SHOULD. OUR FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY HAS IMPLICATIONS WITH PARK USERS, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, CONGRESS AND OUR COMMUNITY NEIGHBORS.

WE'VE BEGUN TO LOOK AT WAYS TO IMPROVE THE WAY WE COMMUNICATE BY CREATING A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THOSE WHO WORK ON THE NCR WEB-SITE, REGIONAL GUIDES AND MAPS, THE NCR INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY, AND MEDIA RELATIONS. WORK IS UNDERWAY TO LINK THESE ACTIVITIES TOGETHER TO CREATE A MORE EFFECTIVE MESSAGE AND BETTER INFROMATION ON WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT AND WHAT SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE.

FUNDRAISING: LAST YEAR OUR 14 PARK MANAGERS DECIDED TO WORK TOGETHER TO RAISE NON-FEDERAL FUNDS, THROUGH THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION, TO COMPLIMENT THE MONEY THAT CONGRESS GIVES US. EFFORTS ARE UNDERWAY TO CREATE A NCR FUND--THE NATION'S CAPITAL NATIONAL PARKS FUND, WAS THE EARLY TITLE, THAT WOULD BE AN EXTENSION OF NPF THAT WOULD ACTIVELY WORK TO RAISE MONEY FOR PARK PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES.

WE HOPE TO APPROVE A PROPOSAL FOR THE NCR FUND IN MAY AT THE PARK SUPERINTENDENTS MEETING AND OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN JULY AFTER THE NPF BOARD APPROVES OUR PROPOSAL.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES: ONE DAY IS WAS ASKED TO ATTEND A MEETING WITH THE AMERICAN CHARIOTT CORPORATION, DON FALSOOF, MIKE DOHERTY AND OTHERS TO DISCUSS AFV'S. NEXT THING I KNOW I'M ATTENDING A TRAINING SESSION ON AEV'S AT GETTS AND HELPING MIKE AND DON TO DESIGN A PARTNERSHIP TO SEE IF WE CAN DO MORE TO HELP THE PARKS MAKE THE SHIFT TO ELECTRIC, NATURAL GAS, BIO-DISEL, AND OTHER FUELED VEHICLES.

VERY COOL!

BOB JARCHO WILL TALK SOME ABOUT THIS TOMORROW. HOWEVER, WE ARE FINDING THAT MAJOR AUTO MANAUFACTURERS ARE INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH NPS--HERE IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, TO DEMONSTRATE THE USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES. THEY WOULD LIKE NOTHING BETTER THAN TO SHOWCASE THEIR VEHICLES IN OUR PARKS. WE THINK THAT WE CAN GET THEM TO DONATE SOME OF THESE VEHICLES AND HELP US CONTINUE TO SHOW THE PUBLIC THAT WE ARE WORKING TO HELP THE US DEAL WITH ENERGY, AIR AND WATER QUALITY, AND HEALTH ISSUES.


POTOMAC RIVER EDUCATION INITIATIVE: LARGELY THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF EINAR OLSEN WE ARE HELPING TO FASHION A PARTNERSHIP TO HELP NPS AND OTHER LAND MANAGERS AND LOCAL OFFICIALS DEAL WITH PERVASIVE ILLEGAL FISHING AND POACHING; A LACK OF PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF FISHING REGULATIONS; CONFUSING MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL DISTRICTS; LITTERING, FIRES, SWIMMING, AND MORE.

WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE POTOMAC LAND TRUST, THE FRIENDS OF THE POTOMAC AND THE ALEXANDRIA SEAPORT FOUNDATION WE ARE LOOKING AT PARTNERSHIP APPROACHES AND RESOURCES TO IMPROVE OUR EDUCATION, ON-SITE MANAGEMENT AND ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES.

SPECIFIC PARK FRIENDS GROUPS AND ACTIONS: WE HAVE BEGUN TO PARTNER WITH NATIONAL CAPITAL PARKS EAST AND COMMUNITY GROUPS TO DESIGN PARTNERSHIPS FOR LINCOLN PARK, STANTON PARK AND GREEN BELT PARK.

THESE ARE JUST SEVERAL EXAMPLES. AS YOU APPROACH YOUR WORK THINK PARTNERSHIPS--THE M & M'S, THE BOX OF ROCKS AND THE NCR PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM MAY BE A WAY TO HELP YOU HELP YOURSELF ACCOMPLISH WHAT YOU NEED TO DO WITH YOU PARKS AND OUR REGION.

Q. IS IT A NEW IDEA? PROBABLY NOT. MY GUESS IS THAT ALL OF YOU SUE PARTNERSHIPS ALREADY.

Q. IS IT COOL? COOLNESS IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, RIGHT? FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH MIKE, DON, ED, AND THE PARK SUPERINTENDENTS--DEFINITELTY!

Q. IS IT A WAY TO DO BUSINESS? EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT PARTNERSHIPS ARE AN EMERGING STRATEGY FOR ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS TO PARK AND CONSERVATION CHALLENGES. WHEN THEY FUNCTION WELL THEY IMPLEMENT ON-THE-GROUND PROJECTS, PREEMPT POTENTIAL CONFLICTS, DESIGN COHERENT PLANS, ENHANCE RESEARCH, AND IMPROVE VISITOR SERVICES.

IF WE CAN BE OF ANY ASSISTANCE TO YOU IN YOUR CURRENT OR FUTURE PARTNERSHIPS PLEASE CALL ON ME.

CONTINUED SUCCESS WITH YOUR WORKSHOP!