NPF-NPS-NCR Meeting Summary November 4, 2003

NPF-NPS-NCR Meeting Summary November 4, 2003
Attendees: Jay Vestal, Jill Nicoll and Hedrick Belin, National Park Foundation; Joe Lawler, Bob Sutton and Glenn Eugster, National Park Service, National Capital Region

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the strategy for the greater Washington National Parks Fund, created by NPS and NPF in 2001.

Jay Vestal began the meeting by saying that “the GWNPF isn’t working and that a new executive director won’t right the problem”. Jay briefly described how NPF is working with nine different funds and some are working and others aren’t. He indicated that he wanted to “genericize the discussion” and not make it specific to GWNPF.

Jay indicated that Jill Nicoll had asked him to analyze these types of fundraising efforts and he wanted to share some of his thoughts. He indicated that:

Single park fundraising efforts work and multiple park efforts haven’t worked so well.
Fundraising efforts need a “given earned-income stream”. He noted Glacier and the funds they raise from license plates, Crater Lake and the income they raise from license plates and a lodging fee check-off, and Alcatraz and the income they receive from tours.
A single investment in a fundraising effort doesn’t work as well as a steady stream of income. He noted that $187,000 of NPS and NPF funds had been invested at the start of the GWNPF. $300,000 of funds was used to start the Outside Las Vegas effort.
Pulling together a generous Board was important. He noted that Board member donations were an expected contribution.
There is a need for a single main voice as a fundraising entity. He noted that the Trust for the National Mall made it difficult for NPF to speak with one voice.

Mr. Vestal continued by saying “NPF is committed to find some kind of solution for GWNPF”. He said that “We want every park to have multi-friends group, however, it is a question of the scale of these groups”. Jay believes that small friends groups are inconsequential but groups like the trust for the National Mall are different. He believes that competition will hurt both efforts. His hope, in working with the National Mall fundraising effort was “to co-op the Trust for the National Mall”.

Jay went on to say “NPF wants the trust for the National Mall to lead the GWNPF”. He urged NPS “to insist on money from the Trust go to the GWNPF. Jay said, “This will get us money faster than slogging it out with a second organization”.

Mr. Vestal went on to say “We don’t think we can be all things to all people. Today we are at a standstill. Going ahead with the GWNPF won’t work with competition from the trust for the National Mall”. Jay said, “We want NPF to be the major fundraising organization for NPS working as we do as a national organization”.

Jill Nicoll said that she felt that the current GWNPF situation was based on “a lack of success and competition with the Trust”. She said, “This was an experiment and it is not succeeding. We’ll have to invent something new”.

Joe Lawler, in response to the opening comments, said that he had heard a number of issues in Jay’s analysis that he thought could be the basis for success with the GWNPF. Joe said, “What about revenue generation as a way to help the GWNPF? We could look into license plates. With all the people driving on NPS parkways this might be a good approach”.

Joe went on further to ask Jay and Jill about the competition issue. He said, “Aren’t there enough big names in the metro-region that could donate to the GWNPF?”

Joe went further and said, “We have never had a person to lead the GWNPF to make a serious effort”.

Jay Vestal responded to Joe’s comments by saying, “Revenue generation would have to be structured through a cooperating association. NPS needs to partner with someone in order to have a storefront presence. The GWNPF will have to assume a greater role”.

Hedrick Belin commented saying “NPF investigated license plates and they found that there is no option for this approach in DC; MD has only two donation options; and VA has many. In VA the money needs to stay in the Commonwealth”.

Jill Nicoll responded by saying, “NPF doesn’t have a revenue skill-set”. Jill suggested that NPS go to Greg Moore and that a business plan would be necessary. She went further to say that NPF encourages NPS to pursue earned revenue through Parks & History”.

Jill said that “NPF is prepared to return cash to NPS for the funds we took to start the GWNPF”.

Jay Vestal moved the conversation to an article that he had read on “the explosion of nonprofits”. He said that the article, entitled “Beyond Collaboration” by someone at the University of CA at Irvine would be helpful for NPS to read to get a better understanding of how to work with partners. He said that the Conservation Company researched strategic issues that organizations face as the basis for their article. He noted that they do “development audits which are comprehensive and unbiased”.

Jay went further to say “In addition to returning the 4-5 park investments that were made for the GWNPF, NPF will pay ½ a grant for one of these companies to do a development audit”. He said, “Different structural models could be suggested. This could show NPS how we can make groups come together on a more structural way”.

Jill Nicoll suggested, “This could result in a new umbrella organization to harness philanthropic giving”.

Glenn Eugster asked Jill and Jay what the next steps for the GWNPF were. Mr. Vestal and Ms. Nicoll indicated:

NPF will continue to help the NCR parks as usual.
NPF will payback the NPS money that went into the GWNPF.
NPF recommends that NPS use consultants to help this effort and they are willing to pay ½ of the costs of such a study.
NPF encourages the trust for the National Mall to go forward and broaden their scope to benefit the Greater Washington National Parks.

Glenn Eugster asked Jill and Jay about an earlier offer NPF made to do a pilot project in NCR on revenue generation. Jill indicated that the NPF Trustees would have to approve that idea and that NPF could do either the revenue generation pilot or the consultant study.

The group focused discussion on the need to have discussions with key stakeholders as a way to communicate the decisions that NPF made. It was suggested that it would be useful to develop talking points that everyone could use to communicate the same message. It was also suggested that a joint letter from Terry Carlstrom and Jim Maddy be considered as a way to share the latest news.

Glenn Eugster asked Jill and Jay if the GWNPF account could remain open. They agreed that it could be maintained.

Bob Sutton indicated that he would have to think about the results of the meeting before he was able to act on behalf of the GWNPF Parks Council.

jge 11-9-03