Partnerships Report—February 21, 2008

Partnerships Report—February 21, 2008

J. Glenn Eugster

1. Created in 2002 by Regional Managers to:

• Put a more collaborative face on NCR parks and programs
• Find more public and private funds
• Give partnerships more visibility
• Intent is to help park and program managers, and our partners, accomplish goals, objectives and tasks.  Help people help themselves to protect and serve

2.  Since that time we have been a period of partnership mania.  Most recently we are hearing a steady stream of promises of funding related to the Centennial Initiative.  NCR has had a long tradition of partnerships so some of the mania isn’t new to us—or is it?

3. Givens:

• Initiatives come and go with each administration.
• Work belongs to each of you and you decide how it gets done.
• The world, and our world at NPS, has changed and will continue to change.  

--More demands; 

--more immediate demands;

--expected to practice multi-tasking (muddled tasking); 

--NCR is seeing the arrival of the next generation of NPS leaders and with that comes new ideas and a loss of institutional memory and contacts

--less money to do everything we are being asked to do; 

--anti-fed sentiment; and 

--we are losing parkland and open space at an alarming rate.

4. So…What do we do about it?  

Many believe that new levels of success require organizations that foster collaboration within and with others.

We use partnerships sometimes when we can’t, or shouldn’t do something alone, or when we want to do something better.  

Let’s go back to the purpose of my office---it’s about money right?  

First step, reconsider old or bad decisions.  Look for ways to eliminate expenditures that don’t make sense anymore.

• such as annual payments to support NERO programs—that are fully funded.

Second step, find the low hanging sources of funding.

• such as leveraging WASO funds for services to secure funds to start the planning process for the National Mall Plan 
• or RTCA—programs that have been providing NPS regions funding for 25 years that NCR hasn’t taken advantage of;
• and, Unilever/ Lipton’s Trails Forever/ Healthy Parks-Healthy Living effort

Third, open for the donation business.  Answer the question for partners and the public, How can I help the National Park Service?

• such as the Cherry Tree Replacement Endowment Fund and work with the Willard Hotel and their commitment to Sustainable Development.

--$7,500 donation to the Cherry Tree Fund

--Assistance to NAMA with Pershing Park

--Working with NCR on the Green Event Planning Guide

--Sharing information with NPS on Sustainable Hospitality Standards including: healthy foods; energy conservation; healthier employees; 

Fourth,  be more of an advocate for parks, open space and outdoor recreation areas.

• such as partnering with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on the Green Infrastructure Demonstration project;
• and partnering with the America the Beautiful Fund and SCA to help support Urban Gardens in DC

Fifth, look for partners to help fundraise for NPS for specific projects.

• such as the Georgetown Waterfront, National Mall, Frederick Douglass NHS, Education Center at Piscataway Park.

Our region is unique and uniquely situated to use partnerships more effectively to accomplish our work.

• Jack Fish once said, Washington, DC is a city within a national park”.
• Because of that close relationship to people and communities, many of our partners have a stake in mutual success.
• Partnerships and finding HELP OR money are  inseperable.  If you want to raise funds you need to:

1. Raise friends
2. If you want to raise friends you need to be clear on the cause, and be able to describe who is behind the cause and why it is important to act know.  dON’T FORGET—THEY DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW UNTIL THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE.

• Think of it as a FORMULA:

CASUE + WHO IS BEHIND THE CAUSE+ FRIENDSRAISING= FUNDS AND ASSISTANCE