SMITH MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND AND PLAYHOUSE Strategic Business Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Transcription

1 SMITH MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND AND PLAYHOUSE Strategic Business Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Prepared by 31 Milk Street, Suite 310, Boston, MA 02109,

2 I. Introduction Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse s strategic plan for the years 2013 through 2016 clarifies Smith s mission and direction and provides an emerging road map for achieving this vision. For 113 years, the Smith Memorial Playground has provided a beautiful and inspiring space for Philadelphia s children to play in East Fairmount Park. The founding vision of the Smiths, to enhance the well-being of urban children by providing a safe place for them to play, remains remarkably relevant over a century later. Smith s operations were managed by a local bank s trust department for most of its existence. However, by the early 2000s, the income from the trust proved insufficient to keep up with both Smith s maintenance and operating costs, and the bank closed the facility. In response, with leadership from Professor James Strazzella of Temple University, a nonprofit was initiated to ensure that this unique and treasured resource would continue to be available for the region s children. The years since the nonprofit was formed have seen significant progress approximately seven million dollars have been raised to rebuild the Playground and restore the Playhouse, and the number of visitors has grown exponentially. Smith has initiated outreach to new partners, including local organizations serving homeless children, and professionals across the Delaware Valley who are trying to highlight the essential importance of play to children s development. Proposed new developments for Audubon Pennsylvania and Outward Bound just across the street in East Fairmount Park also offer promising prospects. Through the planning process, Smith s Board and staff have re-committed to continuing Smith s legacy as a national model and a local treasure and reaffirmed that Smith s core strength and primary commitment is to continue its proud legacy as a unique destination for play, providing free access to the Playground and Playhouse for all children. The Planning Committee has worked diligently to review the issues before Smith, assess the evolving operating environment, and articulate a practical strategic plan that will allow the organization to position itself for continued sustainability, efficacy, and relevance, while remaining true to its founding vision. We invite our partners and stakeholders to join us in moving forward to accomplish this important vision. II. The Planning Process In early 2012 Smith engaged TDC, a Boston-based nonprofit management consulting firm with extensive experience with children s issues, parks and green spaces and the Philadelphia non-profit operating environment, to facilitate the strategic planning process. TDC conducted both internal and external research to inform the development of the strategic framework, including: Review of internal documentation; Interviews with key internal stakeholders, including the founder and staff; Interviews with key external stakeholders, including current and potential partners, current funders, and the architect; Page - 1 -

3 Financial analysis; Analysis of visitation trends; Contributed trends assessment; and, Review of the Master Plan and proposed renovations. The planning process benefited tremendously from the passion, commitment, and expertise of the Strategic Planning Committee, as listed below. Strategic Planning Committee Members Elinor Haider, Chair Anna Forrester Jean Hemphill Brett Mandel Susan Jaffe Meg Wise, Executive Director III. Key Research Findings and Analysis The research effort clarified that Smith has much to be proud of. A unique site in East Fairmount Park, a committed and hard-working staff and Board, and a long legacy have all contributed to Smith being a treasured regional asset that adds to the quality of life of young children and their families. At the same time, Smith has been challenged to leverage this asset given a relatively narrow income base, a small staff, and a Board role which is still evolving. Visitation at Smith has been increasing over the past few years, and the relationship with the immediate neighborhood has been strengthened. In addition, the Play for All program shows early indications that it has been successful in its goal of reaching out to children and families in need. East Fairmount Park is an area of increased interest to the City and key philanthropic players, and Smith will be getting a new neighbor with the proposed development of a facility for Audubon Pennsylvania and Outward Bound across the street. While Smith has raised substantial capital dollars to restore the Playground and Playhouse, during the planning process it was clarified that the Playhouse requires an additional $5.1 M in near-term capital improvements. This significant capital need, combined with the reality that some of the Playhouse space is under-utilized, led the Planning Committee to conclude that Smith should seek a partner or partner(s) whose mission, capacity, and expertise would complement Smith s. A major partner who might use some of the Playhouse space for compelling and complementary programming could help to extend Smith s reach in fulfilling its mission of promoting play for children in greater Philadelphia while at the same time helping to raise needed capital dollars. TDC and Smith had a number of conversations with potential partners during the final weeks of the planning effort. Many of these conversations have led to productive programmatic collaborations that have been planned or implemented, consistent with the program section of this plan. As of this date, Smith is in the early stages of exploring a major partnership with one entity who would co-locate programming at the Playhouse. Page - 2 -

4 At the same time that Smith is looking to forge a major partnership, it will continue to move forward on its core commitment and primary aim to provide access to play for the region s children through the Playground and Playhouse. This will require that Smith continue to enhance its programming, strengthen its fundraising, raise capital dollars, market itself, and build a governance and staffing structure that supports this plan. IV. Mission, Vision and Values Mission Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, located in East Fairmount Park, has been a treasured destination for over 100 years. Smith strives to be Philadelphia s foremost resource for play by providing opportunities for unstructured creative play for children 10 and younger. Smith contributes to the development of healthy children, strong families, and safe communities by: 1) maintaining a proud tradition of free family admission; 2) partnering with community-based organizations to reach a diverse audience; and 3) advocating for the importance of play Vision Smith s 16,000 square foot Playhouse was built specifically for children s use. The house and surrounding green space opened to the public in 1899 in an era when creating a space where children could play was a radical concept. In the years since, tens of millions of Philadelphia area children have treasured their time at Smith, yet play is still undervalued in our society. Whether they attend schools that have discontinued recess, or are over-scheduled in structured activities by well-meaning parents, children today have an urgent need to spend more time in play. Smith s staff and board strive to make play more accessible to all Philadelphia area children in order to help them grow up happy, healthy, and resilient. Children who visit Smith stretch their imaginations, improve their physical health through active play, and learn to negotiate and solve problems with their peers in a natural, peaceful setting. Parents and other caregivers accompany children on visits and learn how to use play to enhance their children s health and well-being. Smith has a special commitment to building relationships with under-resourced families, particularly those in our immediate neighborhood. We believe that time spent at Smith can enhance the lives of children who may not have many opportunities to play and build the skills of parents and caregivers. From national research and personal experience, we know that this investment in children, families, and play can create lasting positive benefits. Values Play is fun, but not just fun. Time spent in play is critical to children s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Many of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life are initially developed through early childhood play. Smith welcomes all children. Smith s audience is racially, economically, and culturally diverse. Children playing together from a wide range of backgrounds enrich the experience for all; no one is excluded for lack of resources. Smith is a unique asset locally and nationally. Smith s long history and incomparable physical facilities in Philadelphia s Fairmount Park create a space to convene, educate, and inspire people of all ages. Page - 3 -

5 V. Goals PROGRAM GOALS Goal 1. Provide unstructured free opportunities for safe and creative play in the playground and playhouse Goal 2: Pursue strategies to reach diverse and underserved audiences Goal 3: Offer special events and programs Goal 4: Advocate and educate about the importance of play FUNDRAISING GOALS Goal 1. Expand and diversify earned income streams Goal 2. Expand and diversify contributed income revenue Goal 3. Fully engage board in fundraising; explore strategies with fundraising consultant Goal 4. Continue to build ways for users to support Smith, i.e. membership and visitor donations Goal 5. Build staff capacity to raise more funds. CAPITAL/CONSTRUCTION GOALS Goal 1. Refine capital needs and plans, and launch capital campaign to address these needs Goal 2. On a parallel track, build a partnership to fully leverage the asset of the Playhouse MARKETING GOALS Goal 1. Promote and market Smith in print and online media as a destination for everyday play as well as special events Goal 2. Work in partnership with others to highlight East Fairmount Park as a local and regional attraction GOVERANCE GOALS Goal 1. Assess current governance structures Goal 2. Match individual talents with Smith s needs Goal 3. Ensure engagement and commitment among all board members Goal 4. Plan for the future Page - 4 -

6 VI. FINANCIAL PLAN After reviewing three different income and expense scenarios, the Planning Committee recommended and the Board endorsed moving ahead with enhanced staff as recommended in this strategic plan, namely: The addition of a Development staff member to assist the Executive Director in fundraising efforts. Increasing a part-time maintenance staff member to full-time, to help improve the care and longevity of Smith s physical plant. The hope and expectation is that this decision will lead to enhanced fundraising revenues. However, the Committee recommends and the Board endorses monitoring the results of these staff additions over time, in case fundraising results are more modest than anticipated. Page - 5 -