• If the Florida National Scenic Trail was going to be viable in the future, it was imperative that we adopt a different partnership model.
• We now have a coalition built of members throughout the state committed to carrying out strategic goals, each bringing their own resources, contacts, and partners.
• One of our biggest accomplishments as a coalition is building a strategic implementation plan for the next five years. We’re no longer scrambling for our focus; it’s clear what we are working towards.
• This process set the tone for how we do business. We don’t talk about issues that come up [with the trail] over and over again; we make tactical decisions when we need to and move forward.
• If you have a partnership issue you’ve been wrestling with for a long time, trust Shelli and her process. Be bold! Sometimes it’s scary thinking of how far you might have to go, but that is where the most success may lie.

• After a lengthy and stressful strategic planning experience a number of years ago, the board was reluctant to try again. I promised them a two-day process and Leni delivered on that promise.
• The strategic planning process helped us clarify which projects were a priority and answer big questions that allowed us to move forward in a more strategic way.
• I always tell other land trusts they are going to be blown away by Leni. She moves [the process] forward efficiently and leads well without inserting her own ego.
• Our new strategic plan has had a lasting impact. We’re executing communication tactics we’ve never used before, launching a capital campaign, and aligning board reporting and our operations plan with strategic goals.
• Nothing about this process was business as usual. Leni helped us put the first steps in place to make our goals a reality and this plan has become integrated into the way we think about our work.

• The projects have proven very effective in helping the trusts move to the next level — higher functioning, more effective, and more sustainable organizations.
• I love working with Leni. She is really great at listening, synthesizing, and presenting her findings — some of which are of a very sensitive nature — in a non-threatening but clear manner.
• Leni brought an outside, objective perspective to the organizational assessment process.
• We always give the land trusts a choice of consultants and all of them selected Conservation Impact.

– David Epstein, Executive Director

• “Shelli has been doing this for a long time, her experience shows. This wasn’t a cookie-cutter exercise. She customized it to meet all our needs.
• One of the impacts of the focus groups was that we got more comfortable with the idea of changing our name — we had been thinking about changing it for five years. When we finally did it, there was lots of good feedback and surprisingly little bad feedback.
• The positioning study was a way for us to gauge our public’s view of us.
• The process immediately helped to energize some of the newer board members to become more engaged. Our board attendance skyrocketed.
• Shelli helped board members understand what their role is, where they could help the organization grow, and how they can best support the staff.

Project

Audience Development Plan, Strategic Focus Meetings

Client Contact

Glenn D. Hoagland, Executive Director

Consultant

Shelli Bischoff

Year

2005 – 2006

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The Mohonk Preserve is a mountain refuge for people and nature. It is a haven for wildlife, a living museum, and a sanctuary where visitors can come to reflect and be restored. The mission of the Mohonk Preserve is to protect the Shawangunk Mountains by inspiring people to care for, enjoy, and explore the natural world.

• The integrated, audience-centered approach is core to us now. It has truly transformed how we operate.
• We needed to better understand and engage our audience in order to achieve financial stability.
• Shelli helped us understand how the different segments of our audience view us and how to communicate our brand in everything we do — and in ways that really resonate.
• We’ve tripled the number of staff hours spent on the trail with visitors and that has more than paid for itself. Member numbers are up and we are doing a great job of converting day visitors into members. Most importantly, our member retention rate is over 80%.
• We were so impressed with Shelli that we had her come back a few months later to help us refine our organization’s strategic focus.
• We’re looking forward to engaging her thoughtful guidance again in strategic planning toward our milestone 50^th anniversary year in 2013.

• This board was new to the nonprofit world and Shelli helped us understand what nonprofit board responsibilities are and kept these responsibilities in front of us.
• This strategic planning effort was different — we analyzed our strategic goals and where they were taking us. It helped us think about our work critically and efficiently and we’re still using that strategic analysis today — two years later.
• I really enjoyed working with Shelli. She’s been an ongoing resource for me and the board president. She has been there for us above and beyond the contract.
• I don’t believe we would have headed down this path, and made such an audacious decision, if we didn’t have the confidence in Shelli and Conservation Impact.

– Noelle Mackay, Executive Director

• Conservation Impact’s strategic planning process was a really efficient, concentrated, productive use of our time. And after three years, we had reached all our goals!
• The strategic plan helped our board evaluate opportunities. Without these guiding documents we would just have a lot of interesting projects and no synergy. Instead, we have programs that are layered and support each other.
• Other consultants were more about theory, but I wanted action. I knew Shelli wouldn’t just give me theory.
• I recently called up Shelli to start a new strategic plan and she told me to write my own! She said, “I’m not going to waste your money. You can do this. I’ll come in when you need me.”

• We were having a difficult time saying no.
• We now have very clear priorities to follow. We have an easier time turning down projects that don’t fit our priorities and refer them to our land trust partners, which has taken a burden off our staff and enhanced our focus.
• Leni’s scientific background and extensive experience made her very adept at the conservation planning model. She showed us how to apply it effectively and challenged us to build a framework that was objective and durable.
• Since then, we have identified specific priority lands and launched our “Saving the Land that Matters Most” program, which really was an outgrowth of the work we did with Conservation Impact. We’ve conserved about 2,400 acres of this land since 2007, and our partners have conserved 1,000 more.
• Working with Conservation Impact challenges everyone involved, because they really urge their clients to make tough decisions and set clear priorities. But as a result, the organization comes through stronger.

– Ann Baker Easley, Executive Director

• We now have a richer and more defined story to share with potential funders — we are better able to define our impact, explain how the money is utilized, and show demonstrable results.
• Shelli’s wealth of national experience means that she understood what trends mattered most to our organization’s situation.
• At the end of the process, there was consensus among the board and staff, and once there was consensus, everything else fell into place.
• How we do business has changed. Our volunteers are still working on projects they enjoy. However, their volunteer experiences are now interpreted by their effect on significant environmental needs.
• Conservation Impact has honed a process that is effective for organizations of all different sizes and maturity. It’s an intense process, in a good way.