10/02/1995 Park Board Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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�1 ig 'y From Good Intentions to Good Performance r- e Performance measures are the vehicle for convert- mum of 250 acres for at least three years. We have ing a mission statement into specific goals.One of the three key measures of success:the number of acres un- f things I found when I first looked at the Conservancy's der the no-till method,the silt levels in the water,and e plans was that they never defined success.The plans the size of the mussel population in Fish Creek. detailed a whole series of activities that we were going In contrast,earlier strategic plans had been created to conduct, but they never suggested how we would more for fund-raising purposes than for setting a clear know when we had achieved our goals.Today we re- direction for the organization.I knew we needed con- quire a clear definition of success for every Last Great Crete goals,objectives,and action plans.The old plans e Place project we undertake.We developed a planning were full of good intentions, not performance mea- S ' format that defined the system we were trying to pro- sures. They were characterized by phrases like "We tect,the stresses to that ecological system,the source need to work more effectively with the local commu- of the stresses, the strategy for dealing with those nity"or"We should try to influence public land man- stresses,and how we would measure our success. agers to do a better job." This plan became known as the 5-S format,but it Ultimately,we have to measure our success by the was just a way of communicating to the organization species we save. But in the short term, to find out if j what a good protection plan would contain.Take our we're on the right track, we have to learn what we I Fish Creek Project in northeastern Indiana;we're try- should be monitoring.As we build our scientific capa- ing to protect a system of freshwater mussels there. bilities in the area of stewardship,we learn what mea- The stress comes from excessive silt in the water,and sures to take and how to take them. Are the eco- the sources of the silt are two agricultural practices: systems we're trying to protect maintaining their tillage up to the water's edge and fall plowing.Farmers functions, for example, in purifying water and main- can't practice no-till agriculture without expensive twining soil? We're trying to develop measures that special equipment. Our strategy is to lower that bar- can answer such questions. rier by subsidizing 15% of the equipment's cost if a farmer agrees to practice no-till agriculture on a mini- John Sawhill k only thing all our members could agree on is the some other action that yields positive results. No F importance of the work we do. matter how our strategy changes,those two aspects In the strategic review, we identified two funda- of our work are the bedrock on which we build. mental strengths that we never want to tamper ! We're asked to deviate from our mission all the with.First,our success in fund-raising really stems time. Donors say they'll give us more money if we from the decentralized nature of our organization. get involved in, for example, population. A few I! Every single one of our operating units has fund- years ago, one of the big foundations offered us sev- raising responsibility.We have a culture that says if eral hundred thousand dollars to start a program on ! you want to do something, then you have to go out population. But that's not what we're good at; it's and find the money for it. You can't turn to the de- not an area in which we have expertise.So we said no. velopment department and say, "Gee,I'd really like Whenever someone comes to me with a proposal to do this great thing—you guys go find the money for an exciting new Nature Conservancy project, I for me." Being decentralized is also important be- ask myself the same question:Given our limited re- cause people give to people they know. Donors sources and the enormous challenges we face,how want to get to know members of their community, will this advance our mission of protecting biodi- to build relationships with them, to help them un- versity? We often have to say no to projects that, derstand what the organization is really about. ; however tantalizing,are tangential to our goals. That's the most powerful fund-raising tool we have. I Second,our market research has shown that peo- Have any organizational changes flowed from the ple appreciate the Conservancy's positive message. newstrategy? Much environmental activism is based on bad j news,which spurs people to action by forcing them ; Yes. For years we had the kind of management to confront unpleasant realities. Our strategy lets committee you'd find in almost every organization: us tell people good news.We buy a place or we take a war council composed of the heads of the major ? HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW September-October 1995 117