Land trust heeds community’s call to lead
About Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast
Communities and natural resources are under increasing strain along the Florida Gulf Coast, one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States. The ongoing pressure endangers the delicate balance of people and nature across the region.
This is where the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast comes in. The group’s mission is to protect land and water in Southwest Florida for the benefit of people and nature. Working with landowners, businesses, and government, Conservation Foundation protects the special natural lands that make the Florida Gulf Coast extraordinary.
The Project
In 2019, Florida maintained its status as the second most popular migration destination within the U.S. All the while, threats of rising sea levels and more powerful storms loom over the Gulf Coast region. The Conservation Foundation’s existing strategic plan was coming to a close in 2019. Something more than an update was needed.
In replacing the plan, the Foundation wanted to step boldly into the future, reflecting the growing urgency of protecting the Gulf’s land and waterways. As it did in the past, the Foundation asked Solid Ground to lead the organization through the process of developing its new three-year plan.
The Work
The Conservation Foundation sought to hear from as many diverse voices as possible across the five counties in its operating area. Partners, government officials, youth leaders in predominantly Black communities, conservation professionals, donors, community members, and more turned out for listening sessions and community forums.
After deep listening, Foundation board and staff explored a new strategic direction. A consistent and profound message from friends and partners ran through all of their planning conversations: Our region needs a visible conservation leader to step forward. And that leader should be you, the Conservation Foundation.
It was a message the Foundation took to heart. The organization titled its 2020-2023 strategic plan The Call to Lead. The plan is led by a new vision and mission illustrating a core promise to Southwest Florida: in the Foundation’s protection of land and water, all in the human and natural worlds will benefit.
The Outcomes
The Conservation Foundation’s new strategic plan emerged into public view in 2020 just as Covid-19 began its spread into Florida and beyond. As a testimony to the strength of the organization and its plan, the Foundation saw an almost immediate return on its planning investment, even as it navigated a disruptive and dangerous pandemic.
Well before the end of the plan’s first year:
- The Conservation Foundation had saved 6,241 acres in less than a year. That compares to a self-described “audacious” goal of saving 11,000 acres in three
- Two counties (Manatee and Collier) overwhelmingly passed dedicated land conservation taxes. That was in support of a goal of getting communities the Foundation serves to identify with its work and values.
- The Foundation began work on three community-relevant conservation projects, all while it was finalizing its definition and criteria for community-relevant conservation, a cornerstone of its strategic plan. Just communicating a desire to solve community problems drew a rapid and enthusiastic response.
And while the Foundation did not have a goal for increasing its donor base, it was confident it would happen if it focused on “the right things.” By the end of its fiscal year 2020, the donor base increased 70 percent. An exclamation point on a memorable year!
