Strategic Plan2014

CONTENTS

2 Process

3 Participants

4 Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles

5 Strategic Principles

6 Strategic Recommendations

For decades, our visitors have referred to the Valentine Richmond History Center and its collections as “Richmond’s attic” – a place where memorabilia may be stored – but not often experienced.

With the renovation of the History Center’s museum building, however, our focus has shifted. No longer “Richmond’s attic,” we now envision our space as the region’s living room – a place where you learn, share, and live.

See how Richmonders have lived… through our historic 1812 John Wickham House, Edward V. Valentine Sculpture Studio, objects, costumes, records and photographs;

Uncover and share memories and stories of the past;

Have thought-provoking conversations about what challenges we face today and how they are influenced by the past;

Connect newcomers to our region and incorporate their stories into the larger Richmond conversation.

As we refocus on what it means to be a meeting place for Richmond’s past, present and future, we also want to continue to be out in the community, to have a virtual presence and to “take it to the streets” through our tours and off-site exhibitions and programs.

But the next few years are the time to shape our image as the place to discover and share Richmond’s stories.

Welcome

William J. MartinExecutive Director

John C. StanchinaBoard Chair

Marjorie N. GrierStrategic Planning Lead Trustee

We want people to visit our transformed campus to:

Going into this process, we were focused on the ways in which the Valentine Richmond History Center and its staff would reconnect with the public when our doors reopened in the Fall of 2014, having completed extensive renovations of our museum building. We also had a goal to include input from as many members of the History Center’s community as possible.

We kicked off planning with consultant John Sarvay of Floricane during separate staff and board brainstorming sessions to gather initial ideas and to identify larger issues to discuss more extensively in small groups. Prior to these sessions, participants reviewed the museum’s current strategic plan as well as the TrendsWatch 2012 and TrendsWatch 2013 reports published by the American Alliance of Museums. From these initial meetings, the Director, Board Chair, Strategic Planning Lead Trustee and senior management (referred to as Planning Team) created five major topic areas (Campus, Community, Cash, Collections and Champions) and corresponding teams composed of trustees, board immersion program trustees, full-time staff and community representatives.

Key to the strategic planning teams were six board immersion program trustees, who participated in a pilot program coordinated with Organizational Solutions through the Partnership for Nonprofit Excellence. The board immersion program provides young professionals with the opportunity to gain board experience by joining a non-profit board of trustees for one year.

Another new addition to our planning process was the inclusion of community representatives. We wanted to get non-staff and non-trustee perspectives into our conversations and therefore invited individuals in the larger History Center community to join the strategy teams.

Each strategy team met twice during the fall to discuss the major topic area, with the goal of defining emerging outcomes and key strategies. One staff member served as project manager. This staff member, as well as the consultant, Strategic Planning Lead Trustee and Board Chair, attended a majority of the team meetings. The work of these teams created an initial framework for this strategic plan.

The consultant met monthly with Planning Team to provide updates, solicit feedback and discuss related issues, such as the status of the existing strategic plan (2010) and the implementation of the new plan.

The full Board of Trustees reviewed the plan framework during its annual retreat in January 2014. Staff team leads and board immersion trustees then spent one session culling and refining the framework. Key stakeholders, such as past Board Chairs and representatives from the corporate and foundation community then reacted to the framework before the consultant, Director, and Planning Team completed the full plan. The final plan was approved in March 2014 by the Board of Trustees.

PROCESS

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES:John Stanchina Board ChairMarjorie Grier Strategic Planning Lead TrusteeFarhad AghdamiDonna Cox Shu DasguptaDeborah DavisSteve DeLucaDenise DickersonTom GoodeBruce GrayGerald Hagen Bruce KayNeil KesslerMike LigonSister Anne Marie MackIvor MasseyJim Meath Beth MusickPam ReynoldsPam RoyalDavid ShufordAl StratfordSandy TreadwayJim UkropTed Ukrop Charles Valentine Thomas ValentineScott WarrenJim WeinbergCharlie WhitakerElise Wright

BOARD IMMERSION PROGRAM TRUSTEES:Catesby Beck Jess Hofbauer Katherine Jones Katie Kellam John O’Dea Ronda Petillo

VALENTINE RICHMOND HISTORY CENTER STAFF:Bill Martin Executive DirectorNicole AllenDomenick CasuccioMarisa Day Community Team LeaderMeg Hughes Staff Project ManagerKate EminhizerDonna KolbaDean KnightLinda Krinsky Champions Team LeaderJackie Mullins Cash Team LeaderKen MyersShannon Petska Collections Team LeaderLauren PlotkinMelissa SleethTy ToepkeDavid Voelkel Campus Team Leader

COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIVES:Peggy Baggett Marion Horsley Judith Moore Katherine O’Donnell Carter Doswell

STRATEGIC PLANNING CONSULTANT:John Sarvay, Floricane

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Participants

VisionTo be the premier source for experiencing Richmond’s history, using its past to inform the present and to shape the future.

MissionTo engage, educate and challenge a diverse audience by collecting, preserving and interpreting Richmond’s history.

Guiding PrinciplesThe principles that will guide the decisions of the organization include:

• Exceeding accreditation standards.• Acting in a fiscally responsible manner.• Being inclusive.• Being proactive, outreaching and customer-focused.• Acting as a good community partner.• Being creative and embracing an entrepreneurial spirit.• Being ethical.• Being accountable -- measuring outcomes and impacts.• Being good stewards of entrusted resources including the

organization, funds and collections.

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The process to develop the Valentine Richmond History Center’s 2014 Strategic Plan was framed around new beginnings. Since the last strategic plan was approved in 2010, the History Center has seen new staff transition into the organization, and the addition of new Board of Trustees members. As the current planning process began, sledgehammers were preparing to take down walls within the museum building – the History Center’s first renovation in a generation was getting underway.

New faces, new perspectives and the start of a new era for the History Center contributed to new strategic conversations as 50 staff, trustees and community representatives engaged in the process. From these conversations emerged a set of common strategic themes and specific principles that frame the 2014 Strategic Plan for the museum. These principles weave in and out of the specific strategies that are at the heart of this planning document, and they are designed to establish a guiding framework for staff and trustee conversations over the next several years.

• Make the Valentine Richmond History Center’s campus visible, energetic and vital to Richmond’s visitors and residents alike: We believe that the History Center is an essential destination for anyone interested in understanding and experiencing Richmond’s history. Ensuring that the History Center is the destination of choice for Richmond’s visitors and residents requires ease-of-access, as well as plans for the long-term sustainability of the museum’s activities, collections and historic properties. Our campus will be well-defined, visible and cohesive, and intuitively connected to the larger tableau of Richmond’s landscape and history.

• Strengthen our reputation as a significant contributor to conversations about Richmond’s future, and have a clear voice that speaks to the entire community: As the center for Richmond history – and the epicenter for community conversations and civic engagement in the Richmond region – it is incumbent upon the Valentine Richmond

History Center to continue to reach and speak to new, underrepresented communities in our city. Deepening our understanding of the broader community, and the different ways our shared history has been experienced, will continue to guide our work. Increasingly taking Richmond’s history back into the community will allow us to broaden our reach and more effectively to connect people, stories and communities.

• Ensure that the Valentine Richmond History Center’s legacy is sustainable and strong: Our own history as an institution has shaped our appreciation of financial sustainability and balanced growth. That same history has also been informed by the enduring quality of our collections, our buildings and our people. We are committed to the development of unique and creative approaches to diversifying our revenue streams and to investing in financial opportunities that are lasting and long-term. That commitment is mirrored by our active support of an engaged, motivated and connected team – staff, trustees, volunteers, interns and community partners – that is structured, resourced and prepared to create the History Center’s future together.

• Build on our collections in ways that capture Richmond’s history and strengthens our voice as we tell it to the world: Museums like the Valentine Richmond History Center are shaped by what they collect, what they do not to collect, and the ways in which their collections are reintroduced to the community. Our collections should be representative of Richmond – yesterday, today and for tomorrow – and reflect the full diversity of our region and its culture. Continuing to grow, care for and share our unique collections is a responsibility we take seriously and for which we have deep passion.

STRATEGICPRINCIPLES

new beginnings

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1 Make it easy for visitors to locate and visit the Valentine Richmond History Center with improved directions and street signage, parking and accessibility, and a more visible and architecturally welcoming entrance to our campus.

2 Make the experience of being at the Valentine Richmond History Center relevant, interesting and memorable. Experiences should engage the community and encourage regular visits.

3 Attract more visitors to campus by becoming a gateway for information about the downtown area and local attractions.

4 Ensure our revised master site plan has a focus on access, connectivity, usage and preservation of all campus buildings.

5 Expand the use of technology and analytics to strengthen our existing public relations initiatives, increase public awareness, and drive future visitor engagement.

6 Evaluate opportunities for collaboration with other downtown historic sites to strengthen visitors’ experiences, increase efficiencies and ensure long-term sustainability.

7 Evaluate and enhance relationships with key and emerging communities, including:• Multi-generational families• Under-represented communities• Business, government and civic engagement organizations• Young professionals• Academic community

8 Engage with key communities by developing strategies to take Richmond history “to the streets” and to make the Valentine Richmond History Center visible throughout the Richmond region.

9 Dramatically revamp our membership program and explore creating a unique corporate partnership program.

10 Grow our donor base and significantly increase our annual giving by reaching new populations with an emphasis on lifetime relationships.

11 Develop and implement a robust planned giving program to help build the museum’s endowment and engage the Boomer population.

12 Significantly increase earned income in creative, History Center-specific ways. Identify earned income opportunities throughout all museum functions.

13 Initiate a staff-led study to explore the idea of becoming a free or pay-as-you-will institution.

14 Develop an acquisitions/deaccession plan that aligns with our mission; strengthens our connections to key, under-represented communities; captures stories of Richmond; and endeavors to involve the public in the acquisition process.

15 Create a long-term interpretive plan for exhibitions and programming, focusing on increased community engagement.

16 Develop a long-term technology plan focused on collection access, public engagement, and maintenance of technology infrastructure.

17 Review current organizational structure, staffing and succession planning to ensure alignment with the museum’s strategic direction.

18 Encourage a culture of interaction, continuous learning and collaboration among staff, trustees and volunteers.

STRATEGICRECOMMENDATIONS

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