Hitchcock Center for the Environment

1. Build greater internal capacity to deliver high-quality climate change, sustainability, and environmental justice
education in school and community settings.
2. Leverage the Center’s building and grounds as a resource for learning in and from nature.
3. Build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.
4. Increase the visibility, recognition, understanding, and support of the Hitchcock Center.
5. Ensure that sound financial management approaches are in place to secure the organization’s long-term financial sustainability.
6. Increase effective board engagement to support the work of the Center

1.
● Create a new narrative about climate change that uses storytelling and interpersonal conversations as powerful
tactics to build hope and support for climate action.
● Champion nature-based education to instill a life-long love of nature among children during their formative years
● Expand our existing efforts in building youth leadership, providing professional development and curriculum for
educators, and using our Living Building as a resource for learning about sustainability.
● Increase staffing, develop new partnerships, and target funding support to meet the critical need for a
well-informed, environmentally literate, and engaged public.
● Advance the field of environmental education through greater engagement with national and statewide peer
networks, associations, and member organizations.
2.
● Create a high quality experience for visitors by using our teaching gardens, nature play areas, and nature trails to create an unrivaled destination for outdoor and community learning and exploration.
● Use our convening power to promote creative public dialog about the relationship between humans and nature,
particularly as it relates to environmental and human health.
3.
● Recruit and retain a diverse staff and build a strong culture of inclusion.
● Increase our reach and diversify our program participants, volunteers, partners, donors, and supporters to ensure that we are serving all communities.
● Expand use of a sliding scale fee structure to lower barriers to program access.
● Convene a Task Force to develop and implement a comprehensive and ongoing DEI strategy for programs, staff
training, operations, HR practices, communication, and governance.
● Ensure that staff feel meaningfully engaged, highly supported, and fairly compensated.
● Increase professional development opportunities for staff so that they can perform with the highest level of
knowledge and expertise.
4.
● Develop and implement more effective communication and marketing strategies to broaden and deepen
engagement with the Center.
● Implement a well-coordinated and integrated fundraising, grant, and communications plan designed to increase ongoing annual support.
5.
● Develop recommended budgets for staffing, facility and site maintenance, IT, marketing and advertising, and capital
replacement needs.
● Develop a multi-year operating budget and plan for endowment growth to meet the needs of the Plan.
6.
● Increase board diversity in support of DEI goals.
● Use quantifiable and measurable performance metrics and program evaluation to assess progress toward strategic
goals, and strengthen use of data-driven decision making.
● Adjust strategies and manage resources to incorporate evolution of the plan.