---

TreesDurham - five year strategic plan (adopted Spring 2021)

​Mission: To invest in and sustain a healthy, socially-just, climate-resilient tree canopy in Durham, NC.
 
Vision: A green Durham where all communities can benefit equally from tree cover and from the health, wealth and happiness that trees create regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.
 
Goal #1: Expand the Durham, NC tree cover, with special emphasis on creating opportunities and resources for tree education, tree planting and tree care in Black and Brown, and/or low-income neighborhoods.
 
Goal #1 Strategy #1: Connect with Black and Brown community leaders and organizations with tree activities grounded in listening and understanding - and offering informed canopy solutions that prioritize the needs and wants of the neighborhoods.

• Goal #1 Strategy #1 Tactic #1: Identify and create neighborhood partnerships leveraging new and existing relationships.
• Goal #1 Strategy #1 Tactic #2: Build the foundation for a longer-term workforce preparation program by encouraging a diverse and active volunteer and membership base and creating meaningful volunteer opportunities focused on education and sustainable engagement.
• Goal #1 Strategy #1 Tactic #3: Focus tree giveaways and plantings in partner neighborhoods with comprehensive, proactive post-installation tree care/maintenance support.

Goal #1 Strategy #2: Develop and disseminate the Durham tree narrative and tree education resources, highlighting the impact of successful canopy intervention to key populations and establish TD as the area thought leader on trees.

• Goal #1 Strategy #2 Tactic #1: Partner with design and brand consultant to develop thoughtful, branded, and efficient multi-use marketing and pitch collateral for use both in live interactions and presentations and across TD assets including digital platforms and across TD audiences.
• Goal #1 Strategy #2 Tactic #2: Establish credibility and authority on the complete and accurate story about the history and future of the Durham tree canopy - being sure to enhance the combined use of website, social media, tree curriculum and tentpole events to reach community organizations, civic and environmental groups, and others.
• Goal #1 Strategy #2 Tactic #3: Develop proprietary tree curriculums adaptable for elementary through university age students - with opportunities to build out tree specific courses and certification programs at local education agencies.

Goal #1 Strategy #3: Leverage our work to inspire broad scale tree planting across Durham.

• Goal #1 Strategy #3 Tactic #1: Expand current alliances with local organizations such as Keep Durham Beautiful in an effort to apply sustained pressure in driving government accountability and increased funding allocations for street trees. 
• Goal #1 Strategy #3 Tactic #2: Increase organizational capacity, in infrastructure and focus, to support tree planting including the development of a policy to guide engagement with private developers, purchase of a TD truck to haul trees and incremental employees/interns as needed.
• Goal #1 Strategy #3 Tactic #3: Establish and execute standard tree planting and tree giveaway calendar with events across seasons.

 
Goal #2: Champion City and County policies focused on reducing tree loss, increasing tree canopy and improving tree health.
 
Goal #2 Strategy #1: Track and influence new and existing local, state and federal initiatives, policies and regulations directly and indirectly connected to the sustainability of our mission.

• Goal #2 Strategy #1 Tactic #1: Grow and leverage our network with city/county staff and elected officials to gain early, consistent access to upcoming proposals or decisions that may create barriers to or inspire our work.
• Goal #2 Strategy #1 Tactic #2: Create an internally facing repository of baseline and new knowledge by proactively monitoring and documenting initiatives via meeting attendance (streetscapes, advisory boards, etc.), agenda and minutes reviews and conference attendance and networking.
• Goal #2 Strategy #1 Tactic #3: Use data to inform suggested design review requirements for public and private development and encourage tree canopy preservation and expansion using planning documents such as small area plans.

Goal #2 Strategy #2: Develop networks for informing, engaging and activating TD membership and broader communities in support of canopy preservation and expansion initiatives.

• Goal #2 Strategy #2 Tactic #1: Create an externally facing repository supporting membership and community engagement in policy championship.
• Goal #2 Strategy #2 Tactic #2: Support increased City/County staff for implementation of tree preservation, planting and maintenance programs.
• Goal #2 Strategy #2 Tactic #3: Offer easy opportunities (e.g., templated support/opposition letters) for membership and volunteers to make informed decisions to cosign TD policy positions.

 
Goal #3: Diversify funding sources to create a sustainable multi-year support strategy, including increasing individual recurring donors, corporate partners and foundational investments.
 
Goal #3 Strategy #1: Maintain and increase pool of institutional donors, strategically apply in alignment with mission and request feedback when not granted.

• Goal #3 Strategy #1 Tactic #1: Create database of existing grantors, high potential grantors and standard grant language for proactive ease of application.
• Goal #3 Strategy #1 Tactic #2: Work with community and organizational partners to put forth robust, competitive and substantial grant submissions.
• Goal #3 Strategy #1 Tactic #3: Create process for application green light, proposal review, acceptance kick-off or feedback requests, compliance, timeliness and reporting.

Goal #3 Strategy #2: Identify and cultivate corporate entities for TD partnership and sponsorship opportunities.

• Goal #3 Strategy #2 Tactic #1: Review and continue to build corporate contact sheet and develop and execute activation plan for requesting support including fundraising pitches and one-pagers.
• Goal #3 Strategy #2 Tactic #2: Develop and offer a corporate menu of sponsorable events (yearly gala), group volunteer opportunities and aligned project-based support to include the addition of TD to corporate matching programs.
• Goal #3 Strategy #2 Tactic #3: Pursue neighborhood small businesses to support TD by providing small dollar support, or individual donor incentives.

Goal #3 Strategy #3: Develop and refine compelling narrative to drive individual, more specifically recurring donor support, increasing year-over-year.

• Goal #3 Strategy #3 Tactic #1: Elevate the individual donor experience making it easy and clear how to donate (including Amazon Smile), upgrading the web donation portal and following up with thank you cards and other incentives as a benefit of our larger partnerships.
• Goal #3 Strategy #3 Tactic #2: Effectively plan and activate Giving Tuesday and other key dates over the year including Arbor Day and Earth Day.
• Goal #3 Strategy #3 Tactic #3: Continuously cultivate and pursue high potential individual donors.