Author Alan Lakein once described planning as “bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” With the support of The Kresge Foundation and our members, the Exchange did just that in 2022, completing a new strategic assessment and theory of change and, most recently, developing strategic priorities that will guide its work for the next two years.
The plan’s basic framework is shown below:
The framework contemplates that for communities to have thriving water systems that support the triple bottom line (vision), the agencies behind that work must implement green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) equitably (mission). The Exchange’s role in helping agencies achieve that impact (theory of change) is threefold: (1) to help build the leadership skills of agency leaders; (2) to support the implementation of GSI; and (3) to build evidence for supportive policies and funding. The work that furthers this role is borne out in strategic priorities like (1) refinement of the adaptive leadership training, peer learning, and collaborative grant programs, (2) completion of a State of the Field Survey that will provide the first, national baseline of GSI implementation in the United States, (3) development of a 101-level training for GSI-beginner local governments; and (4) development of an approach-informing framework (aka “the Playbook”) to guide programming and creation of a policy strategy.
Other strategic priorities target key challenges to being able to deliver on the mission. Among them are: (1) enhancements to internal technology, marketing & communications, and membership management that will improve efficiency, effectiveness, and diversity; and (2) the pursuit of new revenue streams to diversify the resource base. The plan is summarized in this one-pager. Highlights of major strategies are as follows:
- Adaptive Leadership Program Refinement (Leadership Pillar): With the support of Spring Point Partners, 48 members are currently participating in an eight-month adaptive leadership program to develop the competencies and practices necessary to work effectively with colleagues and community partners to lead transformative change. This program is aligned with the USWA One Water Change Leadership Capacities, and places a strong emphasis on building stakeholder engagement capacity, developing a co-benefits approach to collaboration, and implementing GSI more equitably and affordably. The plan contemplates a rigorous evaluation and refinement of the program so that it can be offered to new cohorts, including GSI-beginner communities.
- Completion of the State of the Field Report (Evidence Pillar): With the support of the Pisces and JPB Foundations, the Exchange is developing a report that illuminates trends about how much GSI is being built, how and where it’s being developed, what’s working, and what recommendations will yield the most successful paths to scale in coming years. A first step in this effort is a survey of local public sector stormwater management organizations in the U.S. about their GSI work. Fifty-two organizations completed the survey in fall 2022 and analysis of the results is underway. Those results will be released in a report highlighting best practices, recommendations, and proposed next steps targeting the “ecosystem of influence,” i.e., local public sector implementers, national and regional catalysts, and local community leaders.
- Development of a GSI “Playbook” and Community Engagement Curriculum (Implementation Pillar): The State of the Field Report is a great first start at scaling, given its focus on what is being produced, at what cost, where, and to what end. But that is not the end of the story. To be effective at scaling, we also need to understand “HOW” to implement GSI well, i.e., what is the “Playbook” that successful agencies follow in implementing GSI equitably and affordably. With support from Spring Point Partners, the Exchange will develop a scope of work for this project by May of 2023, then seek funding to engage a consultant to work with Peer Learning Circle members to develop this approach-informing framework. The Exchange will also seek funding to repurpose material in the recently released Equity Guide to develop a community engagement curriculum that can be delivered in multiple formats to both Exchange members and nonmembers. Among the seven equity goals discussed in the Guide, effective community engagement was deemed central to achieving equity outccomes.
The Exchange is grateful to its Strategic Planning and Policy Committee (SPPC), including Dean Alonistiotis (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago), Stephanie Chiorean (City of Philadelphia), Katherine England (City of Boston), Heidi Horlacher (City of Vancouver), Torrey Lindbo (Co-chair, City of Gresham, OR), Beatrice Ohene-Okae (Washington, D.C. Dept. of Energy & Environment), Carrie Rivette (Co-chair, City of Grand Rapids, MI), Lisa Sasso (Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District), Andy Szatko (City of Omaha), and Miki Urisaka (City of New York), for their incredible commitment to serving as the Exchange’s member leaders and for their role in developing the plan. The Exchange also wishes to acknowledge Kasey Armstrong (Loam Consulting), Jasmine Harrison (GI Exchange), Rose Jordan (Greenprint Partners), Kate O’Brien (Catalyst Collaboratives), and Susanna Sutherland (Sutherland and Associates), who volunteered their time to comment on elements of the plan. You can review the plan in its entirety here.
