Natural Lands: Advancing Conservation Through Strategic Alignment
The Challenge: Like many land trusts, Natural Lands, a leading organization in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is grappling with the need to balance increasing demands for conservation with the complexities of managing limited resources and diverse stakeholder expectations. This tension underscores the importance of developing a strategic plan to align their efforts across conservation and stewardship, with an extended role in community engagement and planning, while addressing internal capacity and fostering equity, inclusion, and effective governance.
Our Process: We partnered with Natural Lands to develop a comprehensive strategic plan. This process engaged a “cast of thousands,” including active involvement of board members and supporting community councils, every staff member, and a diverse set of external stakeholders. Through facilitated retreats, we guided discussions about balancing land conservation and community benefits, ensuring organizational capacity, and enhancing equity and inclusion. Retreats featured active participation and engagement of the entire staff – more than 100 professionals who provided direct input into desired outcomes and best strategies for conservation. These efforts resulted in a roadmap for achieving impactful and sustainable conservation. The organization continues to identify culture-building investments that will be needed to ensure the success of the plan.
The Transformation: This ongoing process is empowering Natural Lands to bridge their mission of preserving and connecting people to nature with actionable strategies that address climate resilience, equitable access, and organizational culture. Their team is fostering a deeper understanding of shared priorities, refining strategic goals, and building a collaborative internal culture. The result is a foundation that aligns ambitious conservation efforts with sustainable growth, resilient capacity, and relevant community impact.