PARKWAY COUNCIL foundation

Enhancing & Promoting the Parkway

Annual Meeting Report by

Judi Rogers

Executive Director

December 18, 2006

This year was a particularly exciting and productive one for the Parkway Council Foundation. The organization received its first grant in 2006 - $75,000 from the William Penn Foundation - for capacity-building, developing new programs, and expanding our leadership role on the Parkway. The grant allowed us to conduct a search for, and hire, a part-time Special Events Manager. Sharon Tice, a professional with extensive events and marketing experience, has been a terrific addition to our organization.

In April 2006, the Parkway Council planned and hosted a very successful Parkway FunDay event (formerly known as Logan Square Fair). A large number of area residents and visitors gathered on Aviator Park for hands-on art and science projects, entertainment, and other family-oriented activities. Parkway FunDay received extensive print coverage, due to our strong relationship with the Philadelphia Daily News. Local papers such as Connections Weekly printed articles about the event, we received multiple promotional mentions on all Clear Channel radio stations, and FOX29 covered the event as well.

The Parkway Council hosted a Building the Parkway Beautiful breakfast program in May at the Four Seasons Hotel, which exceeded our expectations as a “defining” event for us. It exposed us (and our goals) to a great cross-section of institutional board members, potential corporate “Champions,” City administration, and the media. Our companion Building the Parkway Beautiful publication was distributed that morning to a great response, and has served as a wonderful promotional and fundraising piece ever since.

On the fundraising front, we added two new Parkway Champion members this year, the Lenfest Foundation and Pearl Properties (and received commitments from GlaxoSmithKline and Comcast to join in 2007). We also attracted two new Parkway Partners, Fox Rothschild and Sterling Glen. We continue to develop relationships and maintain contact with local foundation and corporate funders, expanding our future grant prospects as a result.

The composition of the Parkway Council board of directors also saw some change in 2006. James Baker, who ably represented the Academy of Natural Sciences for over three years on the Parkway Council, stepped down, and Derek Gillman left the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts to lead the Barnes Foundation (which is soon to be a Parkway neighbor). Derek will remain on the board in his new capacity. Two new non-profit board members, Jane Pepper of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and Alba Martinez of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, joined the Parkway Council.

The Parkway Council conducted two different impact studies in the Spring and Summer of 2006. One was a Parkway events impact study, assessing the impact of major Parkway events on Parkway institutions. The other was focused on the educational impact of the Parkway – the role of the Parkway as a classroom. Both sets of data could prove useful in the future with city officials and potential funders.

In July of this year, the Parkway Council planned and hosted the first Parkway Promenade (in conjunction with Moore College’s By Design Parkway exhibition). The event took place in Logan Circle, and featured live music, and a variety of fun and educational activities for local residents and visitors.

In October, the Parkway Council board revised and adopted our 2006-2009 Strategic Plan, with an addendum indicating a timeframe for each item. The organization’s updated priorities were identified as:

· Establish the Parkway Council as the “voice of the Parkway.”

· Develop a unified long-term vision of the Parkway.

· Promote the Parkway as a unique cultural campus.

· Expand our role in Parkway events management.

· Work toward long-term goal of creating a Parkway Cultural District.

· Create a Parkway that is a special place for people to visit, work and live.

· Maintain a financially sound, efficient organization.

Board member Joe Dworetzky, supported by a board committee, devoted considerable time in 2006 to researching the feasibility of creating a Parkway Cultural District, and determining what role our organization might play in such a District. This research is ongoing, and will be complemented substantially by upcoming research funded by the William Penn Foundation of special district best practices.

In another initiative, the Parkway Council board met jointly with the Avenue of the Arts Inc. board in October (and again today), to discuss areas of common interest, and opportunities to join forces. This is seen as an encouraging first step toward a potential partnership. Similar meetings are planned with representatives from the Historic and Centennial Districts.

We began planning in late 2006 for a new marketing program called Make it a Day on the Parkway, which is intended to encourage major event attendees to visit Parkway institutions (for Spring-Fall 2007 events). We hope that this will “turn a negative into a positive,” by making the best of Parkway-closing events, which tend to diminish institutional attendance numbers.

The year 2006 has clearly been a fruitful one for us, as we continued to establish ourselves as the Parkway’s spokesperson and advocate, and further developed our plans for enhancing and promoting the Parkway.