Advisory Board Creates National Park Service Centennial Advisory Committee Advisory Board Instrumental in Helping Sesame Street Explore National Parks National Park System Advisory Board member and chair of the Education Committee, Dr. Milton Chen--a former Sesame Street staffer and current board member--met with Sesame Street staff and helped initiate discussions with Sesame Street that ultimately led to development of a multimedia park experience for children ages three to five and their families and educators. Grand Canyon National Park initially had the idea to work with Sesame Street, leveraging the professional network of the Advisory Board Education Committee to make that dream a reality. Philanthropy and Partnerships Committee Issues Final Report In late 2013, the NPS Director asked the Advisory Board to support the NPS in the revision of Director's Order #21, the principal policy document that guides donations and fundraising activities by the NPS and its partners. To help inform the Board's support, a new Philanthropy and Partnerships Committee was formed, composed of diverse leaders representing NPS partners, philanthropic supporters, and industry experts in partnerships and philanthropy. The commitee's report, Toward a New Era of Philanthropy and Partnerships, encourages the NPS to align itself with best practices in the philanthropic sector, coupled with new business behaviors initiated by both the NPS and its partners. The key recommendations offer the NPS a more current, consistent, responsive, and equitable policy guidance framework, and include the following: * Redistribute greater partnering authorities to park and program managers and give NPS managers and partners more authority in the donor vetting process; * Develop a branding strategy that supports the philanthropic work of the NPS and its partners; * Design a consistent donor recognition framework for gifts given at the national and local levels; * Provide NPS employees with appropriate guidance and training on how public-private partnerships in philanthropy enhance the NPS mission; and * Ensure the NPS continually integrates current philanthropic sector best practices, using Federal agencies, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress, as models. |
Last updated: November 26, 2024