Synthesis Partnership

The National Trust for Historic Preservation

Strategy   Capacity

Recognizing that its ability to maintain its leadership of the preservation movement is predicated on effective communication with the public, and that a younger public communicates in new ways, the National Trust transformed its website into PreservationNation.org. PreservationNation.org is built on Web 2.0 (social media) principles of open, interactive communications allowing users to participate in the dialogue through blogs, wikis, and other online tools. It is “a virtual town square where people share proven tools, make connections, and get inspired to save historic places.”

The Trust used an open RFP process to solicit proposals for assistance with organizational change management “to assist NTHP in assessing needed change and developing a roadmap to implement those changes necessary for the effective use and support of PreservationNation.org”. The Trust selected Synthesis Partnership to assist them with the transition to the Web 2.0 platform. As a large, mature organization with a high proportion of long-serving staff and a membership highly tilted toward people of retirement age, the Trust knew it was taking a bold leap into unknown territory. No other organization of the size and maturity of the Trust had made this kind of commitment.

The scope of work included:

• Helping to define goals and expectations
• Engaging key stakeholders in the PreservationNation assessment process
• Recommending other areas of potential change and implementation plans as needed
• Identifying recommended priorities for structural and cultural change

The National Inventors Hall of Fame

Strategy   Capacity

Over the past decade the National Inventors Hall of Fame has generated four operating subsidiaries, transformed itself in numerous ways into a complex organization with a presence in 46 states, and developed new approaches to management and governance more adapted to its situation and needs. NIHF asked Synthesis Partnership to guide the transition to a new board structure, which involved working with two established boards, composed primarily of intellectual property lawyers and eminent research scientists. The objective was to make dramatic changes in their responsibilities to respond to new conditions and to the vision of a new CEO. Our tasks included:

• Shaping a new governance plan to optimize the effectiveness of the new boards.
• Facilitating consideration of mission, strategy and board effectiveness.
• Creating an implementation plan for the boards to play more effective roles in supporting the needs of NIHF.
• Developing consensus for the governance plan among members of both expiring boards.
• Identifying and resolving impediments to a smooth transition.
• Channeling existing board members to new effective roles.