Client: Historical Society of Pennsylvania | Location: Philadelphia, PA | Funding: William Penn Foundation
We facilitated an impact planning process for five Philadelphia history organizations partnering to develop public programming to honor and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
OVERVIEW
From 2022-2023, we facilitated planning and impact strategy for The Revolutionary City, which brings together five leading Philadelphia history organizations: the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Museum of the American Revolution, the University of Pennsylvania (including the Kislak Center for Special Collections and the McNeil Center for Early American Studies), and the American Philosophical Society.
Together, these five organizations will create a digital portal that activates historic primary sources from the American Revolution, exhibitions, and programs, to engage the public, educators, and scholars with the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Our impact strategy work took place ahead of the collaborative’s grant application to the William Penn Foundation to fund the activities. With a project as ambitious, far-reaching, and complex as The Revolutionary City, remaining focused on impact is critical to forging a shared vision that connects the project’s many parts and partners over time.
APPROACH
Our approach included three distinct but interrelated elements:
Visioning Sessions with a cross-disciplinary team of staff from the partner organizations, taking them through the steps of Impact-Driven Strategy to articulate a cohesive vision for their planned activities to recognize the 250th Anniversary
Audience Research that included six focus groups with three history-interested audiences: the national general public, the Philadelphia-based general public, and educators
A summary of several existing recent national studies focused on the public’s perceptions of history
CLIENT TAKEAWAYS
Our work together culminated in a Guide to Impact, an action-oriented tool that The Revolutionary City can use to focus, prioritize, develop, and deliver programs and products to maximize impact on its audiences. The Guide synthesizes the concept and scope of The Revolutionary City’s joint activities, identifies venues for those activities, summarizes both original audience research and national research studies, and provides organizational structure and communication goals.
The Guide to Impact is meant to assist The Revolutionary City partners in always keeping impact at the center of their work. Its various parts, like the Guiding Purpose and Audience Composites, will inform every aspect of the project’s development, from program and exhibition development to marketing and communications.
