A renewed vision for Chautauqua Institution 2024–2028
Dear Friends and Supporters of Chautauqua:
Five years ago, the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees and Institution Administration unveiled a ten-year vision: Chautauqua aspires to create an informed, engaged, and renewed public that fosters and actively contributes to a more civil society, nationally and within the various communities represented by its individual constituents and partners. That vision, along with companion values, key objectives, and cross-cutting imperatives served as the foundation of the 10-year plan, 150 Forward: The Strategic Plan for Chautauqua Institution 2019–2028.
As the Institution embarked upon the second year of this vision, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted normal operations. The years that followed would bring progress in key areas, due in great part to the clarity of the 150 Forward plan. As we rounded the bend on 2024, the mid-point of the plan, we began a mid-point review process, as called for in the plan itself.
Following a four-month review process in May of 2024, the Board of Trustees approved 150 Forward: A renewed vision for Chautauqua Institution 2024–2028. The pages that follow outline the plan details, along with measures of success.
The fundamental premise of the plan is this:
Chautauqua’s historic cycle of operations that center primarily on a nine-week season cannot sustain the organization long-term. Current gate pass, ancillary, and philanthropic revenue does not generate enough resources to address:
• All needed investments in aging facilities and infrastructure
• Needed new investments in technology, safety and security, and human resources
• Increasing costs of the programs
150 Forward calls for Chautauqua to improve current programs and services while simultaneously creating new ways to engage more people in Chautauqua’s mission. This combined approach will broaden and deepen Chautauqua’s impact and lead to new lines of earned and philanthropic revenue to invest back into the core mission – the Summer Assembly.
We express appreciation to the Board and executive staff for helping us to refresh this plan, and we thank our community for their input and support. All contributions to this process will position Chautauqua for continuing success through 2028 and beyond.
Michael E. Hill, Ed.D, President
Candace Maxwell, Board Chair
Objective 1
Optimize the Summer Assembly on the Chautauqua grounds to provide a first-class experience around the arts, education, religion, and recreation.
AREAS OF FOCUS
A. Create a renewed total customer experience (program and services) to attract and retain Summer Assembly patrons.
B. Strengthen awareness of Chautauqua Institution and its mission to increase engagement in the Summer Assembly, with a focus on more diverse audiences.
C. Set the stage for program and model evolution for continued relevance.
Objective 2
Expand Chautauqua’s convening authority year round to broaden its impact beyond the Summer Assembly.
AREAS OF FOCUS
A. Evaluate and refine current “off-season” programs, with a focus on complementing the Summer Assembly and diversifying revenue.
B. Pursue partnerships that create sustainable revenue streams that can be re-invested in the mission.
C. Leverage existing resources to expand and sustain our brand and impact in shoulder seasons (includes both on- and off-grounds activities, as well as virtual offerings).
Objective 3
Drive the implementation of a comprehensive, science-based approach to improving the health and sustainability of Chautauqua Lake and elevate its conservation as the centerpiece of the region’s economic prosperity.
AREAS OF FOCUS
A. Lead efforts to complete the Jefferson Project‘s “Smart Lake Project” as a resource for ongoing monitoring, solutions, and implementation.
B. Lead efforts to create structure (authority) to manage and implement the “smart lake” plan, moving Chautauqua into a position of convening versus research management.
C. Expand a multiyear communication plan focusing on education and advocacy.
Objective 4
Grow and diversify revenue to address critical needs, increase financial resiliency, and fund Chautauqua’s future.
AREAS OF FOCUS
A. Adjust and confirm models, methods and expectations of earned revenue to achieve net gain from operations (Ticketing and Parking, Hotel and Conferencing, CHQ Assembly, Chautauqua Travels, The Gallery Store, Bookstore/Plaza Market, Recreation).
B. Dramatically increase awareness and appreciation of the pivotal role of philanthropy as a strategic opportunity associated with Chautauqua’s not-for-profit mission.
C. Working with Chautauqua Foundation, capitalize on Boundless, A Campaign for Chautauqua to grow endowment to further stabilize the Institution’s annual operating revenue.
Mission
Vision
Shared Values
Overarching Goal
Mission
Chautauqua Institution is dedicated to the exploration of the best in human values and the enrichment of life through a program that explores the important religious, social, and political issues of our times; stimulates provocative, thoughtful involvement of individuals and families in creative response to such issues; and promotes excellence and creativity in the appreciation, performance, and teaching of the arts.
Vision
Chautauqua aspires to create an informed, engaged, and renewed public that fosters and actively contributes to a more civil society, nationally and within the various communities represented by its individual constituents and partners.
Shared Values
Multigenerational and multidisciplinary engagement through the arts, education, religion, and recreation
• The dignity and contributions of all people
• Dialogue to achieve enhanced understanding that leads to positive action
• The serenity, tradition, safety, and ecology of Chautauqua’s historic grounds and surroundings
• A balance between Chautauqua’s heritage and the need to innovate
Overarching Goal
Convene diverse perspectives and voices to discover and advance the most important, relevant conversations and experiences of our time during the Summer Assembly and year round, on the grounds of the Institution and beyond.
The Key Objectives
Chautauqua Institution’s refreshed strategic plan maintains the original plan’s four objectives and four cross-cutting imperatives, but it seeks to clarify how each element is related to and dependent upon the others.
OBJECTIVE ONE is at the center of the plan because the Summer Assembly is and will remain at the core of our mission, impact and operating focus.
OBJECTIVE TWO is the next in our series of concentric circles because the activities that take place here exist both to build upon and feed into the Summer Assembly.
OBJECTIVE THREE focuses on Chautauqua’s primary existential threat, the health of Chautauqua Lake. This objective surrounds Objective One and Objective Two because neither can thrive if our lake is imperiled.
OBJECTIVE FOUR speaks to our vision to become a philanthropy forward organization, and to further develop Chautauqua’s earned revenue streams. This refreshed plan calls for us to more fully embrace philanthropy as the champion it has been and can be increasingly for Chautauqua.
Cross-Cutting Imperatives
The plan’s cross-cutting imperatives are capacity builders that are fundamental to a successful 21st century business. The cross-cutting imperatives address the business and human relations infrastructure that position Chautauqua for mission effectiveness and operational efficiency.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Board of Trustees will monitor performance through a live dashboard of key performance indicators (KPIs), and the community will be updated annually each May. The KPIs measure both mission fulfillment and financial sustainability. As we develop additional knowledge and information, supported by our technology and data enhancement initiatives, new measures may be added to the dashboard.
EXAMPLE MISSION FULFILLMENT KPIs
• Patron attendance
• Patron engagement in program
• Patron satisfaction
• Likelihood to refer others to Chautauqua
• Patron participation in philanthropy
EXAMPLE FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY KPIs
• Revenue growth over expense
• Total spendable philanthropy
• Endowment growth
• Capital expenditures
A multi-year financial model and projection informs goal setting year-to-year and provides context for the KPIs. The model also allows decision-makers to implement actions based on each year’s performance to stay on track for achievement of longer-term goals.
What The Plan Means To Me
Trustee Testimonials
J. Veronica Biggins
This plan’s focus on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility is among the many things I appreciate about this vision. My husband and I very much enjoy the Chautauqua experience and we want our family to join us here in the summer months. Our daughter and son in-law, however, do not find the environment inviting, primarily because of the lack of diversity in Chautauqua’s current patron base. While they will come for limited visits to spend time with us, I don’t see them developing their own love of and affinity for Chautauqua if the Institution is not successful in creating an inclusive environment of belonging for the next generation – a generation that opts for experiences that feel more vibrant and relevant because of their diversity. For this reason, the focus on diversifying the community that Chautauqua serves is an important centerpiece of 150 Forward, and it gives me hope for the future.
J. Veronica Biggins, Member of the Board of Trustees
Steve Messinger
I came from the school of planning and strategy, and I firmly believe what is most important is that a plan gets the management team, board, and supporters on the same page. This plan does that. It also gives community members a constructive place from which to engage and ask questions. Ultimately, what we are focusing on is preserving the Chautauqua that we all love – that place where my daughter caught her first fish and at the same time lost her first tooth! We’re working to preserve this place and the gift of getting to be here for another 150 years or more.
Steve Messinger, Member of the Board of Trustees
Chautauqua Property Owner
David Peckinpaugh
The call in the strategic plan for us to “expand Chautauqua’s convening authority” is rooted in the concept of belonging. It re-connects us with our roots and the vision of our founders, who wanted to find a way for people to make good use of leisure time, and they never imagined Chautauqua should only exist in the summer months. Look at the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle (CLSC). It was created four years after our founding to convene people in the spirit of Chautauqua, and that happened mostly outside of the summer season. Today, we see a similar approach to creating multiple ways of belonging through CHQ Assembly, Chautauqua Travels and the continuing initiatives of the CLSC.
David Peckinpaugh, Member of the Board of Trustees
George Snyder
From my experience as a past board chair where, candidly, we always had some level of concern of getting from one year to the next…nine weeks is just too short a season to have a sustainable business model. So, the business component of it is, firstly, to draw people to come and experience the Summer Assembly. But secondly, to provide diversifiers of revenue and other sources of philanthropic support to help to sustain the institution and its mission.
George Snyder, Former Chair of the Board of Trustees and Trustee for Life
Chautauqua Property Owner
What We Heard
Inputs and feedback informing this refreshed plan
2018
Economy was growing, with moderate inflation
The arts and culture industry recognized the importance of IDEA in 2018, launching new initiatives and focusing internally
Tourism VIP experiences on the rise; patron satisfaction on a normal trajectory
Remote work becoming “more possible” and “more prevalent”
Employee expectations and behaviors starting to reflect a “work-life” balance focus
NYS plan for annual minimum wage increases projected to impact budgets and create salary compression issues
Chautauqua’s primary competition is group travel, nature experiences (state and national parks) and recreation resorts
Sustainability in practices and mission important to patrons
2024
Economy is just starting to recover from a period of high inflation
The IDEA imperative is reinforced, influenced by the 2020 murder of George Floyd and public response
Tourist expectations for service are heightened post-pandemic; satisfaction industry-wide decreased during the pandemic; starting to recover
Remote work is a core characteristic of the modern work environment; some shifts occurring toward “returning to the office”
Less tolerance for ambiguity; priority for work-life balance; higher incidences of complaints, stress and burnout
No interruptions in the NYS minimum wage plan despite pandemic impacts
River and ocean cruises move into our competitive space
Sustainability is increasingly important to patrons and due to NYS mandates
A 2023 survey of Chautauqua property owners by the Chautauqua Property Owners Association revealed the majority of respondents believe the Strategic Plan’s four key objectives and cross-cutting imperatives are important to them personally and important to the future success of Chautauqua Institution.
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