At its best, a greenway provides communities with safe opportunities for connection, wellness, and joy. East Coast Greenway Alliance, the champion behind the formation of the East Coast Greenway route from Maine to Florida, knows these benefits well. In 2021, East Coast Greenway Alliance was at a pivotal moment, with newfound political supporters of greenways, increased greenway usage due to COVID-19 indoor activity restrictions, and more frequent public conversations around environmental justice. To seize the moment, East Coast Greenway Alliance engaged Mission Partners to guide the organization through the development of a new five-year strategic plan.

Mission Partners engaged the board and staff throughout the full process, keeping power dynamics top of mind, with facilitated planning sessions and research to help inform strategic direction. Mission Partners then worked with East Coast Greenway Alliance to develop the designed strategic plan that could be shared externally. The East Coast Greenway Alliance board and staff knew justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) needed to be a focal point of the plan, from working alongside communities along the greenway to forming values-aligned partnerships. The Mission Partners team helped ensure JEDI was thought of through every priority, tactic, and goal. With the new strategic plan in place, East Coast Greenway Alliance had a record-setting year in 2021, securing $550 million in public investment, obtaining 660 miles of new route signage, increasing reach from news coverage by 220%, and welcoming eight new staff members and a new co-chair to its Board of Trustees.