Cover Sheet - Excom s2

ASLA Board of Trustees April 24-25, 2015, Midyear Meeting Grand Hyatt Hotel, Constitution E 1000 H Street, NW Washington, DC

Agenda Item #6: First Quarter 2015 Program and Operations Information Report

Purpose: To provide a summary of the first quarter 2015 accomplishments across major program areas.

History and Background: The attached Program and Operations Report summarizes the first quarter progress toward the program and budget goals outlined in the 2015 Annual Operating Plan (AOP). The executive summary of the AOP is attached as a reference for comparing/analyzing program results. The full text of the 2015 AOP can be accessed on the web.

Additional information and highlights will be provided in the scheduled pre-meeting webinars (March 31 and April 2, 1:00pm EDT/10:00 pm PDT) and at the meeting.

Governing Rules/Procedures: The Board is charged with approving the annual program and budget of the Society and with monitoring progress toward achieving goals and objectives.

Action Requested: The Board is requested to review the report.

Staff Contact: Nancy Somerville

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Program and Operations Report

First Quarter 2015 Executive Summary

Executive Offices . Work on the Chinatown Green Street Demonstration Project included targeted meetings with key agencies and public officials, a stakeholder briefing and reception at Headquarters, development of education sessions for Greenbuild and the ASLA annual meeting, and launch of a fundraising campaign aimed at developers and local businesses. Funding to date includes a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and a grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts is pending.

. Green roof highlights in the first quarter include updated education pages and image galleries and work on a plant monitoring update. During the first quarter, the green roof page had 3,404 pageviews. The newly updated green roof education had 1,385 pageviews, which is up 20 percent over same time last year.

. Human Resource highlights included recruitment for vacant positions, enhancing the ongoing wellness programs, and updating the performance review process. Turnover in the first quarter was three positions or six percent.

. The call for 2015 Council of Fellows nominations closed with between 80-90 nominations received this year. To assist nominators, the COF Executive Committee held a nomination preparation webinar for chapters and individuals working on submissions.

. Other first quarter highlights included substantial progress toward completion of Sustainable Sites Initiative™ agreements, confirmation of the 2015 slate of officers, committee orientation conference calls, and Constitution and Bylaws Committee launch of the 2015 Bylaws review.

Finance, Meetings, and Business Operations . Work on the annual financial audit was a major focus in the first quarter; results will be reviewed by the Audit Committee in March and presented to the Board at midyear meeting in April.

. Other first quarter highlights for Accounting included a conference call/training for chapter treasurers and monthly calls with the Finance and Investments Committee. . Meetings focuses in the first quarter included: a Technology Summit with annual meeting vendors that focused on how technology can be used to more effectively in conjunction with the annual meeting and EXPO; release of RFPs for annual meeting-related vendor services; preparation for opening of annual meeting registration and housing in May; and planning for the Alumni Tailgate and Edible Landscapes events.

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. Advertising sales contracts for Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) and sales for 2015 EXPO space and sponsorships are both at 81 percent of the annual budget, tracking well ahead of 2014 performance.

Government Affairs . In the first quarter, ASLA activated the iAdvocate Network to send 11 federal and state alerts, including informational alerts on important reports and cutting edge research. ASLA government affairs also created a Twitter account to engage policy makers, advocates, coalition partners, and other key stakeholders on federal and state advocacy issues important to the profession.

. With a new surface transportation bill expected this year, federal efforts remain focused on transportation priorities. Other federal priorities include water and stormwater management, community resilience, and small business growth and development issues.

. With most state legislatures convening in January, the first quarter of 2015 proved to be an active time for state advocacy, including threats to licensure. Several states undertook proactive legislative efforts to improve and protect licensure laws.

Public Relations and Communications . Forty-seven of the 49 chapters sent representatives to the January Public Awareness Summit. Attendees helped develop outreach plans for the next 12 months, with a particular emphasis on World Landscape Architecture Month activities.

. ASLA is participating in World Landscape Architecture Month for the first time in 2015. With informal collaboration with IFLA, ASLA is asking its chapters to connect with IFLA organizations and request they take pictures of iconic landscape-architect- designed spaces and share on social media with the hashtag #WLAM2015

. The stated 2015 Annual Operating Plan goal calls for at least 100 stories in print, broadcast, and online media referencing ASLA and the profession. In the first quarter, 139 major-market stories referenced the Society, and 2,314 referenced landscape architecture.

. Traffic to asla.org continues to grow after launch of the new homepage in fall 2014. In comparison with first quarter 2014, asla.org pageviews are up 7.4 percent. ASLA.org gained in unique visitors, with a 3.5 percent bump.

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. Social media participation increased across all platforms. ASLA has introduced an advocacy Twitter account (@ASLA_Advocacy) to promote the legislative and political interests of our members and the profession.

. LAND continued an improved performance on open rates into first quarter 2015.

Marketing . The ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting & EXPO branding was finalized.

. Work began with the graphic designer to redesign the sales and marketing sections of the ASLA website.

. JobLink has 91 postings as of March 11, surpassing last year’s first quarter average of 54 postings.

Landscape Architecture Magazine . LAM turned much attention in the first quarter to its web and social media presence.

. The Landscape Report, a new e-newsletter under the LAM brand, exclusively for ASLA members, launches at the end of the first quarter.

. A range of excellent design appeared in the magazine, including major play projects, urban design, and museum grounds by ASLA members.

. The LAM Editorial Advisory Committee focused in its three calls on the roles of consultants, on education, and on the National Park Service’s centenary in 2016.

. The magazine is working to engage emerging professionals in new ways.

. Traffic to the LAM web site ran roughly equal to that of the first quarter of 2014.

Member and Chapter Services . ASLA membership is down slightly from year end 2014, a decrease of 0.16 percent.

. Chelsea Keith, Student ASLA, was elected as the 2015-2016 ASLA National Student Representative.

. ASLA national leadership completed for chapter and four student chapter visits in the first quarter; strategic planning sessions were facilitated for three chapters.

Professional Practice and Information Technology . PPN highlights included: three live Online Learning presentations, with 50+ attendees; and approval of a new PPN on Environmental Justice.

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. An ASLA standard form agreement for construction documents is under development.

Education Programs and LAAB . The 2015 Annual Meeting education program was finalized.

. The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES) approved 11 new provider applications in the first quarter, compared to nine in the first quarter of 2014.

. Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) highlights for the first quarter included hosting the President’s Council Meeting, holding the Winter LAAB Board Meeting, conducting accreditation site visits and presenting an LAAB Annual Report webinar.

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Executive Offices

Governance and Administration

. Executive Committee actions at the winter meeting included review of the FY 2014 year-end program and financial results and focused discussions on emerging professionals and leadership development. The committee also met with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (see Government Affairs). Other Executive Committee actions in the first quarter included confirmation of the 2015 slate of officers and approval of a new Professional Practice Network on Environmental Justice (see Professional Practice).

. The Headquarters renovation/Center for Landscape Architecture project is currently in schematic design. Fundraising totaled $716,915 or 71.7 as of March 20. Fundraising task force chair James Burnett, FASLA, Mark Johnson, FASLA, Tom Oslund, FASLA, and Gary Hilderbrand, FASLA, have joined ASLA leadership as project advisors. In March, Gensler (project architect) and Oehme van Sweden (project landscape architect) staff briefed the advisory team on the project status and reviewed options for the treatment of the back exit stair. Next steps for Gensler include additional investigation of daylighting options and side yard options. Staff have begun looking at interim space options in the Headquarters neighborhood.

. Substantial progress was made toward completion of a final agreement with the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) for GBCI purchase of the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) intellectual property and management of the SITES program, and start of open certification.

. ASLA hosted a meeting of the Presidents Council (PC) in January; agenda items included ASLA’s proposed joint statement on diversity; data collection and analysis; and emerging professionals issues. Members of the PC are ASLA, Council of Landscape Architecture Registration Boards, Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture, Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, and Landscape Architecture Foundation.

. ASLA participated in the U.S. Stakeholder Consultation on the United Nations Global Compact to review and provide input on a draft Responsible Business Best Practice Toolkit for the land, construction, and real estate sector. Other liaison/outreach in the first quarter included participation in the meetings of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation and the Franklin Park Technical Advisory Group, and meeting with the Urban Land Institute.

. In the first quarter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee began a review of the ASLA Bylaws with a reach-out to stakeholders for suggestions/issues regarding possible Bylaws changes and updates. The Ethics Committee planned the process

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for revising the Code of Environmental Ethics and discussed communications/education initiatives. During the first quarter, two committee chair orientation webinars were held; chairs subsequently used the orientation information for orientation discussions within their committees.

. ASLA provided information to support the District Department of the Environment’s Green Embassies Forum; and ASLA provided a briefing on green roofs and green infrastructure for a U.S. State Department-hosted group of Chinese design and construction professionals.

Green Infrastructure Education and Advocacy

. Outreach to stakeholders and potential donors for the Chinatown Green Street Demonstration Project was a major focus in the first quarter. Meetings were held with the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Outreach of the Mayor’s office and the office of City Councilmember Elissa Silverman, as well as with District Department of Planning and Department of Transportation staff. Design Workshop continued work on the discovery phase of master planning, completed drafts of the first two chapters of the master plan/green infrastructure sourcebook, and assisted with development of graphics and messages for outreach communications. A stakeholder briefing and reception is scheduled for March 25.

. Funding for the Green Street project to date includes a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. A grant application to the National Endowment for the Arts is pending. The project is slated to receive future construction funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. A fundraising campaign aimed at developers and local businesses was also launched in the first quarter.

. An education session proposal on the Chinatown Green Street project, "Green, Complete Streets in Your Community: The ASLA Method,” was submitted to GreenBuild 2015; notification of acceptance will be in May. “Completely Green: Developing Green, Complete, and Smart Streets - the ASLA Method” will be delivered at the 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting.

. During the first quarter, the green roof page had 3,404 pageviews, down five percent from the same time last year. The newly updated green roof education web page had 1,385 pageviews, which is up 20 percent over same time last year. The Roof is Growing! education webpage now has new photos and a link to the Career Discovery page. Updating of the green roof image gallery page and plant monitoring information is nearing completion. Both the image gallery page and the fact sheet will complement each other by telling the story of what has worked or not on the green roof over the years. More will be done to promote the page in 2015.

. Green roof visitors during the quarter have included U.S. State Department- hosted professionals from China, and students and faculty from North Carolina A&T State University.

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. Also during the first quarter, ASLA provided green infrastructure information to the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) for its DC Green Embassies Forum and to a reporter for the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.

Council of Fellows . The COF Executive Committee held a nomination preparation for chapters and individuals who are working on submissions. The webinar was an opportunity for those committees or individuals preparing nominations to ask questions and get feedback about the process from former jurors, COF executive committee members, and others who are familiar with the process.

. The call for 2015 Council of Fellows nominations closed with between 80-90 nominations received this year, which are currently being processed. The jurors are reviewing the entries and will convene May 7-8 at ASLA headquarters.

Human Resources

. During the first quarter, the turnover rate was six percent, with three departures: accounting technician, managing director of resource development, and marketing manager. The accounting position, along with another open accounting technician position, has been filled, which fully staffs the accounting department. The resource development position, which was restructured as director, stakeholder relations and resource development, has also been filled. Recruitment is underway for the position of marketing manager; the position has been moved from the Professional Practice department to Public Relations and Communications.

. The 2015 application for the top 50 Healthiest Employers in Greater Washington was received and ASLA has begun the process of completing the application. Wellness is an important component of ASLA staff benefits and ASLA has won this award in each of the last two years.

. A new staff performance review process was developed and implemented in the first quarter. The new process is designed as “progress discussions,” focusing on the departmental and individual goals derived from the Annual Operating Plan, and including open-ended questions to encourage dialogue between employees and supervisors. The progress discussions will be held at least twice a year. The new process has been very well received.

. The in-house staff training, nicknamed March Madness, is underway. Sessions include Communicating on Social Media, Excel, and Photoshop. All seminars are being led by a staff member.

. Telecommuting and compressed work week programs have continued successfully. Approximately 40 percent of the staff participate in one or the other of the two

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programs, which were put in place both as a staff benefit and to help reduce the staff’s vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Resource Development

. Fundraising activities are focused around the Headquarters renovation/Center for Landscape Architecture and the Chinatown Green Street Demonstration Project (see above). As of the end of February, fifteen members contributed $725 to the ASLA Fund general fund.

. A new Director of Stakeholder Relations and Resource Development was hired in March and will begin work in early April.

Finance, Meetings, and Building Operations

Finance . Work on the annual financial audit was a major focus in the first quarter for staff and the Audit Committee, and will continue into April. The audited financial statements will be reviewed by the Audit Committee in March and presented to the Board at the midyear meeting in April.

. In the first quarter, a quarterly conference call was held with chapter treasurers. Topics covered during the call included fraud, monthly reporting, cash, investments, statement of financial position (balance sheet), statement of activities, financial audits, and federal tax compliance (Form 990). . Meetings . The Meetings Department conducted its first Technology Summit, bringing together more than 30 annual meeting vendors and staff for a discussion on technology innovations. The roundtable discussion focused on how technology can be used more effectively to build annual meeting attendance, deliver education content, generate traffic on the EXPO floor, evaluate performance, and measure ROI. Discussions will continue in small groups to begin incorporating some of the strategies and technologies into the ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting and EXPO in Chicago and beyond.

. Several annual meeting services were put to bid in the first quarter of 2015 to ensure that vendors are offering the most sustainable and innovative services, along with competitive pricing. Vendor services include shuttle and field session transportation, general contractor, audio/visual, and session content capture. Services are bid out every four years or earlier if needed.

. Staff assessed the enhancements made to the online registration and housing system in 2014 and are building on these improvements for this year’s system. Base registration fees did not increase over 2014. All ASLA associate members receive

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one flat registration fee regardless of their associate membership level – one, two, or three year. Associate members are, however, still subject to early, and advanced rate deadlines. Meeting registrants again receive a $75 discount on their registration fee when they book their hotel room at one of the official annual meeting hotels when they register for the meeting online. Registration and housing for the annual meeting will open in May.

. Plans were put in place for two great annual meeting events scheduled for Saturday, November 7th. The ASLA Alumni Tailgate will be held from 4:30 –6:00 pm in the EXPO. The Tailgate is no longer part of the Edible Landscape event. The Alumni Tailgate features prizes for “Most School Spirit,” “Best Cheer,” Cornhole and other tailgate activities. Plans are also underway for the 2nd Annual ASLA/Landscape Structures Edible Landscape Celebration that same evening. The Edible Landscapes event, featuring Chicago’s best “farm-to-table” chefs, will run from 8:00–11:00 pm. The Alumni Tailgate is free to all annual meeting registrants. Non-registrants gain admission with the purchase of an EXPO Only pass. The Edible Landscape Celebration is a ticketed event.

Building Operations

. Activities are focusing on preparing the office for the renovation process to begin in late 2015. Investigation of temporary workspace is underway and is being coordinated with IT consultants. Publishing . Advertising contracts for 2015 issues of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) total $2,334,525, or 81 percent of the annual budget goal of $2.8 million, an increase of 10 percent over the same period last year.

. The audit bureau’s December 2014 LAM Publisher’s Statement confirmed 21,281 subscribers, demonstrating a slight decline from the June Publisher’s Statement. Digital subscriptions to LAM totaled 4,424 by the end of Q1, up 4 percent from last March. Work continued to qualify advertisers and complimentary subscribers in time for the next annual audit.

. LAM was distributed to attendees and exhibitors at the National Association of Home Builders in Las Vegas (January).

. Sales for 2015 EXPO space and sponsorships grew by $242,300 during the first quarter, from $1,759,600 to $2,001,900 or 81 percent of the annual budget goal of $2.475 million, an increase of 28 percent over the same period last year.

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Government Affairs

Government Affairs General

. Landscape architects continued to use the iAdvocate Network to take action on major issues relevant to the profession. This quarter, 387 members sent 1,253 messages to federal and state legislators on issues related to active transportation, licensure, local Complete Street policies, land and water conservation programs, and procurement. The Network was also used by chapters for their state advocacy day events.

. The Policy Committee is reviewing ASLA public policies that have not been amended during the least seven years. This process will ensure that all ASLA public policies are up-to-date and relevant to the profession.

Federal Advocacy

. In the first quarter, ASLA successfully worked to have key legislation reintroduced in the 115th Congress, including: The Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvement Act (H.R. 199), a measure that allows the use of Transportation Infrastructure Financing and Innovation Act (TIFIA) funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects; and The Community Parks Revitalization Act (H.R. 201), which provides assistance for communities to rehabilitate existing and develop new community parks and recreational infrastructure. ASLA also supported the introduction of The Vision Zero Act (H.R. 1274), a new measure that creates two grant programs to help communities develop and implement plans to eliminate transportation-related fatalities across all modes of transportation. ASLA also joined in sending letters to Congress on an array of legislative and funding issues important to the profession such as transportation funding, the Community Development Block Grant program, urban parks, stormwater management, and Complete Streets.

. ASLA and allied organizations worked to support an amendment to permanently authorize the Land and Water Conversation Fund (LWCF). After intense advocacy efforts, this bipartisan amendment, authored by Senators Richard Burr (NC), Michael Bennett (CO) and Kelly Ayotte (NH) fell short of passage by just one vote. The final vote was 59-39, with 60 votes needed for passage. During consideration of the amendment, ASLA sent massages to each U.S. senator urging their support of the amendment.

. In January, the ASLA Executive Committee met with the White House Council on Environmental Quality to discuss the administration’s Climate Resilience Priority Agenda. The meeting focused on strategies to implement green infrastructure to address climate change, resiliency, and sustainable natural resources.

. This quarter, the Government Affairs Advisory Committee continued its work on developing a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) toolkit. The toolkit, which

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will include talking points, template chapter letters and letters to the editor, research, and other tools, will help chapters and members effectively advocate on behalf of TAP and other active transportation programs and policies.

. ASLA government affairs conducted a webinar focused on ASLA’s advocacy program. The webinar brought together students and emerging professionals nationwide to learn about ASLA’s federal priorities, licensure efforts, resources, and tools. The webinar also featured information on how students and emerging professionals can become more involved in ASLA’s advocacy efforts.

. ASLA coordinated a successful education session for the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference in January. The session, entitled For Livable and Lovable Cities–Add Parks, highlighted the value of parks and how these public spaces spur economic growth, improve public health, and forge community ties.

. ASLA continues to be an active partner in several coalitions including, the National Complete Streets Coalition, the Partnership for Active Transportation, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the Sustainable Urban Forest Coalition, the Urban Parks Coalition, the LWCF Coalition, the Green Infrastructure Collaborative, and the Pollinator Partnership.

Licensure and State Advocacy

. As state legislatures convened in 2015, deregulation continued to be a concern as state policy makers look to streamline business practices. Connecticut and Utah are facing legislation that would impact the experience requirement for licensure. In the District of Columbia, ASLA is supporting the Potomac Chapter’s efforts to enact licensure legislation in the nation’s Capital.

. In February, government affairs hosted the first 2015 Advocacy WebSummit, which focused on providing advocates with a review of resources available to complement their chapter advocacy activities; outlining the ASLA Advocacy Awards Program; reviewing the iAdvocate Network and how chapters can better utilize the tool; describing the 2015 federal priorities process; and updates on state licensure battles.

. The Licensure and State Government Affairs Advisory Committee is continuing its work to support chapter advocacy efforts by updating and expanding existing resources, including support of landscape architects battling restraints to practice.

. This quarter, the LARE Prep subcommittee is developing the framework for a new 2015 learning webinar series for licensure exam candidates. The webinar series will feature key themes such as test-taking and studying strategies, and tips on how to prepare for the various sections of the LARE. ASLA also uploaded new practice questions from all four sections of the LARE to the ASLA website as additional learning resource for exam candidates.

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Public Relations and Communications

. In the first quarter, 139 major-market stories referenced the Society and 2,314 referenced landscape architecture. ASLA’s goal for 2015 is to earn coverage in print, broadcast, and online media in more than 100 articles referencing ASLA and the profession. First-quarter, top-tier national media coverage included Architect magazine; The Atlantic; Boston Globe (two mentions); Chicago Tribune (three mentions); Columbus Dispatch; Curbed National and Curbed NY; Dallas Morning News (multiple mentions); Denver Post (two mentions); Dezeen (multiple mentions); Engineering News-Report; Fast Company; HGTV’s Extreme Homes, House Hunters Renovation, and You Live in What?; Houston Chronicle (multiple mentions); Huffington Post (two mentions); Houzz (multiple mentions); Los Angeles Times (multiple mentions); Miami Herald (multiple mentions); New York Times (multiple mentions); Palm Beach Post; Philadelphia Inquirer; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; San Francisco Chronicle (multiple mentions); Star Tribune (two mentions); Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun; and Yahoo! Finance..

. Seven press releases were issued for the first quarter: the 2015 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey results; an announcement about the launch of World Landscape Architecture Month; a press release celebrating Black History Month and ASLA’s diversity initiative; the fourth quarter 2014 Business Quarterly survey results; a statement on the State of the Union address; an announcement about plans to renovate ASLA’s headquarters into the Center for Landscape Architecture; and a call for entries for the 2015 awards program.

. In the first quarter, the ASLA Facebook page “likes” increased from 34,250 to 49,940. Twitter-follower count climbed to 39,500 in Q1 2015. ASLA followers on Instagram grew to 4,509. Social interactions, such as mentions and comments, are up on all platforms.

 Forty-seven of the 49 chapters sent representatives to the Public Awareness Summit, held January 9-11 in Tampa, Florida. The attendees brainstormed coordinated outreach for the next 12 months, with a particular emphasis on World Landscape Architecture Month activities this April.

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 In anticipation of World Landscape Architecture Month, staff is connecting ASLA chapters with IFLA member organization and asking them to participate in our “Designed by a Landscape Architect” campaign. People around the world will use a card to take pictures of iconic or unique landscapes with the hashtag #WLAM2015 and share them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Communications and ASLA Online . After the launch of the new homepage in fall 2014, traffic to ASLA.org has only grown. In comparison with first quarter 2014. ASLA.org pageviews are up 7.4 percent while visits are essentially flat. ASLA.org gained in unique visitors, though, with a 3.5 percent bump. . New visitors are up 5.2 percent over year-end 2014 to a total of a 53.6 percent share, representing a growing interest in the profession.

2015 Januar Februar March Q1 Change y y 1-6 2015 Pageviews 471,18 422,702 90,326 974,510 +7.45% 6 Visits 146,18 136,413 32,692 311,909 +0.3% 7 Unique Visitors 94,366 87,741 24,084 188,081 +3.5%

. Since launch in November 2014, the new home page has gotten 216,000 pageviews. The new feature, Learn What Landscape Architects Do, has received another 191,000 views. This is a gain of approximately 73 percent over the previous version from the same time frame last year.

. In the first quarter, work continued to optimize the new homepage and its mobile version. The new homepage is now approximately twice as fast as it was at launch in November. Images have been compressed; the server now responds faster; and select caching has eliminated loading time.

. Working with various internal teams, there have been a series of updates / redesigns: the green roof education website, LATIS, Professional Links, and Online Learning have all been refreshed.

. Now almost six months after launch, the Landscape Architect’s Guides to Portland is up to 21,000 pageviews. The Washington, D.C. and Boston guides, launched in 2012 and 2013 respectively, are up to 210,000 pageviews.

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. Work is underway with with the Alaska Chapter to create a guide to Anchorage. Initial planning occurred in February.

. The green infrastructure guide, relaunched in fall 2014, is up to 21,000 pageviews, a gain of 7,000 views in 2015. The redesign increased pageviews by more than 300 percent over the earlier version.

. The Google Adwords grant ASLA received in 2011 continues to do well, earning around $100,000 in free clicks over the same time last year. The account has earned 435,000 clicks and 56 million impressions from Google. This would have cost $385,000, but ASLA receives this benefit for free.

LAND and The Dirt . Open rates for LAND saw slight gains in two categories and a flat performance in the third compared to 2014 averages. First-quarter 2015 averages for members were 33.4 percent for members; 21.33 percent for lapsed members; and 18.41 percent of ad prospects. For full year 2014, member open rates averaged 32.2 percent; 20.7 percent for nonmembers; and 18.69 percent for advertising prospects.

. The Dirt email and Wordpress subscribers have reached 6,520, a 2 percent increase over the end of 2014.

. The Dirt covered the Transforming Transportation conference in the first quarter.

2015 Januar Februar March 1- Q1 2015 y y 6 Pageviews 48,822 51,582 11,383 111,787

Honors and Awards

. The 2015 Call for Entries Professional and Student Awards program is now automated. Promotion of the professional awards program continues with email messaging, LAND stories, social media marketing, and print ads in LAM. As of March 11, 221 active submissions had been posted. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 27.

. 2015 Honors yielded more nominees than the previous nine years. Marketing

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. The ASLA 2015 Annual Meeting & EXPO branding was finalized. Annual meeting and EXPO partnership agreements were solidified with the Building Stone Institute, American Planning Association, Architectural Record, Sweets, and Hearth & Home and gb&d. Partnerships were also solidified with the American Institute of Architects, Architectural Digest Home Design Show, Coverings, International Casual Furniture Market, Lightfair, and the Outdoor Design and Build Show.

. Work began to redesign the sales and marketing website with the graphic designer.

. Marketing completed promotions for the 2015 Honors call for nominations. Promotions continued for the 2015 Professional and Student Awards call for entries.

. Emails were sent to potential advertisers to promote available ad space in the February and March issues of LAM.

. Meetings were held with the LAM editorial staff and ASLA social media coordinator to implement a social media strategy for the LAM Facebook and Twitter accounts.

. Marketing reviewed the 2014 email communications report from Vertex Communications. ASLA exceeded the national averages for delivery, open, and click through rates indicating the audience was highly engaged with ASLA content and programming last year.

. JobLink once again is offering a summer internship promotion to its members. During the months of February, March, and April, ASLA members could post one free intern position per firm, agency, or organization. JobLink has surpassed last year’s first quarter average of 54 postings, showing 91 postings as of March 11.

Landscape Architecture Magazine

. The LAM staff made long-range plans to build the audience of the magazine’s website and its following on social media channels. A new series of regular web features appearing monthly or semi-monthly was planned for the LAM site, and a more strategic approach began to promote these and other posts on Facebook and Twitter. The magazine has 295,000 “Likes” on Facebook and 6,777 followers on Twitter.

. An e-newsletter, The Landscape Report, debuted in March. The newsletter, sent to members only, provides a twice-weekly digest of news stories affecting landscape architecture today.

. The editorial ratio for the first quarter was 56 percent; the goal is 55 percent.

. The LAM Editorial Advisory Committee considered three major topics to explore for coverage in its monthly conference calls. The first was education and the

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pressures facing academic programs. The second concerned profiling the many expert consultants with whom landscape architects work. The third involved planning for the 2016 centenary of the National Park Service, and highlighting landscape architects’ legacy in the parks.

. Emerging professionals and their concerns have become a major area of enterprise for the magazine, with increased coverage of younger designers and students, staff presence at LABash in March, sponsorship of the annual Dredgefest conference in Duluth, Minnesota, in August; and staff involvement on the Olmsted Scholars jury with the Landscape Architecture Foundation.

Member and Chapter Services

Data complied on 3/10/2015 Membership

. ASLA membership is down slightly from year end 2014, a decrease of 0.16 percent.

Member 12/31/2014 3/10/2015 Year End 2014 – Type 3/10/2015 Affiliate 661 632 -4.39% Associate 1,734 1,728 -0.35% Corporate 121 134 10.74% Full Member 9,491 9,556 0.68% Full-Fellow 747 749 0.27% Honorary 148 148 0.00% International 202 201 -0.50% Student 1,809 1,753 -3.10% Student 301 288 -4.32% Affiliate Total 15,214 15,189 -0.16%

Member Recruitment and Retention

. Membership correspondence included (records with valid emails): Welcome to ASLA email sent to 412 new members and the Thank You for Renewing email to the 1,897 renewing members processed from January 1-March 10. Membership renewal reminder emails were sent to the 4,401 members with an open billing during the quarter and the Staying Connected email was sent to the 1,229 to the members that lapsed in January, February and March. First quarter invoices included: 7,146 membership, 1,859 subscription, and 20 Firm Finder.

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. The 430 Full, Fellow, Associate, and Affiliate September, October, November 2014 non-renewals were contacted via phone regarding their membership lapse.

. Between January 1 – March 10, a total of 438 new (and rejoin) member applications and 2,246 renewing member applications were processed.

Month Total January 2015 204 February 2015 180 March 2015 54

. The 2014 renewal cycle will close on March 31; the 2013 retention rate was 81.84 percent. This compares to 80.92 percent in 2012, 80.30 percent in 2011, 79.01 percent in 2010, 77.28 percent in 2009, 78.31 percent in 2008 and 76.08 percent in 2007.

RENEWAL DATE DUE TO RENEW RENEWED NON-RENEWED % RETENTION 1/31/2014 1225 997 228 81.39% 2/28/2014 1156 984 172 85.12% 3/31/2014 1061 865 196 81.53% 4/30/2014 1175 931 244 79.23% 5/31/2014 1261 915 346 72.56% 6/30/2014 1099 850 249 77.34% 7/31/2014 1017 864 153 84.96% 8/31/2014 1147 926 221 80.73% 9/30/2014 1403 1061 342 75.62% 10/31/2014 1223 896 327 73.26% 11/30/2014 988 787 201 79.66% 12/31/2014 1283 1074 209 83.71%

Students and Emerging Professionals

. Chelsea Keith, Student ASLA, was elected as the 2014-2015 ASLA Student Representative. Keith is a BLA student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

. The Student Honor and Merit Award information was distributed to the chapter presidents, program chairs and the student chapter advisors in February.

. ASLA national leadership completed four student chapter visits in the first quarter: Cal Poly-Pomona, Boston Architectural College, Harvard, and Louisiana State University. There are an additional three visits scheduled for 2015.

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Chapter Services

. The Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) Orientation Webinar was hosted on January 13. A total of 46 chapter leaders participated.

. ASLA national leadership completed four chapter visits in the first quarter: New Jersey, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. There are an additional 12 visits scheduled for 2015.

. Staff facilitated strategic planning sessions for the Arizona, Boston, and Connecticut Chapters.

. The Member Services Committee distributed three issues of the Membership Minute to trustees, chapter presidents, president-elects, and staff. Topics included roles and duties of a membership chair, utilizing the monthly chapter reports, and recruitment, and membership program best practices.

. In March, 16 chapters attended the chapter treasurer webinar on audit procedures (see Finance).

Professional Practice and Information Technology

Professional Practice Library

. The LATIS paper, Suburban Stormwater Retrofitting is currently being formatted for publication. There were 48 LATIS exams taken in the first quarter of 2015, up from 40 at this time last year.

. There were 44 Professional Practice Library (PPL) catalog searches performed in the first quarter (as of March 10), as compared to 109 the previous quarter, and 77 information queries were received (as of March 10), with 72 the previous quarter. Member and staff requests continued to exceed those from non-members, and email requests also continued to represent the largest percentage. The catalogued reference/archives collection includes 2,451 titles (3 new books added) and 139 periodicals. The Books by ASLA Members Amazon affiliate bookstore had 207 books available for sale and earned $186.51 for the library in the first quarter. Data entry of the current class of Fellows progressed with two-thirds of the current class entered. The Archives Committee and staff discussed developing the plan for the prints and drawings collection project as part of the new ASLA HQ building after renovation.

Professional Practice General

. The Professional Practice Committee began work with counsel and staff on developing the next standard form agreement for construction documents. Publication is anticipated late in 2015. ASLA sold 36 Standard Contracts Packages

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in the first quarter (as of March 9), compared with 24 in the previous quarter. ASLA sold 29 custom salary survey reports (as of March 9). This hosted salary survey data and practical business resource is available exclusively to ASLA members. This number is on track to meet or exceed the previous two quarters; 30 in the fourth quarter and 37 in the previous quarter. The marketing plan for professional practice resources and tools continued with notices in LAM, LAND, and on the ASLA website with additional promotions under development for release in 2015.

. The Public Practice Advisory Committee is working on the next set of Policy Shaper interviews to be released in LAND in 2015. Work is underway on informational materials on landscape architecture career opportunities in the public sector to distribute to emerging professionals.

. ASLA led the planning of the Parklets 3.0, during the New Partners for Smart Growth (NPSG) conference in Baltimore, MD. Five parklets were designed and installed by local and national organizations: the USDA Forest Service, PlaceMatters, Parks and People, landscape architecture firm, Alta Design + Planning, AARP, the Morgan State University ASLA Student Chapter, TreeBaltimore, U.S. EPA, and the Georgia Conservancy.

. Two SITES education sessions and one workshop proposal were submitted for consideration to upcoming conferences: “Green building system synergies: LEED- SITES-WELL” was submitted to Greenbuild 2015. “Ask the Experts: Questions about the SITES rating system, certification, and more” was submitted to the 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting as a session and “SITES "hackathon": a hands-on, real-world introduction to the SITES v2 Rating System” was submitted as a workshop. Notification of acceptance will be in May for Greenbuild.

Professional Practice Networks

. The Professional Practice Networks (PPNs) now have 12,662 members, an increase of 140 since the beginning of 2015. The Sustainable Design and Development PPN continued to have the most members with 2,163. The Urban Design, Residential Landscape Architecture, and Parks and Recreation PPNs continue to have more than 1,000 members each.

. A PPN on Environmental Justice was approved in March. The PPN will provide a forum for ASLA members involved in environmental justice and support the Society and the profession on environmental justice issues. Members will be invited to join the new group in April.

. The PPN LinkedIn groups have more than 16, 600 individuals registered in at least one of the groups, an increase of more than 900 since the start of 2015.

. The Field, the blog for the ASLA Professional Practice Networks, had 16 posts with 232 daily views as the average, compared to an average of 203 daily views last

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quarter. Overall, The Field had more than 15,700 views (as of March 11), down from 18,690 the previous quarter.

. The PPN Online Learning series that was established in 2013 had three live presentations in the first quarter, each with about 50 attendees. The catalog of recordings continued to grow—57 presentations are available. All recorded and live sessions offer professional development hours (PDHs) through LA CES. This quarter, 38 exams were submitted, comparted to 18 in the first quarter of 2014.

Computer and IT Support

. ASLA staff and contracted consultants continued to maintain the internal network infrastructure of all desktop workstations, servers, printers, scanners and copiers. Expanding the availability and redundancy of this infrastructure provided an improved work environment enabling increased productivity of the ASLA staff.

. Remote monitoring of the server infrastructure continued to be effective monitoring strategy. A brief asset summary of the server infrastructure is provided monthly to review the environment.

. Ongoing projects and activities include scheduled maintenance on all servers, daily backup of email, accounting and file servers. Installation and deployment of critical security and virus definitions to deter or minimize exposure to virus, malware, and spam-ware attacks.

. IT is participating in vetting of potential interim office space and planning for IT moves/changes to accommodate the transition.

Education Programs

Education

. The 2015 Annual Meeting Call for Presentations resulted in 418 proposals submitted. The Annual Meeting Education Advisory Committee reviewed and scored all submissions; from which a final program of 120 education and 15 field sessions was built.

. The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA CES) approved 11 new provider applications in the first quarter, compared to nine in the first quarter of 2014.

Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board

. The Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB) organized and chaired the 2015 President’s Council Meeting, which was held in January ASLA Headquarters. Presidents and executive staff of LAAB, ASLA, CELA, CLARB,

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CSLA, and LAF provided updates of each group’s top priorities and held a discussion about data collection and how to use the information gathered to better understand the strength of the landscape architecture profession.

. LAAB held the winter board meeting January 23-24, 2015, in Washington, D.C. During the meeting the board reviewed five renewal of accreditation programs, including: Arizona State University (MLA); Clemson University (BLA); Cornell University (MLA); Philadelphia University (BLA); and University of Kentucky (BLA). Additionally, LAAB continued discussions regarding the revision of the LAAB Accreditation Standards and Procedures.

. LAAB conducted four on-site renewal of accreditation evaluations: Oklahoma State University (BLA), Texas A&M University (BLA), University of Georgia (MLA), and Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (BLA). These programs will be considered by LAAB at the summer meeting in July.

. A webinar outlining expectations for the LAAB Annual Report was held for landscape architecture program chairs in February.

. Currently, LAAB accredits 96 programs with 44 leading to undergraduate degrees and 52 MLA degrees.

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2015 Annual Operating Plan Executive Summary This summary highlights new initiatives and initiatives on which there will be an especially strong focus during 2015. All of the program areas and their 2015 goals are described in detail in the body of the plan.

Executive Offices . Maintain strong communications with all constituencies, allied professional groups, and organizations with shared interests. Facilitate ExCom and BOT deliberations to include identification of priorities and strategic planning; continue to focus on enhancing ExCom and BOT operations and implement new assessment processes.

. Continue to use the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence, including feedback from the 2015 U.S Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Virginia application process, to enhance overall organizational performance; complete documentation of key processes to support knowledge transfer and continuity of operations.

. Support the Green Building Certification Institute’s rebranding of the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) and launch of project certification. Pursue funding and development of the Chinatown Green Streets Demonstration Project; promote and position ASLA as a leader in green infrastructure and sustainability.

. Support the development and maintenance of a high quality staff, including through targeted training. Look for best options for medical insurance as D.C. moves to insurance exchanges in December 2015. Use staff input to improve benefits and develop other programs to support and engage staff, and maintain/enhance wellness programs.

. Support the Council of Fellows (COF) Executive Committee and jury; continue work to improve the quality and quantity of nominations above the 2014 level; work to increase pledges and donations to the COF scholarship fund.

. Coordinate consultants for the HQ renovation and work with Finance and Resource Development on project administration and fundraising.

Finance and Building Operations . Each month prepare and present timely and accurate financial reports of the Society’s operational, investment, and cash performance. Provide the information in an understandable and useful format to staff, committees, and the Board of Trustees. Continue to follow the Baldrige criteria for performance excellence in the department and continue to optimize the procedures that make up the Finance and Building Operations Manual.

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. In conjunction with the Audit Committee, conduct the annual financial audit of the Society’s financial position and results of operations.

. Secure favorable financial terms and the borrowing capacity to complete the Headquarters building renovation project. Work with Resource Development to support fundraising, and with Executive Offices to coordinate renovation process and transition to/from temporary office space.

. Operate the building in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Maintain the building’s Energy Star rating.

Meetings . Maintain the level of attendance for the annual meeting and EXPO at or above the five-year average of 5,200 in order to meet or exceed the registration and ticket revenue budget goal.

. Manage, evaluate, and enhance overall meeting and event processes to ensure efficient use of Society resources; maintain a focus on sustainability; effectively manage vendor partnerships; and deliver meetings and events in environments built for learning and networking.

Government Affairs . Continue to increase member participation in ASLA’s iAdvocate Network to support state and federal advocacy.

. Support and grow federal advocacy by increasing visibility on Capitol Hill, working with federal agencies and departments, building grassroots, and holding advocacy day.

. Support chapters’ licensure advocacy efforts, including protecting landscape architecture practice and licensing boards from attack, through regular advocacy training webinars, chapter visits, the advocacy summit, the advocacy grant program, and new advocacy tools. Partner with CLARB to enhance preparatory materials and videos for the licensing exam.

Landscape Architecture Magazine . Strengthen/increase coverage of: issues related to climate change and resilient design; digital technology and computing; construction; materials and plants; and emerging professionals.

. Strengthen LAM’s online content and increase page views to 1,500 per day.

. Develop new sources of continuing education content and increase frequency to six times per year.

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. Develop a new biweekly e-news vehicle for ASLA members by the end of the first quarter 2015.

Publishing and Resource Development . Renew 75 percent of existing EXPO and LAM advertising contracts. Identify 300 new prospects for advertising and exhibit sales. Double the amount of residential and hospitality product manufacturer participation in EXPO and LAM advertising.

. Maintain LAM audited circulation at over 21,000; increase newsstand sales by five percent.

. Move the professional and student awards entry, submission, and judging system to an online platform.

. Coordinate fundraising for Headquarters building renovation project and work with Executive Offices on fundraising for Chinatown Green Street Project.

Public Relations and Communications

. Increase coverage in major print, broadcast, and online media to more than 100 articles per year referencing ASLA and the profession. Relaunch National Landscape Architecture Month (April) as World Landscape Architecture Month with 100 percent chapter participation. Grow Facebook and Twitter followers by 10,000; add 2,000 followers to Instagram and 1,000 to Pinterest; grow other, newer and emerging social media options.

. Host 2015 Public Awareness Summit in January with 100 percent chapter representation; work with chapters on quarterly outreach events as part of the ongoing Public Awareness campaign; convene chapter representatives quarterly for ongoing evaluation. Update chapter training and public relations resources, to include strategies for harnessing social media, updated media lists, templates, and branding collateral.

. Increase numbers of visits and unique visitors to the ASLA site by 5 percent. Revamp Green Roof Education website with new animations and learning tools. Develop The Landscape Architect’s Guide to New Orleans, working with the Louisiana Chapter. Create a central members resource to showcase news and benefits specific to members. Develop easy to understand interactive infographics for key pages of the ASLA website. Update and expand Chinese language offerings.

. Redesign LAND e-mailer and increase average open rate of LAND to average 33 percent of members. Increase outreach to non-members by increasing subscriber bases for LAND. Maintain The Dirt traffic at 2014 level of 50,000 pageviews per month. Develop network of guest bloggers in cities around U.S., including guest bloggers at top landscape architecture programs to cover lectures on their campuses.

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Member and Chapter Services . Achieve 2 percent growth and a retention rate at or above 86 percent for full and associate members. Grow student membership by 3 percent and increase retention rates for students to 60 percent.

. Maintain a minimum of 85 percent accuracy in membership-wide email; review duplicate records; maintain a minimum of 90 percent of Full and Associate membership records linked to company identification numbers for Firm Finder.

. Support the chapters and the Chapter Presidents Council (CPC); facilitate communications between and among the national ASLA, chapter leaders, and student chapters.

. Facilitate the Leadership Development, Member Services and Emerging Professional committee programs and projects to enhance membership value and support the chapters.

. Raise ASLA visibility among student chapters and support the Student Representative’s initiatives to engage student membership.

Professional Practice and Information Technology

. Provide technical and professional resource materials, including the ASLA Standard Form Contract Between Landscape Architect and Consultant, the ASLA Standard Form Contract Between Landscape Architect and Client, Online Learning and the Landscape Architecture Technical Information Series (LATIS), to support members’ practice needs.

. Support the information development and communications of the Professional Practice Networks, including engaging the Networks in developing online learning presentations and in ongoing active participation and use of The Field—the PPN blog and the LinkedIn groups.

. Maintain the online electronic catalogues of the landscape architecture reference collection, the Books By ASLA Members webpage, the ASLA Fellows Database and the ASLA publications archives collection accessible to members, staff, and other researchers via the ASLA website.

Education Programs and Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)

. Maintain current LA CES partnerships and investigate new partnerships that may allow ASLA to offer additional education programs to members as well as inform other organizations about landscape architecture.

. Continue to make upgrades to the LA CES database for both providers and professionals.

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. Execute the full compliance process with allied continuing education programs for annual meeting educations sessions for publication in the registration materials.

. Complete implementation of the online annual report system for all landscape architecture accredited programs.

. Complete the review process of the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board Standards and Procedures