Growing out of a rigorous strategic planning process, NHM’s ambitious 10-year West/South Project represented more than a renovation plan—it was a plan that would make the Museum newly relevant and accessible to the next generation of visitors. A wide range of capital investments in the Exposition Park facility as well as La Brea Tar Pits would help NHM welcome more visitors, bring its collection more fully into the public eye, and create deeper engagement around natural history.
Raising the necessary capital to reach the nine-figure campaign goal would require engaging every possible prospect and constituent.
We were retained by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (Los Angeles, CA) to conduct a campaign planning study testing a vision to increase the connection between the Natural History Museum and the surrounding Exposition Park.
In our effort to build institutional consensus and develop more powerful case messages, we believed a Board retreat would be the valuable first step to engaging Board members and affirming their role as integral partners in defining an institutional vision to guide the campaign. Following an internal assessment, we used analytics, external interviews, and a survey to test the appeal of the campaign plan.
With Campbell & Company as campaign counsel, the Museum was able to increase its phase 1 goal to $190 million and has currently raised $74 million.
The NHM Commons, the new “front porch” to NHM and Exposition Park, is expected to open in Fall 2023. The new destination promises to be a vital gathering place for the community and neighborhoods around Exposition Park. Seventy-five thousand square feet of renovated space will allow the public experience a light-filled welcome center, an inviting lobby with retail space, a new multipurpose theater, a café, and a large community plaza— all without a ticket.
Photos courtesy of Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County