Strategic Plan

This Strategic Plan Outline is organized into the following sections:

• Mission, Vision and Values
• Strategic Objectives
• Program Recommendations
• Strategies for Objectives
• Outcomes/Measures of Success

Mission, Vision and Values

Mission

Develop, support and implement a statewide plan to commemorate Arizona’s centennial, including public and private observances across the state locally, regionally and nationally.

Vision

The Arizona Centennial will inspire all Arizonans to appreciate our state’s rich past, celebrate the present and, together, create a vibrant and sustainable future.

Values

• Inclusiveness – The centennial will embrace all citizens for the vital contributions they’ve made to our state over the last 100 years and the critical role they must play in a successful future.
• Empowerment – The centennial will motivate Arizonans throughout the state to remember the past, celebrate the present and imagine the future in ways that are unique and meaningful to their local communities.
• Sense of Pride – The centennial will encourage collaborations and partnerships among the public and private sectors and among communities to create myriad meaningful celebrations across the state.
• Sense of Place – The centennial will encourage our citizens to experience the rich and diverse tapestry of Arizona’s natural, cultural and social history that will guide us into a promising future.
• Stewardship – The centennial will encourage the preservation of Arizona’s social, cultural, economic and natural resources on which a sustainable future depends.
• Legacy – The centennial will encourage projects and activities whose impact will endure into the future and whose influence will extend across the nation as a commemoration of the centennial and life in Arizona as it was in 2012.

Strategic Objectives

The Arizona Centennial Commission (“AzCC”) will pursue five key objectives that reflect its mission, vision and values, and will develop implementation strategies for each that will drive program development and delivery.

1. Create/leverage opportunities to increase awareness and shared understanding of what it means to be an Arizonan.
2. Create/leverage opportunities for participation by as many Arizonans as possible in activities that serve to commemorate and promote learning about our history, heritage and diverse culture.
3. Deepen Arizona’s approach to educating Arizonans about their state’s diverse heritage, natural resources, people and cultures, and promoting understanding of Arizona’s unique contribution to our nation’s economic vitality and cultural richness.
4. Leverage Arizona’s centennial as an opportunity to develop a sense of lasting legacy among Arizonans and Americans for future generations.
5. Establish funding opportunities to support major events at the local, state and national level.

Program Recommendations

Strategies to accomplish the celebration of the centennial will result in many public and private partnerships. Some activities will be newly created and designed exclusively in response to one or more of the five objectives of the Centennial Plan. Other activities will be incorporated into existing community events (festivals, rodeos, fairs, etc.) or capital projects (public art, public buildings, monuments, heritage sites, etc.), and will also support the five strategies. Among the newly created activities will be programs that are created and produced by the AzCC through its non-profit Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation (“Foundation”). Other programs or activities may be created and produced by public and private partnerships and be endorsed by the AzCC and its Foundation.

The distinction between programs produced by the AzCC through the Foundation and those endorsed by the AzCC, but managed by other parties, is important. These programming categories will have the following characteristics:

Produced:

• AzCC provides leadership role in creating and managing the project through its Foundation and its committees.
• Project reflects one or more of the Strategic Objectives of the Centennial Plan.
• AzCC assumes responsibility for raising funds or creating revenue streams to support the project through its Foundation.
• AzCC, through its Foundation, provides sponsorship opportunities and recognition for privately contributed dollars from individuals, corporations or foundations.

Endorsed:

• AzCC approves project endorsement based on guidelines it establishes.
• A public or private partner creates and manages the project.
• Project reflects one or more of the Strategic Objectives of the Centennial Plan.
• Funding streams may be diverse; project may be eligible for grant funding from the AzCC, Arizona Historical Advisory Commission or other public grant funders, e.g. Arizona Commission on the Arts.
• Project is eligible for marketing and public relations support from the Commission.

Strategies for Objectives

Awareness

A marketing and media plan will develop a brand position statement as well as major tactical strategies to support the entire centennial effort.

Participation

An outreach strategy will enlist various public and private partners in the centennial and reach out to specified stakeholder groups.

Education

This strategy is inter-related with the Awareness and Participation strategies and focuses on education for all ages related to history and heritage of Arizona. Tactics will involve the use of the Arizona Centennial as context to develop educational materials for K-12 and higher education that support Arizona curriculum standards. Input will be sought from the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission (AHAC) in its statutory capacity to advise and encourage public/private cooperation and to recommend measures relating to “the interpretation, research, writing and teaching of (Arizona) history, heritage and historic preservation, including the Indian nations’ history, heritage and preservation” (A.R.S. 41-1352 Sec. b1-4)). In sum, the objectives of this strategy are to create lasting resources to educate future Arizonans about the importance of our state and why we should be proud to be Arizonans.

Lasting Legacy

This strategy will encourage centennial participants to focus on how Arizona was shaped by, and helped shape, the economic, social and political trends of the last century, locally, regionally and nationally. Its main objective will be to encourage centennial participants to answer the questions of “why” and “how” the impact of the centennial will be long lasting and will help define and sustain the progress of the state in the future. The strategy will assist in planning the context of Centennial commemorations, and may also be used in defining grant guidelines to be used by potential public and private funders.

Funding

The fundraising plan will identify and prioritize potential funding streams, new and existing, for the centennial and strategies for bringing them to fruition — including, but not limited to private grants from corporations, individuals and foundations; federal, state and local funding, and centennial merchandising and licensing

Outcomes / Measures of Success

• Every Arizona city and town and every tribal community will have participated in the centennial commemoration in some way that reflects what is unique about themselves. E.g. – Local community events, enhancement of local cultural institutions, creation of heritage sites or public art, enhanced and enduring educational materials.
• The celebration and commemoration of the centennial will reflect the diversity of Arizona’s people, geography, cultural institutions and interests.
• A new portfolio of education materials will exist to support curriculum standards for Arizona schools, not only at the fourth grade level, but also across grades and course subjects as appropriate.
• Through the AHAC Legacy Projects program, the body of historic knowledge across the state will be enhanced through the completion of various projects to collect, interpret and portray the history of communities across the state.
• The AzCC will have raised sufficient funds to support centennial activities from public, private and foundation sources, and from licensed merchandising of centennial-related items.
• An ongoing portal Web site on Arizona will exist as a comprehensive resource about Arizona, its history, its people, its economy and its future, and as a vehicle to access various public and private Web resources devoted to Arizona.
• Multiple media outlets in Arizona, nationally and internationally will have promoted the centennial and its themes through reportorial initiatives.
• The marketing and paid media efforts of the centennial marketing plan will have met its reach, penetration and awareness goals.
• As demonstrated through media messages and public recall Arizona’s reputation among its citizens and regional, national and international audiences will be enhanced through:

– Increased understanding about how Arizona’s rich heritage is responsible for what makes us proud about Arizona today

– Expressed belief that Arizona is poised for a successful, dynamic and sustainable future.

– Appreciation for the critical role Arizona will continue to play in the economic vitality of our region and our nation.