Opportunity:
Anne Springs Close Greenway is a 2,100-acre land conservancy in Fort Mill, South Carolina, serving more than 18,000 member households over the past 30 years. Unlike most cultural attractions, the Greenway runs primarily on membership revenue, which made understanding audience behavior — who visits, how often, and from where — especially central to our strategic planning process. We used a combination of community engagement and audience analytics to produce a strategy focused on deepening connections with the communities closest to the Greenway, where the data showed the greatest potential for growth.
Image credit: Anne Springs Close Greenway
Project Highlights:
Direction Shaped by Data
Audience analytics and five years of financial and operational data played a direct role in shaping the Greenway’s strategy. Using geofencing and mobile location data, our team documented that 88% of the Greenway’s visits originate within 60 minutes of the site. Membership data added important context: Member households have more than doubled since before the pandemic, growing from roughly 8,500 to 18,500, and members were visiting at a rate well above the national average for comparable organizations. Together, these findings made a clear case for the strategy’s central focus: Deepening connections with nearby communities rather than pursuing broader geographic reach.
A Broad Community Voice
This planning process engaged an unusually broad cross-section of the community. In addition to staff and Board, two community roundtables brought distinct and complementary perspectives to the process. The first gathered regional partner organizations, including the Town of Fort Mill, Fort Mill School District, Carolina Thread Trail, University of South Carolina Lancaster, and Visit York County, among others. The second convened a group called Greenway Enthusiasts: dedicated Greenway users whose firsthand experience as frequent visitors and volunteers offered a different (and equally valuable) perspective on the Greenway’s role and future. Altogether, the process generated 391 survey responses, seven in-depth interviews, three all-staff town halls, two staff listening sessions, and four collaborative workshops. This level of engagement helped ensure the final strategy reflected not only the Greenway’s internal priorities, but its broader role as a shared community asset.
Result:
The Greenway’s Strategic Plan 2030 is organized around three commitments: Growing Connections, Advocating for Our Land, and Stewarding Our Resources. Each is supported by specific, measurable objectives that translate directly into the team’s day-to-day work. The plan also includes a data appendix with audience and financial analysis — a reference tool the team can return to as they navigate decisions over the next five years.
“Canopy Strategic Partners transformed a complex, often overwhelming process into one that felt clear, collaborative, and purposeful. Their team guided us with a thoughtful, structured approach while remaining flexible enough to engage a wide range of perspectives across our organization. They created space for meaningful input while keeping us focused on what matters most — protecting this special land and connecting our community to it. The result is a strategic plan that feels authentic to our purpose and positions us to deepen our impact for years to come.”
— John Gordon, President & CEO
