Fort Fremont Historical Preserve

Team Charter of The Board of Directors of The Friends of Fort Fremont
Our Mission and Purpose
March 9, 2023

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The mission of the Friends of Fort Fremont (FFF) is to preserve and promote Fort Fremont (FF) as an educational, historical, natural, and cultural resource of the Spanish-American War era on the shores of historic Port Royal Sound in Beaufort, South Carolina.

As the FFF Board of Directors,
1. We bring experience, education, expertise, and commitment to lead the FFF.
2. We provide strategic focus and priorities for the FFF.
3. We advocate for FF with the Beaufort County Passive Parks Manager.
4. We conduct historical research about FF and the Spanish-American War era to better promote FF.
5. We educate the public—adults and school-age children—through a variety of programs to promote FF, in collaboration with other local organizations, including the Coastal Discovery Museum, the Beaufort History Museum, the Penn Center, the Beaufort Public School System, and others.
6. We serve as Beaufort County’s public face of FF.
7. We raise funds to support the mission of the FFF.

Our Values

Leadership. We provide purpose, direction, and motivation to FFF to achieve the mission and enhance the organization. As a leadership team, we advocate for FF with Beaufort County Passive Parks Manager and promote FF to the public. We bring a diversity of interests and expertise to our leadership of the Board. All have a passion for history. In addition, we bring expertise in administration, education, engineering, finance and accounting, marketing, public relations, strategy, and technology.

Learning. We value learning for ourselves and others. We conduct historical research, collaborate with other historical organizations, and conduct site visits of other Endicott-era forts to better understand FF and the era. We share our understanding with the public through a variety of means—e.g., staffing the History Center, conducting docent-led tours, supporting special programs, and producing material (videos, historical panels, print material, digital apps)—to tell the FF story.

Honesty and Integrity. We are committed to presenting the FF story in a way that is historically accurate, respectful of humanity of the people of the FF era, and relevant to contemporary life.

Collaboration. We are open and transparent in our collaboration with each other and with Beaufort County, the public, and other organizations.

Passion. We are passionate about our commitment to our mission, programs, each other, and the FFF membership. We provide “boots on the ground” for the County in preserving and promoting FF. We inspire others with the FF story and our example as a leadership team.

Priorities

Leadership of the FFF. Our priority is to lead the FFF organization. We do this by establishing strategic direction, collaborating with the Beaufort County Passive Parks Manager and other relevant organizations, and advocating for the safety, preservation, and promotion of FF.
1. We will advocate for the immediate safety requirements and collaborate with Beaufort County to ensure FF is safe and accessible to the public.

Learning. We acquire knowledge relevant to the FF story and share it with others. We do this through individual research, collaboration with each other and other historical societies, and educational programs that impact the public.
1. We will recruit and train more volunteers to expand the hours of operation of the History Center.
2. We will develop new ways of telling the FF story to the public, such as additional panels and rotating displays at the History Center.
3. We will develop educational tools and programs for school-aged children, to include collaboration with the Beaufort County Public Schools and other educational institutions.
4. We will implement the collection management program with the goal of acquiring relevant artifacts that will enhance our ability to tell the FF story.
5. We will expand programs to address the natural and cultural resources of FF.

Resources. We will ensure we acquire and manage the resources to achieve the FFF mission.
1. We will grow the FFF membership.
2. We will seek financial support through membership dues, donations, grants, fundraising activities, and public sources (e.g., ATAX).
3. We will develop and implement public relations and marketing programs to inspire others to visit FF, support the mission, and join the FFF.

Adaptability and Learning

After Action Reviews. We will learn from experience and share our learning with others. We will conduct an after-action review (AAR) after every mission, project, or task, and we will share the knowledge we gain with other members of the Board and with the FFF. We will conduct quarterly AARs of on-going programs such as the volunteer programs at the History Center.

Field Trips. We will conduct periodic field trips to other Endicott-era forts and historic sites to learn about innovative ideas for achieving our mission.

Benchmarking. We will benchmark best practices with other similar organizations.

Analytics. We will use analytics (e.g., visitor logs, Facebook statistics, and public feedback) to assess mission accomplishment.

Norms and Expectations

Internal.
1. We will engage in open, respectful, and civil communications with one another.
2. We will develop and implement an orientation program for new board members.
3. To have effective meetings, we will:
   1. Submit and read committee reports before the meeting.
   2. Discuss committee reports when there are questions or decisions to be made.
   3. Have an open and collaborative discussion of all issues before making a decision, ensuring that all points of view are heard. We will strive to reach consensus but will take a vote when necessary. The majority votes will decide the issue.
   4. Make time at the end of each meeting for an open discussion by going around the table to provide opportunities for new ideas to emerge.

External.
1. We will begin relationships with external entities by assuming good intentions.
2. The president will speak for the Board so that we speak with one voice. The president may delegate to other Board members the authority to speak for the board on certain matters within their area of expertise.
3. Board members will publicly support all board decisions.
4. We will maintain a positive relationship with our St Helena Island neighbors.
5. We will nurture a positive relationship with the Beaufort County Passive Parks Manager.
   1. The president will strive to understand the County’s vision for FF and expectations for the FFF and will communicate them to the board.
   2. The Board, through the president, will maintain open and regular communications with the Passive Parks Manager and will encourage the County to use best practices to preserve and maintain Fort Fremont in a manner that is consistent with national standards (e.g., National Park Service, Coastal Defense Study Group, etc.).

Approved and adopted by a vote of the Board of Directors, Friends of Fort Fremont, on March 9, 2023.