How Storybooks Help Zoos & Aquariums Engage Communities, Inspire Donors, and Bring Visions to Life

At the 2025 AZA Conference in Tampa, Relevant Strategies & Solutions (RS&S) led a session on the powerful role of storytelling in advancing zoo and aquarium planning. The session, Future-Forward: Storytelling as the Next Evolution of Master Planning, highlighted how “storybook” approaches can bring strategic plans to life in ways that traditional master plans often cannot.
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Moderator John Walczak, a Senior Consultant with RS&S, led the panel discussion on which I was thrilled to be joined by John Edds, Business Manager, Greenville Zoo; Hayley Murphy, DVM, Executive Director & CEO, Detroit Zoo; Chris Pfefferkorn, President & CEO, Birmingham Zoo; and Morgan Richardson, Founding Partner, Mangolin Creative.

Why Storybooks Work
Traditional ten–twenty-year master plans are not created for an external audience and often fail to translate easily into effective communication with external stakeholders. They become outdated long before they are fully realized – with shifting priorities, economic realities, and new opportunities rendering the original plan obsolete before full implementation. RS&S recommends a different approach: a five-to-seven-year storybook plan that emphasizes flexibility, innovation, and inspiration. Storybooks allow organizations to clearly articulate a compelling vision while keeping plans relevant and financially realistic. They also make complex strategies accessible by combining vibrant narratives with striking visuals, clearly illustrating to donors and community members what their support will accomplish. And importantly, they are designed with AZA standards in mind, ensuring compliance and credibility throughout the planning process.
 
Challenges in Zoo & Aquarium Planning
Zoos and aquariums face mounting challenges in campus planning. AZA standards and animal program requirements are evolving at a rapid pace, making it difficult for traditional long-term plans to remain relevant. Rising costs of planning and design further complicate the process, while the pressure to engage donor and community support never diminishes. All of this means that flexibility and innovation are no longer optional—they are essential. Planning tools must be engaging, adaptable, and cost-effective in order to move organizations forward.
 
The Power of the Facility Concept Plan Storybook
The storybook model directly addresses these challenges. By focusing on a five-to-seven-year timeframe, storybooks ensure that plans remain relevant both professionally and financially. They can be updated easily and affordably as needs evolve, and they cost less significantly less than a traditional campus master plan. Most importantly, storybooks engage both internal teams and external stakeholders. They use beautifully illustrated and emotionally compelling stories to clearly show how projects align with strategic goals, enhance guest experiences, generate revenue, and support AZA standards. Storybooks, coupled with campus plans, meet AZA accreditations standards – addressing the organization’s need for flexibility and innovation in planning at a significant cost savings as compared to traditional master planning.

During the AZA session, one of the most appreciated aspects of the presentation was seeing how priority projects and their impacts can be communicated visually. The chart below is a sample from a recent storybook, illustrating how each project aligns with organizational goals and strategic priorities.

Beyond Capital Campaigns
The usefulness of storybooks extends well beyond capital campaign fundraising. While they are powerful tools for launching or supporting facility concept planning efforts, they can also help organizations communicate about other critical initiatives. For example, storybooks can be used to explain governance shifts, articulate strategic goals, or share progress on transformational projects. In every case, the format allows zoos and aquariums to tell their story in a way that resonates—engaging their communities, inspiring their donors, and bringing their visions to life.