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WWW.SSEACENTER.ORG

South Sound Estuary Association Five-Year Strategic Plan 2016 – 2020

South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) is an environmental education non-profit dedicated to increasing knowledge and awareness of South Puget Sound's special ecosystem. SSEA is dedicated to encouraging personal behavior change to help protect our Puget Sound.

SSEA is approaching its tenth year of existence and the Board of Directors has engaged in a strategic planning process to build the organization and programs for the next five years. The strategic planning process began in April 2015 and stakeholders were involved both in person and through online surveys. As a result, the board identified four major goal areas: organizational development, educational programs, community engagement, and marine/estuary interpretive center.

"When we learn to appreciate the estuary environment of the South Puget Sound, we connect with the dazzling variety of life - fragile, yet incredibly vibrant - that is our unique legacy".

Lynn Schneider, SSEA Board President

Vision

Our vision is to create an educated community that is engaged and inspired to promote the health, conservation and restoration of Puget Sound.

Mission

The mission of the South Sound Estuary Association is to foster learning opportunities that inspire people of all ages to connect with, protect, and enjoy the unique estuary environment of the South Puget Sound.

We achieve this educational endeavor through public meetings, media, science, marine art activities and education in classroom, field, and on the water interactive settings.

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Values

Our organizational and educational development goals, strategies, and program activities emerge from a set of values and basic operating principles. These are our set of values:

● We believe providing information about South Puget Sound estuaries in a variety of methods enhances our community life.

● We believe the environmental seeds we plant in our youth inspires a greater sense of need for stewardship of the South Puget Sound.

● We believe that providing knowledge about and promoting interaction with the marine and estuary environments will inspire the community to make changes to improve its health.

● We believe that the critical work of estuarine and marine education rises above political agendas.

● We believe that promoting a strong organization and high quality programs will lead to innovative ways to achieve our mission.

● We believe we need to evaluate what we do, balance priorities of growth and available resources and focus on activities that advance our mission.

● We believe that enhancing access to and knowledge of partner organizations and the programs and services they provide will strengthen our organization.

● We believe all racial, cultural, and socio-economic groups offer invaluable perspectives that contribute to a complete understanding of the ethical and sustainable relationships of humans to the estuarine environment.

Our four strategic goals, together with a number of specific strategies and measures for success, are identified as key priorities. Each of these goals is important; the board is committed to pursuing each during the life of this plan. The first goal area focuses on our organization and the remaining goals two through four deal with enhancement and expansion of our programs. Many strategies could be utilized in more than one goal area. However, these crosscutting strategies have been placed within a particular goal for clarity of purpose.

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Goal 1 Strengthen and develop the South Sound Estuary Association organizational effectiveness.

Three dedicated individuals created the kernel of the idea for developing an organization devoted to promoting estuary awareness in 2007. Given the growth of our non- profit organization, our immediate need is to transition from an acting volunteer executive director, to a paid executive director with benefits. In addition, SSEA has identified strategies for strengthening the organization due

to growing scope of our programs and the increased number of members and volunteers.

Strategy 1.1. Secure financial support for a three-year Executive Director (ED) contract.

SSEA currently finds itself in a moment of critical transition. Having enjoyed the expert leadership of its current non-paid ED for a number of years, the organization is faced with the need to identify and hire its first remunerated executive leader. While the challenges are substantial, the opportunity exists to configure a job portfolio that reflects the aspirations of the board for future growth. Funding efforts are underway, including components of individual giving as well as capacity building grants.

Measures of Success

▪ Secure funds for position salary for a full year.▪ Expand base of support for sustaining ongoing position funding.

Strategy 1.2. Hire and support a part-time Executive Director.

As the board anticipates the hire of its first remunerated ED, the board needs to consider the formal relationship it will have with the new ED role, and the ways that it can help the successful candidate for the ED position realize the goals set for the role.

Measures of Success

▪ Hire an executive director.▪ Provide support for executive director.▪ Create evaluation process.

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Strategy 1.3. Evaluate additional organizational needs.

Additional administrative positions beyond ED have been suggested by various board members to further advance the long-term and immediate goals for SSEA, such as Program Director, Administrative Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator. The opportunity exists for the new ED, in partnership with the board, to identify which of these positions would most advance the goals for the organization. The board should prepare for this important process and set of discussions.

Measures of Success

▪ Board and executive director will identify any staffing needs to fulfill our mission.▪ Conduct a review of the level and type of staffing needs and propose needed staff.▪ Collect staffing model information from similar organizations.

Strategy 1.4. Find sources of revenue enhancement.

SSEA depends on grants for more than half of all of its operating expenses. In addition to broadening its total base of income, SSEA needs to consider the best and most sustainable mix of income sources and methods.

Measures of Success

▪ Determine preferred and optimal income streams and percentages.▪ Increase income from grants, memberships, charitable giving, and fund-raising.▪ Increase program generated revenues.▪ Develop business sponsorships.▪ Research other avenues of funding.

Strategy 1.5. Increase the number and effectiveness of volunteers.

Volunteers are critical to all of SSEA’s programs and initiatives. SSEA’s overall effectiveness is critically dependent on efforts to increase both the number as well as the effectiveness of its volunteer base. In addition, SSEA needs to ensure that all volunteers feel appreciated and have a positive experience as they fulfill these important roles.

Measures of Success

▪ Recruit additional volunteers necessary to support all programs.▪ Designate a volunteer coordinator to communicate with volunteers, match them to

activities, track volunteer hours, and provide feedback.▪ Provide clear job duties, expanded training, mentoring, and recognition to increase the

positive experience for volunteers.

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Strategy 1.6. Increase effectiveness of the Board of Directors.

As SSEA grows its programs and sets of initiatives, the board of directors finds itself increasingly challenged by a plethora of demands place upon its members, including in areas of fund-raising, long-term and short-term planning, special events management, visibility and P.R., and staffing. The board needs to carefully consider the optimal size for its ranks, as well as the set of expectations for board membership and involvement.

Measures of Success

▪ Increase board membership to broaden diversity and to add support for completing board activities.

▪ Develop a list of board roles and responsibilities and modify bylaws when warranted.▪ Establish Executive board committee to facilitate the efficiency of the board.▪ Consider benefit of forming an advisory committee to provide input to the SSEA board.▪ Arrange for joint board meetings with similar organizations.

Strategy 1.7. Improve communication and public relations with the public, members, and stakeholders.

SSEA is one of several South Sound non-profit organizations involved in environmental education and stewardship. If we are to achieve our stated mission for an educated public, efforts to clarify our unique role and to increase our visibility need to be significantly enhanced.

Measures of Success

▪ Develop consistent messages to the public, members, and stakeholders.▪ Broaden delivery of communications to additional groups.▪ Effectively utilize communication tools to get messaging to the intended audience.

Strategy 1.8. Cultivate new and existing partnerships in the South Puget Sound.

It is critical that we continue to honor our existing partnerships and build new ones with other environmental education groups in the South Puget Sound. We are a piece of a larger puzzle in promoting environmental awareness. Although we don’t lead hands-on stewardship projects, many of our partners do. We need to do a better job of informing our supporters and members of these opportunities (and encouraging their participation in partner activities).

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Measures of Success

▪ Volunteer to host partner and network meetings at the Estuarium.▪ Stay abreast of our partners’ programs and post monthly listing of activities with partner

contact information at the Estuarium and on our website.▪ Track the number of our members participating in organized partner-led stewardship

activities.

Strategy 1.9. Expand our community outreach.In the past our level of community outreach has varied. There is a potential to do more tabling at community events to increase our exposure to the public. Each time we staff a table at one of these events, we have the opportunity to inform more people about our organization and what our partners and we have to offer in environmental education opportunities.

Measures of Success

▪ Create a process for determining which community events are appropriate for us to participate in, secure volunteers to staff the table, and coordinate displays, handouts and hands-on activities.

▪ Increase SSEA exposure with trained volunteers in expanded outreach at community events where we have an informational table with and without partner organizations.

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Goal 2 Develop and expand estuarine and marine educational programs for schools.

SSEA strives to inform the general public about South Puget Sound estuaries through various activities and events at the Estuarium. In addition, we have provided instructional field trip opportunities for school-aged children, when requested. SSEA has initiated some pilot programs to determine the feasibility of providing field trip opportunities on a regular basis for much larger groups of children in the K-12 system.

SSEA recognizes the importance of educating children about estuarine and marine ecosystems in efforts to fulfill our mission and to inspire the next generation of citizens to protect Puget Sound. There are a number of educational strategies that will focus our curriculum, strengthen instruction, and broaden delivery to a wider audience of students.

Strategy 2.1. Develop comprehensive and effective curriculum.

The staff provides interactive field trips at the Estuarium and at our local public beaches on a variety of relevant topics. SSEA staff educators have been aligning their lessons to state science curriculum standards. More curriculum development work is needed to address school district science instructional targets and to align our educational lessons with national environmental standards and current research.

Measures of Success

▪ Create display of SSEA educational offerings.▪ Revise lesson plans based on feedback and input from teachers, researchers and

scientists.▪ Develop new curriculum topics and lessons considering history, local cultures, and art.▪ Align all curriculum units to national English, Mathematics and Science standards.▪ Expand educational opportunities as funds are secured to support the activity.

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Strategy 2.2. Seek out qualified, highly motivated educators to guide our education programs.

SSEA has provided field trip opportunities to the Estuarium for small groups over the past few years. SSEA staff and a small contingent of on-call marine educators have delivered instruction to children as requested by organizations or individual teachers. SSEA has been able to meet most field trip requests, but there are limits to making any further expansion of our educational offerings without increasing our available staff.

Measures of Success

▪ Recruit potential educators with various areas of marine or biology expertise.▪ Utilize the expertise of science researchers, school district staff and college professors to

recommend SSEA educators.▪ Connect with retired science teachers and local college graduates.

Strategy 2.3. Deliver high-quality lessons using interactive materials and monitor learning. SSEA has developed lessons for the study of the estuary ecosystem using three salt-water tanks loaded with several species of live animals at the Estuarium. SSEA also has posters, preserved specimens, interactive displays, videos, and lab equipment at the Estuarium for students to use to enhance their learning. While these are effective teaching tools, SSEA understands that viewing marine life and conducting water quality tests is most effective when done in natural settings. In addition, it is important to evaluate lesson success and to measure student learning in order to improve our field trip experiences.

Measures of Success

▪ Expand field trip opportunities to include marine and other new locations.▪ Develop a variety of feedback instruments and student assessments to evaluate lesson

effectiveness.

Strategy 2.4. Strengthen and broaden partnerships with local school districts, partners and other higher educational service providers.

SSEA has partnered with local environmental education entities to provide field trips on estuarine and marine topics that other organizations do not cover. There have also been individual teachers who have heard about the Estuarium and have contacted us to provide field trip opportunities for their classes. SSEA recognizes the need to set up firm connections with local school districts to deliver coordinated lessons to multiple groups of school students.

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Measures of Success

▪ Strengthen current partnerships and extend collaborations to deliver lessons with other environmental partners.

▪ Expand current offerings to more students and conduct additional pilot educational programs for school children.

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Goal 3 Strengthen and broaden our community programs.

It is critical to share information about Puget Sound estuaries with our local citizens to help them know the facts about Puget Sound and its health. An unaware community will not have the information they need to make informed decisions.

SSEA has implemented several programs for the general public, clubs, groups, families and children. By connecting people to the Sound through innovative hands-on education and recreational opportunities, we hope to encourage them to make personal changes to help protect and enjoy our marine and estuary environments.

Strategy 3.1. Establish metrics for program evaluation.

SSEA has developed several programs, including Meet the Beach, Discovery Speaker Series, and Pier Peer, aimed at providing information on the wonderful estuary ecosystem. We want to continue to provide quality programs through ongoing evaluation.

Measures of Success

▪ Develop new evaluation tools of each program to capture participants’ feedback.▪ Implement a decision model to identify programs that warrant increased support,

revision, expansion, or discontinuance.

Strategy 3.2. Improve on the successes of our ‘Meet the Beach’ naturalist program.

The ‘Meet the Beach’ Naturalist program just completed its fifth year of recruiting, training, and empowering Beach Naturalists to meet the public at five Thurston County beaches. The public was invited to 23 sessions on 17 low tide days from June through late August of 2015. Beach Naturalist volunteers helped people explore the creatures that live in the intertidal zone, connect with this ever-changing environment, and be inspired to continue to expand their relationship with South Puget Sound environs.

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Measures of Success

▪ Provide mid-week events when low tides are better than on weekends.▪ Develop and improve key messages about how we can protect Puget Sound.▪ Increase the number of people contacted by increasing number of beach days.▪ Make handouts available at the beach listing other educational and stewardship

opportunities offered by our partners and at the Estuarium.

Strategy 3.3. Refine key messages for our ‘Meet the Beach’ program with school groups.

The beach naturalists offer school field trips to the beach, in collaboration with South Sound Green. Our emphasis is to increase awareness of the estuarine environment and to encourage feelings of personal responsibility for the health of Puget Sound.

Measures of Success

▪ Beach Naturalists will sit down with the Education Committee to develop key messages that not only inspire young students but support state science curriculum standards.

▪ Apply for grants from foundations that support environmental education so that we can expand this program to more students.

▪ Seek out additional partners to help grow this program with school groups.

Strategy 3.4. Target a more diverse audience for the Discovery Speaker Series.

SSEA has sponsored the Discovery Speaker Series for the past three years. The most recent series occurred over an eight-month period from September 2014 through March 2015. SSEA secured knowledgeable speakers to discuss important environmental topics at LOTT’s WET Science Center. Topics included Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, Global Climate Change from a Northwest Perspective, Forage Fish, Storm-water Pollution, Capitol Lake Assessment, and Shorebirds of Puget Sound. SSEA also hosted a Summer Speakers Series at the Estuarium (four events in 2015).

Measures of Success

▪ Broaden the scope of presentations beyond science-based research to include cultural and economic influences on the environment of the South Sound.

▪ Create a short evaluation form for visitors to fill out that would indicate intent to change behaviors as a result of attending the presentation and solicit topics for future presentations from attendees.

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Strategy 3.5. Enhance the Pier Peer experience for a wider audience.

Pier Peer is a nighttime underwater viewing event at the Boston Harbor Marina that the SSEA took over in late 2012 from the People for Puget Sound. The event lasts 1.5 – 2.0 hours where guests get an up close inspection of the marine creatures that are drawn to the glow of underwater lights. The event attracts repeat visitors with their extended families, local school groups, as well as organizations such as the Boy and Girl Scouts.

Measures of Success▪ Increase the number of participants at Pier Peer and host other pier events, such as private

parties, adults-only event, and fundraisers in partnership with Boston Harbor Marina.▪ Implement suggested improvements from our Pier Peer staff that will improve the

learning experience for participants.▪ Document feedback from participants through a brief survey.

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Goal 4 Provide an exceptional marine estuary interpretive center in Olympia, Washington.The Estuarium has been operating since 2013. The first Estuarium building was established on Washington Street NE in downtown Olympia.SSEA operated there until mid-summer of 2014, when the Estuarium moved to its current location at 309 State Avenue NE. The Estuarium is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Docents are trained to guide families around the aquarium and to initiate marine learning activities.

The Estuarium staff has also provided hands-oninstruction for school and community groups such as the YMCA and Hands on Children’s Museum. SSEA sponsored their Third Annual Turn of the Tides event at the new Estuarium in December 2015. SSEA staff invited partner organizations to set up booths and displays for the event. The SSEA board envisions improvements to our current facility and the eventual transition to a more comprehensive interpretive center.

Strategy 4.1. Redesign the existing Estuarium space, defining specific traffic patterns to tell a story.

In January of 2016 we hosted a roundtable discussion at the Estuarium to solicit input on ways to enhance visitors’ experiences. Participants suggested changes to the current facility to tell the story of estuaries by guiding patrons through the facility from shoreline to intertidal to marine habitats.

Measures of Success

▪ Consult with a museum expert and visit other aquariums to get ideas for both improving the structure and content of the Estuarium.

▪ Define and install specific traffic patterns through the Estuarium.

Strategy 4.2. Develop new displays to reflect current Puget Sound issues and activities, increase the number of tanks, and replenish animals in tanks frequently.

In our stakeholder’s survey, conducted in November of 2015, we asked what improvements could be made at the Estuarium. Several respondents wanted to see more critters in the tanks and new interactive displays.

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Measures of Success

▪ Replace outdated posters and other sets of materials and add clear labels/ID charts of animals in tanks. Update labels whenever new animals are added to tanks.

▪ Prominently display ‘Meet the Beach’ and Pier Peer events in the Estuarium.▪ Research innovative tank designs and costs for adding additional tanks.▪ Enhance docent training and provide additional needed reference materials for docents.

Strategy 4.3. Connect with tourist resources, museums, local businesses for visibility.

We initiated a marketing team in 2015. Although we are making progress in increasing the SSEA’s name recognition, there is still much work to do.

Measures of Success

▪ Secure a grant so we can get our pocket flyers printed and placed into display cases at local hotels and businesses.

Strategy 4.4. Develop partnership with faculty and students at the Evergreen State College, St. Martin’s University and South Sound Community College to support our efforts.Institutions of higher education in the South Sound may be a rich source of individuals that may support our mission. We need to tap into these local resources as we move forward.

Measures of Success▪ Increase the number of faculty and students serving on an advisory board, as SSEA

educators, as interns, or as docents at the Estuarium.

Strategy 4.5. Begin planning to build a state of the art Estuarium, marine life discovery center, on the water in downtown Olympia that is a major destination point for visitors and is recognized as an educational center of importance for the community.

It has been a dream of the founders of SSEA from the beginning to create an Estuarium on the waterfront in Olympia. The current Board of Directors feels we are now in a position to start taking steps to realize that dream.

Measures of Success

▪ Establish a separate fund by the end of this 5-year planning cycle that is dedicated to construction of a new facility.

▪ Develop a narrative outlining the value that would be derived from such a facility and share it with policy makers, community leaders, and local businesses to gain their support.

▪ Identify critical partners to participate in a steering committee to guide the development of a new Estuarium center.

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Organizational Background

In 2005, people interested in discussing creating an estuary focused organization in Olympia began meeting. Early participation included executive directors of other environmental education organizations, a previous mayor of Olympia, an environmental writer for the local newspaper, community activists, and a marine biologist. After two years of discussion and planning it was clear that an Olympia based marine and estuary focused organization complimented and did not duplicate what other organizations were providing. SSEA filed as a nonprofit corporation with Washington State in 2007. SSEA was approved by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) as a public charity in late 2010.

SSEA has a nine-member board that meets monthly. The board, along with staff and volunteer input, make decisions on the direction and activities for SSEA. All members are active and regularly attend meetings. We have three active teams (Education, Development, Marketing) that meet regularly, generally at least once per month, to support programs and activities. All teams are composed of board members and volunteers. Board member list is included in Appendix A. SSEA is almost 100% volunteer run, including our executive director. We have more than 65 active volunteers and two paid part-time staff.

SSEA is a membership-based organization. Members pay annual dues on an individual or family basis. Members receive regular communications including monthly newsletters, notice of events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities. Members participate in an annual meeting to confirm board member appointments and to recognize our many outstanding volunteers.

Base of Support, Partnerships, and Similar Organizations

SSEA is an educational facility in downtown Olympia that teaches about South Puget Sound ecosystems. We collaborate with many organizations to display the results of their work in our Estuarium. In all of our program areas, we have partners. The Discovery Speaker Series partner is LOTT Wet Science Center; Pier Peer is Boston Harbor Marine; Meet the Beach with park management (State, City of Olympia, and Thurston County), as well as general support from South Sound GREEN and Olympia Downtown Association.

Much of the Estuarium display material is on loan from partners such as WA Departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources; Audubon; South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group; Capitol Land Trust; Pacific Shellfish Club; U.S. Fish and Wildlife; Cascadia Research; Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and Highline Community College Marine Science Program. Our fall/winter discovery speaker and Summer Estuarium speaker series are made possible by our partnership with LOTT who offers their facility as the location for the events and by our many resource agency and organization partners.

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There is one similar organization in the greater south Puget Sound area. The Nisqually Reach Nature Center (NRNC) operates a marine facility located 13 miles to the north, near the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Their work focuses on education in the Nisqually area. They have access to a beach and offer summer kids camps, which we publicize at the Estuarium and in our newsletter. NRNC has participated in our yearly December Turn of the Tides Festival. We are supportive of each other. Their executive director participated in the early SSEA development and planning meetings.

We are active members of the Thurston ECO Network, a diverse community of 100+ local education, communication, and outreach professionals working collaboratively to protect and enhance the health and vitality of the Thurston County region.

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Financial Overview

SSEA has developed and approved a budget and tracked expenses each year since its inception. Most recent fiscal reports, from 2012 to the present, show a steady growth in income and expenses. Budgets have increased an average of 10% per year due to increases in utilities, rent, salaries, and rising costs for expanded programs. For example, SSEA is conducting a pilot to implement 8 days of marine field trips on Budd Bay this year. A grant is supporting fifty percent of incurred costs in conducting this pilot; SSEA is dedicating fund-raising profits to support the rest of the pilot costs. School districts are bearing nominal funding for busing students to and from the field trip departure points.

The current 2016 proposed budget reflects a similar pattern of growth as in previous years. Upon adoption of the 2016-2020 strategic plan, the 2016 and all future budgets will be revised and revenue-generating activities expanded for an additional 30% increase for each of the first two years, to facilitate the transition from a volunteer to a paid executive director. As our education programs and staffing needs expand, further budget increased will be necessary.Appendix E lists income from 2012 - 2015. Each year we have increased our income to support environmental education opportunities offered. We anticipate this pattern of growth to continue.

SSEA will develop a business plan with timeline in order to implement all strategies contained in the strategic plan. This business plan will include who is responsible for monitoring progress on each strategy.

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Evaluation Plan

Evaluation of our organization and programs

We will use our Strategic Plan as a living document. A detailed business plan will be developed directly from the Strategic Plan and will include specific activities, concrete measures of progress, financial considerations, and a detailed timeline. This business plan will be brought frequently to board meetings to use for guidance and direction. We will update it as we address our goals, implement our strategies, and strive to reach our measures of success, as we adapt to challenges we encounter.

The SSEA Board will recheck the Strategic Plan every six months and measure our goals and strategies as outlined in the business plan. We will discuss and update the plan, as needed, to document actual measurements in comparison to the benchmarks we have set.

SSEA is in an exciting time, we are often celebrating the latest successes we accomplished, and with a tremendous potential to grow the organization to reach our goals.

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Appendix A: South Sound Estuary Association (SSEA) Board of Directors

April 2016

Lynn Schneider, (President), Environmental Specialist

Nicki Johnson, (Treasurer), Regulatory Analyst (retired)

Jennifer Whipple, Community Education and Outreach

Ken Guza, Program Manager (retired)

Keith Arnold, Weyerhaeuser Harvest Manager/Forester (retired)

Ed Adelson, Ohio State University Music Dept. (retired)

Nancy Arnold, School Administrator (retired)

Heather Dunn, Radiance Herbs, Retail Sales

Rob Radford, Ocean Spray Cranberries General Manager (retired)

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Appendix B: List of Supporting Partner Organizations

● Boston Harbor Marina ● Capitol Land Trust ● City of Olympia Parks ● Hands on Children’s Museum ● Harbor Wild Watch ● LOTT Alliance /Water Education and Technology Center (WET)● Nisqually Delta Restoration ● National Estuarine Research Reserve System ● Native Plant Salvage ● Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge ● Nisqually Reach Nature Center ● The Pacific Shellfish Institute (PSI) ● PARC Foundation ● Seattle Aquarium ● Sound Experience aboard the Schooner Adventuress ● South Sound GREEN ● South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group ● Stream Team ● Taylor Shellfish Farms Inc. ● Thurston County Parks ● Thurston County Stream Team ● U. S. Fish and Wildlife ● Washington State Departments of Fish and Wildlife ● Washington Department of Ecology ● Washington State Parks ● Washington Department of Health ● Washington Sea Grant ● WSU- Thurston County Extension, Water Quality Division

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Appendix C: Strategic Planning Process

SSEA began the strategic planning process in early 2015, with the support of Strategic Planning consultants John Roush/Joyce Chin. The consultants met with the SSEA board, staff, and key volunteers to start the planning process. Over the next several months a great deal of work was done to create a Draft 5 year strategic plan. Sixteen (16) board members, staff and key volunteers reconvened on February 27, 2016 for a 4-hour review of the final document. While there were edits needed, overall the planning document received tremendous support. We feel we have stayed true to the mission/vision that was held by the founding members, while expanding the opportunities we offer our community to connect, explore and be inspired to protect Puget Sound estuaries.

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Appendix D: Strategic Planning Products: Summary of Strengths and Challenges and 2015

Stakeholder Survey Results

Strengths: SSEA continues to develop and strengthen this programming and volunteer base. We have 3 standing teams: development, marketing and education that meet regularly.Individual volunteers are assuming responsibility for many important functions: media/outreach, publications development, data management. We have added fiscal and volunteer management software to support our activities and to more accurately reflect the thousands of hours volunteers donate to support SSEA’s mission. With the addition of a half-time executive director our yearly budget will approach $100,000. With the success of our marine/estuary environmental education pilots, we anticipate an even larger budget for 2017.

Challenges: With success comes the challenge of being strategic about what we take on so that we continue to provide quality programming and maintain excellent services.

SSEA Strategic Plan Stakeholders Survey Summary

SSEA conducted an online survey to assess their programs and organization in November 2015. Invitations to take the survey were issued through various media sources; 92 people participated (one third of which were SSEA members). Ninety-six percent believe that SSEA fulfill its mission to provide knowledge of estuaries and the Puget Sound marine environment.

Ninety-four percent of respondents rated their experience as good to excellent at the Estuarium. In addition, twelve respondents said more fish, tanks, and displays were needed. When asked about what programs needed improvement, over 10% said SSEA needs more Estuarium open hours and more informational tables in public places. Respondents preferred to hear about SSEA activities by email or on the website.

Full survey results

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Appendix E: South Sound Estuary Association Financial Report

Income Totals 2012 Totals 2013 Totals 2014 Totals 2015

Contributions & Donors $1,252 $866 $3,676 $14,015

Membership $1,685 $2,205 $13,557

Workshop Fees $2,164 $1,145 $340 $180

Pier Peer $90 $970 $1,710 $2,140

Grant income $28,100 $22,250 $27,000 $47,150

Fundraising Events $5,161 $3,125 $4,705 $5,605

Estuarium Grants & Donors $9,650 $5,800

Estuarium Admissions $3,165 $2,705 $3,417

Miscellaneous $318 $535 $1,150 $361

Interest $12 $19 $16 $39

Total Income $38,782 $43,930 $60,659 $72,907