CASE STUDY #2_ CASE ANALYSIS MEMO

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Ohio State University *

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782

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Anthropology

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Oct 30, 2023

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The Seacoast Science Center is a non-profit marine science education program that is located in Rye, New Hampshire. Their mission statement expresses their desire to educate people on the importance of ocean health. Through their educational programs they hope people begin to understand that the actions they take everyday have an impact on the health of the ocean and in turn the health of the ocean impacts their own lives. For several years now, the SSC has hosted school groups to visit its exhibits of sea creatures and coastal habitats and attend classes. They also offered short summer and weekend programs for visitors and SSC members. Similar to SSC, the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation focused on education and did not have a “hands on approach”. However, the idea for Seacoast Science Center to get involved in marine mammal rescue excited both the president and vice president as a way to From their educational services, expand their influence and impact. After having discussions with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and other organizations with similar missions as the SSC President Lull and Vice president Chase were coming to a conclusion that the SSC may be the ones for the job. I believe for the SSC one of the most important reasons to take on MMR is the sheer amount of good it could do for seals and other oceanic species. The Marine Mammal Rescue program could aid in the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s goal to reverse a longstanding trend of negative human impact through whaling, clubbing and similar activities. Seals spend most of their time in the water, but they also frequently “haul out” on beaches or rocks to rest. Sometimes sick or injured seals would also haul out or even be washed ashore. Dead and dying seals on the shore were not only disturbing sights, but also pose health risks. In a video posted on the SSC’s youtube titled “SSC Marine Mammal Rescue Program Overview”, they stated that the MMR program sees and tends to an average of 110 cases in New Hampshire each year. The importance of MMR was showcased in the video when they discussed success stories from the program. One specifically discussed Mac, a male harp seal that was rescued off the beach. Mac was eating sand and rocks mistaking them for snow and after 4 weeks of treatment to address parasites, the ingestion of rocks, and an eye infection he was “fit, fat, and ready to return to the sea”. An additional benefit of MMR that was explained in the video was that data on all the cases are submitted to a national database to track health trends for the seals which in turn indicates the health status of the ocean. This data can be incredibly influential because monitoring and studying marine mammal health is important for their conservation as well as maintaining healthy oceans. Another reason that SSC should take on Marine Mammal Rescue is the high possibility that it could attract more donors and have a positive impact on the public relations of the center. When debating with the board, President Lull stressed the fact that MMR would be able to put a face on the Center’s work. Previously for SSC it was difficult to attract people to donate for a mission focusing solely on education. In the eyes of donors while marine education is important it is not that immediate because it would take years to see the young learners that learned from SSC enter the workforce. Additionally, the cause was just not as heart-tugging as so many other non-profit missions; however, through MMR rescuing seals could provide compelling stories that would touch both the donors’ hearts and wallets. However, on the other side of the argument, like all comprehensive programs the MMR program has a wide scope and a large responsibility to the animals it rescues. With animals needing rescue, the program has to make sure they receive medical care, rehabilitation, and even

sometimes disposal of washed up mammals. This means that by necessity, the budget and overhead expenses of the MMR is large, and can best be described as ravenous. Specifically, the MMR program operated by the Seacoast Science center had an forecasted expense of 1.66 million dollars, with the majority of expenses going towards educational expenses (nearly 39%) with operations a close second (29%) and administration and paychecks came in with the rest. (Impact 4). Additionally, while there is no tangible or visible effect of the program, it’s not easy to justify its budget. The donations that go through the Center are for specific marked items: ● $50,00 is enough to tag and mark a seal ● $10000 is enough to advance medical care ● Etc. There is no tangible way for donors to see what effect they are having, which can lead to a feeling of distrust. The Seacoast Science Center clearly had a diverse board which served them well. The fact that they disagreed on different issues proved that they individually brought unique perspectives to the center and their work there. The Vice Chair and Chair of the boards served different roles. Therefore, their perspectives on the issue of marine mammal rescue seemed to come out of different places. The Board’s Chair was interested in the financial scope of the program considering the context of the center’s increasing operating costs, including rental fees and government payments that were recently demanded of them. On the other hand, the Board’s Vice Chair seemed more mission driven, being immediately interested in the mammal rescue program and the effects it could have on The Center’s push towards marketing and branding themselves more definitively. The rest of the board members were briefly discussed, but they presumably come from diverse schools of thought themselves. This is important, as organizations that exist as an echo chamber are proven to be less successful. This point was emphasized in a TED Talk by Chris Grudner entitled “Modern nonprofit board governance -- passion is not enough.” According to Grudner, nonprofits need to raise the bar on board member qualifications. Board members cannot simply be passionate about the services the organization provides, they must also come to the table with genuine value. According to Grudner’s pyramid of board member qualifications, passion is at the bottom. Second from the top is diversity. This is what the seacoast science center really seems to excel in. If their discussion of this issue was through in fifteen minutes, that would be more concerning than the 3 hour run-time of the discussion. 3 hours spent discussing the issues at hand signifies that board members are bringing new ideas and genuinely trying to solve problems through their open discussion. This speaks to the board's performance as a whole. By the end of the discussion, the two sides of the decision were set. From The Board’s chair, there were the financial concerns. The other board members had to consider the approaching recession which would only set the center back. The center’s activities generate 39% of revenues while memberships and contributions covered 19%. With a recession, these revenue streams would be cut or at least significantly lessened.

Was it a good idea to start a new project being wholly unsure if you can continue to stay afloat providing your current services? Federal grants and income from renting SSC facilities were the other two main sources of revenue for the center. In a recession, the government would be spread extremely thin due to the increased parties in need of support. These sources could not, therefore, be fully relied on either. However, taking the leap and financial risk could serve to benefit the center tremendously. As they have just decided on a structured and uniform mission statement to use across channels, this new initiative could help bolster the Center’s brand. The Board’s Vice Chair did a great job of pointing out this potential opportunity. To conclude, the MMR program is an expensive undertaking that has the possibility of becoming a burden. On the other hand, it more realistically has the potential to accomplish enormous good and revitalize the Seacoast Science Center, along with its social value. Works Cited Marine Mammal Rescue. Seacoast Science Center. (2019, May 20). Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/marine-mammal-rescue/

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TEDxTalks. (2014, September 8). Modern nonprofit board governance -- passion is not enough! | Chris Grundner | TEDxWilmington. YouTube. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://m.youtub e.com/watch?v=MIF9yJVldwQ