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Welcome to the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education

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Vision, Mission, and Values

Our Vision

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A thriving network of educators fostering meaningful experiences that evoke positive change in our environment.

Our Mission

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Support, inspire, and empower a diverse network of individuals with a passion for environmental and outdoor learning.

Our Core Values

We value Environmental Literacy through Education and Stewardship, because we believe that through education, personal discovery, and transformational experiences, we can foster a conservation ethic in current and future generations. We are committed to advancing a non-political advocacy platform for our work and to connect people with nature to inspire everyone to be good stewards of the environment.
We value Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Accessibility in all that we do, because we believe that every person has something to contribute towards a better future. We are welcoming and respectful to everyone seeking diverse perspectives, talents, and contributions. By creating opportunities and eliminating barriers for the outdoor world to be accessible to people regardless of their educational, ethnic, or social background, we believe we will have a greater impact on creating a more sustainable planet. We work on ensuring that our policies, procedures, and offerings are equitable and available to all.

We value Collaboration and Partnerships because we know that no one organization can solve all problems. We believe in the value of creating meaningful connections as a solution to the environmental challenges we all face.

We value Organizational Effectiveness and Continual Improvement in all that we do, because we want the best organization and experience for our members. We seek to always improve the way we work and we look through the lens of our members, being open to feedback. We seek new and innovative ways to run our programs and services.

STRATEGIC PLAN (2025 - 2030)

Governance, Roles, and Functional Stability

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Context: This focus area is related to organizational management including non-profit practices and internal procedures.

Goal: MAEOE will establish and maintain governance and operational structures and systems that exemplify best practices in nonprofit management, ensuring efficient and effective organizational performance.

Objectives:

  • Improve the experiences of MAEOE staff and leadership who serve the organization through succession planning in order to enhance organizational sustainability
  • Increase MAEOE member participation in committee work in order to grow organizational capacity
  • Collect, analyze, and compare data in order to improve programs, events, and initiatives
  • Follow non-profit best practices in order to uphold organizational effectiveness

Finances

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Context: This focus area is related to organizational finances such as revenue, expenses, and savings.

Goal: MAEOE will ensure financial health, sustainability, and fiscal compliance through a diverse revenue stream and a fiscally responsible, adaptable budget.

Objectives: 

  • Develop and maintain a fiscally responsible and adjustable budget in order to adapt to potential changes from year to year
  • Update and implement a fund development and savings plan in order to build towards future organizational goals
  • Follow non-profit fiscal compliance practices in order to uphold organizational effectiveness

Marketing

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Context: This focus area is related to promotional communications within the organization and outreach to external audiences.

Goal: MAEOE will implement a dynamic marketing and public relations strategy that effectively communicates our mission and engages our diverse audiences.

Objectives:

  • Collaborate across the organization in order to promote MAEOE initiatives
  • Use current best practices to improve MAEOE’s online presence in order to be digitally accessible
  • Use a variety of communication methods and platforms in order to be relevant to diverse audiences


Membership Value and Networking

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Context: This focus area is related to the benefits of being a MAEOE member and how we connect within the organization and with other environmental and outdoor groups.

Goal: MAEOE will actively recruit, engage, retain, and support a diverse membership that reflects Michigan's communities, while fostering connections with other environmental and outdoor education networks.

Objectives:

  • Enhance communications and engagement around the benefits of being a member in order to retain and recruit a diverse network of educators
  • Network, collaborate, and partner with a variety of in-state, regional, and national environmental and outdoor organizations in order to work towards positive change for our environment

Programming and Events

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Context: This focus area is related to opportunities around environmental literacy through education and stewardship.

Goal: MAEOE will deliver high-quality programs and events that promote best practices in environmental and outdoor education, inspiring and empowering participants.

Objectives:

  • Continue and improve the annual conference in order to provide a yearly in-person gathering of the Michigan environmental and outdoor education community
  • Continue and improve Wildlife Weekend in order to provide an in-person opportunity to learn about Michigan’s natural features in a winter setting
  • Continue and expand the Environmental Educator Certification program in order to provide Michigan’s only accredited certification program recognized internationally by meeting the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) requirements
  • Collaborate with other organizations in order to provide statewide leadership in climate change education
  • Provide and promote high quality professional learning opportunities in order to support and empower Michigan environmental and outdoor educators

P.O. Box 27426
Lansing, MI 48909

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