Thank you for your steadfast membership in our association. It’s certainly a rewarding time to be an environmental educator. Truly, we are making the world a better place for ourselves and our children with our passion and dedication.

The past year has brought many exciting changes and future partnership opportunities for NAAEE. Perhaps most important, we have crafted a new vision and strategic plan in collaboration with Affiliate leaders, environmental education (EE) professionals, and NAAEE members. As 2009 draws to a close, I’m delighted to unveil the strategic plan and suggest how your contribution can help achieve these innovative, forward-thinking goals over the next five years, so that our association continues to become stronger.

Our new vision: By 2015, NAAEE will be the premier organization in Canada, the United States, and Mexico providing environmental educators—and the organizations that train, employ, and support those educators—with professional development, guidelines for excellence, networking, and advocacy, all within a culture of inclusivity.

We have developed five strategic initiatives to achieve our vision and goals. We ask for your help to ensure that we not only reach, but surpass, those goals. The five initiatives strive to:

1. Provide the highest quality research-based programs, products, and services for diverse individuals and organizations engaged in environmental education.

a. With a $50 donation, you could: Help provide more user-friendly, member-driven online support for new Affiliates.
b. With a $250 donation: Support NAAEE’s work on the new Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education publication on early childhood education.
c. With a $500 donation: Help NAAEE continue its leadership role with the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) Coalition, which works to increase funding and implement policy changes to bolster EE nationwide.

2. Strengthen organizational capacity to operate a thriving enterprise as a model for fiscal and environmental sustainability.

a. With a $50 donation, you could: Provide infrastructure support for NAAEE’s new donor and member database.
b. With a $250 donation: Provide networking and communication opportunities for NAAEE’s committees, commissions, and councils.

3. Increase NAAEE’s presence and partnerships with organizations that train, employ, and support environmental educators in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

a. With a $500 donation: Sponsor a young leader’s participation in the 2010 NAAEE conference, "Building Connections, Bridging Gaps," to be held September 28 to October 2 in Buffalo-Niagara NY.
b. With a $1,000 donation: Help establish an NAAEE office in Canada or Mexico.

4. Increasing the diversity of NAAEE’s membership and leadership within a culture of inclusivity.

a. With a $150 donation, you could: Sponsor a membership for EE organizations and individuals from diverse backgrounds.
b. With a $300 donation: Support innovative partnerships among NAAEE and nonformal EE practitioners, employers of nonformal environmental educators, and higher education faculty.

5. Serve as a highly trusted, inclusive, and visible advocate for environmental education in Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

a. With a $100 donation, you could: Support the Advocacy Committee’s monthly conference calls, which provide updates to more than 300 people on current EE-related legislation in the United States Congress.
b. $500 donation: Support NAAEE’s work to improve legislators’ understanding of EE as a critical tool in successful education reform, enhanced environmental literacy, and a more engaged citizenry.

Please consider supporting NAAEE’s important efforts at the highest financial level that best meets your economic situation. Think of meaningful experiences you’ve had as a member of NAAEE—from the dream job you secured or project you launched thanks to networking at an NAAEE conference, to the satisfaction and pride you felt when learning that the United States House of Representatives approved the NCLI Act. Clearly, our story is one in the making. We ask that you, our members, reflect on the past, act in the present, and shape the future of NAAEE.

An end-of-the-year gift to NAAEE is a way of demonstrating your commitment to environment education and our desire to create a healthier, more sustainable world. No amount is too small, and will be put to good use.

As an investment in your career and the EE profession, please make a donation today online. Or mail a check to: NAAEE, 2000 P Street, NW, Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036.

Thank you for all you do on behalf of NAAEE!

Yours for excellence in environmental education,



Brian A. Day
Executive Director

http://www.naaee.org/donate-to-naaee