Aligning Community Goals with Conservation Mission [MaP Strategy Circle]

The recording for this event is now available in the Progress Insights space.Visitors to conversation-focused institutions seek diverse outcomes — intellectual stimulation, meaningful social experiences, and personal well-being — while institutional missions emphasize environmental stewardship and collective action. These perspectives can overlap, but there's an underlying a tension between user-defined value and how organizations define success, allocate resources, and measure impact. In this Strategy Circle, we'll explore how living science centers, zoos, and aquaria can strengthen alignment between community goals and conservation outcomes. How might institutions connect these perspectives while acknowledging their distinct priorities? Case Focus: California Academy of SciencesThe California Academy of Sciences (CAS) operates at the intersection of community experience and conservation initiatives. As a world-class institution with ambitious sustainability goals, CAS balances creating memorable experiences while advancing environmental objectives. This Strategy Circle will explore questions like: How do you define and measure value across multiple stakeholder perspectives? What approaches most effectively connect visitor experiences to conservation outcomes? Which metrics best capture impact across these complementary but distinct frameworks? As session co-host @John H Falk has observed: "The staff of most natural history, zoo and aquarium institutions have for years framed their mission through a conservation lens. Meanwhile, the vast majority of users take their families to these institutions not primarily to support conservation, but because their children enjoy animals and parents see them as educationally enriching ways to support curiosity." It's this tension between user-defined and institution-defined value that will be at the heart of our discussion. Session Structure1. The MaP team presents the challenge briefly 2. The CAS team addresses any gaps in MaP's characterization of the challenge, giving participants a richer view of on-the-ground realities 3. Participants ask clarifying questions 4. Participants and hosts discuss opportunities and approaches while CAS staff listen 5. The CAS team rejoins for a full-group discussion of the challenge PreparationFor Cal Academy staff, we've prepared a brief (and optional) preparation guide:Other participants can simply come prepared to listen and ask questions that will help us reflect more deeply on the challenge at hand. About Strategy CirclesAs part of our commitment to MaP³ partner institutions, Strategy Circles are forums where organizations apply collective wisdom to specific challenges at the intersection of long-term institutional impact and day-to-day implementation. Each session brings together a small group of peers facing similar strategic questions, creating space for candid conversation that helps participants move beyond isolated efforts to shared progress — addressing the strategic work that rarely gets dedicated attention despite its importance to organizational success. Who Should ParticipateThis session is limited to a small number of participants. If this challenge resonates with your institution, we encourage you to RSVP and join the discussion. The session will be particularly valuable for: • Leaders from living science centers, zoos, and aquaria • Institutions balancing experience design with conservation impact • Organizations seeking to reconcile visitor goals with institutional mission • Teams working to develop metrics that capture both experiential and behavioral outcomes If you're interested but unable to participate, leave a comment on this post ("add me"). Your comments help determine whether we'll host another Strategy Circle similar to this one.