ABOUT SGA
Operating Principles

    • sga bylaws
    • officers, committees, members
    • SGA partners
    • Sea Grant organizations
    • Sea Grant institutions, delegates

Capacity Building

Retreat participants agreed that building the capacity of Sea Grant and the individual Sea Grant programs is a goal that runs through all of the roles, responsibilities and principles of SGA. In discussions about capacity building, Board members identified some of the things SGA already does that contribute to strengthening the capacity of the program. They also identified additional things SGA might consider doing and ways to increase member involvement in SGA activities.

Existing Capacity Building Activities

• Seeking additional core funding for Sea Grant programs.

• Working with the National Sea Grant Office to set program standards.

• Helping individual programs work more effectively with members of Congress.

• Participating on Program Assessment Teams (PATs) for other programs.

• Sharing ideas at SGA meetings and during Sea Grant Week about how to improve Sea Grant programs.

Other Capacity Building Ideas

• Develop a policies and procedures manual for SGA and its members.

•Include more formal sharing of individual program activities and successes at SGA meetings.

• Develop a roster of SGA members willing to travel to other programs to provide assistance in specific areas.

• Identify Sea Grant programs with expertise in specific areas that can serve as a resource to other programs.

• Encourage key staff members to visit other Sea Grant programs to share ideas.

• Involve new Sea Grant Directors as observers in PATs. (This will require clarifying the national policy on observers and making a case for the value of including one or two new directors as observers.)

• Use Theme Teams as a mechanism to increase coordination and visibility of Sea Grant research, outreach and education activities.

Ways to Increase SGA Member Involvement

• Improve the orientation process for new members, highlighting opportunities for involvement through SGA committees, Theme Teams, etc.

• Clarify benefits of SGA participation and consider rewards/incentives for contributions to SGA activities.

• Make more direct requests for involvement/participation by individual members.

• Be realistic about what it is possible for representatives of small programs to contribute.

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