Environmental Education Council of Ohio

What Environmental Education Council of Ohio does

The Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO) is a private nonprofit organization founded in 1966 and headquartered in Lancaster, Ohio, that operates as the designated North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Affiliate Organization for the state of Ohio. EECO's mission is to promote environmental literacy and decision-making skills for sustainability among Ohioans, delivering programming through Regional Directors distributed across the state, a Career Ambassador program that connects environmental professionals with students via Career Chats, and an annual event portfolio anchored by the 60th Anniversary Annual Conference, the Alternatives to the Chalkboard Conference, summer state-park tours, and Maker's Markets. The organization's products and resources include Student Wildlife Research, EE Certification, Climate Change Education Resources, Nature-Based Early Childhood Education, DEI Resources, and a STEM Careers portal for students.

The core technology layer is the Wild Apricot membership management platform, which powers the public website (eeco.wildapricot.org), member accounts, event registration, and news distribution. The underlying delivery model is human-led and community-driven: Regional Directors, in partnership with the Ohio Division of Wildlife, conduct classroom presentations and resource distribution reaching over 100,000 students and close to 2,000 educators annually.

EECO's revenue model is a three-stream nonprofit configuration: recurring membership dues processed through Wild Apricot, event and program sponsorships solicited via a dedicated Sponsor/Partnerships page, and donations accepted directly and through an Amazon Charity List for office supplies. The organization's principal strategic risk is the recent conclusion of its 31-year partnership with the Ohio EPA Office of Environmental Education, which had historically funded statewide Regional Director and Career Ambassador operations; EECO has publicly expressed intent to re-establish a state-agency partnership in the future.

Name

Environmental Education Council of Ohio

Legal name

Environmental Education Council of Ohio

Website

https://eeco-online.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 1966 that serves as Ohio's designated NAAEE Affiliate, delivering environmental education programs to over 100,000 students and ~2,000 educators annually via Regional Directors, Career Ambassadors, conferences, and curriculum resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Education Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAGAH

Environmental Education & Outreach

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYEDAAALAO

Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYBPAGAGAL

Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

Keywords

• Environmental education services
• STEM career outreach
• Nature-based learning
• Environmental certification
• Educator professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: EECO operates as a membership organization using Wild Apricot membership software. Members join through the website and likely pay annual dues to support the organization's operations and programs.
2. Sponsorships and partnerships: Corporate and organizational sponsors support EECO through the Sponsor/partnerships page. The organization actively seeks vendors and partners for annual conferences and ongoing programs.
3. Donations: EECO accepts donations through an Amazon Charity List for office supplies and direct contributions. The organization promotes 'EECO- Believe in a better future' messaging to encourage donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO) is a nonprofit organization that coordinates statewide environmental education in Ohio through a Regional Directors network, a Career Ambassador program featuring STEM career chats, annual conferences and events, an Environmental Education (EE) Certification program, and curated resource collections on climate change, nature-based early childhood education, and DEI. Programs are delivered via classroom presentations, conferences, and partnerships with state agencies including the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Product overview

The Environmental Education Council of Ohio (EECO) operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering multiple interconnected environmental education programs and resources. The core offerings include the Regional Directors Program (serving 100,000+ students and 2,000 educators annually), the Career Ambassador Program with Career Chats for STEM careers, EECO Conferences and Events (including the 60th Anniversary Annual Conference and Maker's Market), Student Wildlife Research, EE Certification, and various resource collections covering Climate Change Education, Nature-Based Early Childhood Education, and DEI. These programs work together to advance EECO's mission of fostering environmental literacy and global stewardship for all Ohioans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 students reached annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ohio Division of WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEECO partners with Ohio Division of Wildlife to enable Regional Directors to provide environmental education and resources statewide. This partnership is fundamental to reaching over 100,000 students and 2,000 educators annually. The Career Ambassadors program operates under this partnership umbrella, connecting wildlife professionals with students.
• Ohio EPA Office of Environmental EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEECO maintained a 31-year partnership with the Ohio EPA Office of Environmental Education, which has now concluded. This partnership enabled statewide environmental education through Regional Directors and Career Ambassadors. An annual report documents accomplishments. EECO hopes to partner again in the future.
• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEECO is the officially designated NAAEE Affiliate Organization in Ohio. This affiliation provides legitimacy, network connections, and access to broader environmental education resources and best practices for the organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eco-Schools USA: Eco-Schools USA is the National Wildlife Federation's K-12 sustainability certification program for schools, directly competing with EECO's EE Certification and Climate Change Education Resources for educator adoption and school district partnerships.
• Project WILD: Project WILD provides wildlife-focused environmental education curricula and professional development for K-12 educators, closely overlapping with EECO's Student Wildlife Research program and Career Ambassador wildlife-officer partnerships.
• Project Learning Tree: Project Learning Tree is one of the most widely used environmental education curricula for K-12 in the U.S., offering teacher training and activity guides. It is directly comparable to EECO's educator-focused environmental literacy programs, particularly its EE Certification and classroom resources.
• Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education: CAEE is a statewide nonprofit that advances environmental literacy in Colorado through educator workshops, conferences, and resource networks. It mirrors EECO's structure as a state-level EE coalition hosting annual conferences and educator professional development.
• Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education: A state-level environmental education organization serving Wisconsin educators and students, structurally analogous to EECO's role as Ohio's NAAEE affiliate. Comparable in mission, programming (teacher PD, student programs), and partnership-driven delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE): NAAEE is the national umbrella organization for environmental education, of which EECO is the designated Ohio Affiliate. Both operate in the same EE category, but NAAEE sets national standards, hosts eePRO, eeJournal, and the National EE Summit, serving educators across all U.S. states while EECO focuses on Ohio delivery.
• The Nature Conservancy (Education Programs): TNC is a global conservation organization with significant K-12 and community education programming. It is comparable to EECO as a broader incumbent delivering environmental literacy, with greater funding scale but less state-level specialization.
• Green Schools National Network: A national organization supporting whole-school sustainability, with overlapping content in climate change education and nature-based learning. Comparable to EECO's broader educator resources and climate/nature-based early childhood programming, though it operates at a national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/directorEECO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/8474490

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Environmental Education Council of Ohio