SEETurtles.org

What SEETurtles.org does

SEETurtles.org is a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit conservation organization founded around 2013 that protects sea turtles through a combination of direct grants to nesting beach programs, education campaigns, and conservation-focused travel. It serves a tripartite audience: individual donors funding on-the-ground conservation, eco-tourists booking conservation travel experiences, and grassroots conservation partners in more than 25 countries who receive grant funding and program support. The organization is led by Brad Nahill as President.

The organization's core products include the Billion Baby Turtles program (funding for hatchling protection at nesting beaches), the Too Rare To Wear campaign (anti-turtleshell trade), the Sea Turtles & Plastic campaign, and the annual Sea Turtle Week awareness event. Its technical capabilities include the AI-powered SEE Shell App, which helps consumers identify turtleshell products in order to avoid purchasing illegal wildlife goods. The model is best characterized as a small operating nonprofit that uses technology as an enabling tool rather than as a primary product.

Revenue is generated through two principal channels: charitable donations from individual supporters and conservation travel tours, with disclosed lifetime tour revenue exceeding $1.7 million and over $130,000 raised through tours in 2024. The organization does not appear to operate a commercial SaaS or product business; its financial model is consistent with a mid-sized 501(c)(3) that subsidizes programmatic work through donor contributions and earned travel income. The organization has received industry recognition from the World Travel & Tourism Council, Travel and Leisure, and Skal International.

Name

SEETurtles.org

Legal name

SEE Turtles

Website

https://seeturtles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SEETurtles.org is a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit that protects sea turtles through nesting beach grants, education campaigns, and conservation travel tours across 25+ countries, serving donors, eco-tourists, and grassroots conservation partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Sea Turtle Nesting & Hatchling Tours (regulated night walks) (THAAAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Conservation travel tours
• Sea turtle protection
• Wildlife conservation grants
• Volunteer ecotourism trips
• Marine conservation education

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conservation Tours and Volunteer Trips: Conservation tour fees generate revenue and directly fund turtle conservation and coastal communities. Trips have generated over $1.7 million in benefits to turtle conservation and coastal communities. In 2024 alone, trips generated more than $130,000 for conservation efforts.
2. Donations and Grants: Individual donations, cryptocurrency donations, bequests, stock donations, and business sponsorships fund conservation programs including Billion Baby Turtles grants totaling over $1.5 million to 50+ organizations in 25 countries.
3. School Fundraising Programs: School fundraiser contests where classes raise money for turtle conservation. 3,800+ students at 35+ schools have raised nearly $50,000, helping save an estimated 500,000 baby turtles.
4. EcoTeach Student Field Trips: Educational field trips to sea turtle conservation projects for school groups, with profits benefiting conservation efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SEE Turtles is a nonprofit conservation organization that operates sea turtle conservation tours, provides grants to local nesting-beach programs through Billion Baby Turtles, runs the Too Rare To Wear anti-turtleshell trade campaign, delivers the Sea Turtles & Plastic cleanup program, and offers educational resources for schools and the public. Its SEE Shell App uses artificial intelligence to help travelers identify and report illegal turtleshell products.

Product overview

SEE Turtles is a nonprofit organization that operates as a portfolio of interconnected conservation programs rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include: the Billion Baby Turtles grant program providing funding to protect hatchlings at nesting beaches worldwide; Turtle Conservation Tours (volunteer travel experiences generating over $1.7M for conservation); the Too Rare To Wear campaign to end turtleshell trade; the SeeShell AI-powered mobile app for identifying illegal turtleshell products; Sea Turtles & Plastic cleanup programs; Sea Turtle Week awareness campaigns; educational programs for schools; the Inclusivity Fund for diverse conservationists; the Turtle Club monthly giving program; and the Save The Wild podcast. These programs work together to save sea turtles through conservation travel, grants, anti-trade campaigns, plastic reduction, education, and community leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Billion Baby Turtles: Grant program that raises funds to save hatchlings at important turtle nesting beaches around Latin America
• Too Rare To Wear
• Sea Turtles & Plastic
• Sea Turtle Inclusivity Fund
• Sea Turtle Week
• SEE Shell App
• Travelers Against Plastic

Products and services

• Billion Baby Turtles Grant program that provides funding to local partners working on nesting beaches worldwide. Since 2013, has helped save more than 20 million hatchlings at 60+ nesting beaches, giving more than 200 grants totaling over $1.5 million to 50+ organizations in 25 countries.
• Turtle Conservation Tours Conservation travel and volunteer tours that generate over $1.7 million in benefits to turtle conservation and coastal communities. Supports 20 sea turtle conservation research programs in 11 countries. Trip pricing per person ranges from $1,995 to $9,495 depending on destination and duration.
• Too Rare To Wear Campaign to end demand for turtleshell products in Latin America by working with tour operators and tourism organizations to educate travelers. Has more than 150 conservation and tourism partners and has reached more than 10 million people.
• Sea Turtles & Plastic Program that funds local recycling programs and beach cleanups to remove plastic from sea turtle habitats. Has provided more than $150,000 in funding for 30+ projects in 15 countries.
• SeeShell App First mobile app that addresses the illegal wildlife trade by using artificial intelligence to recognize turtleshell products, helping travelers avoid purchasing illegal turtleshell souvenirs.
• Sea Turtle Week Annual celebration bringing together the worldwide community of sea turtle organizations and researchers from World Oceans Day (June 8th) to World Sea Turtle Day (June 16th), with each day highlighting a different species and threats.
• Sea Turtle Inclusivity Fund Scholarship program providing more than $35,000 in 14 scholarships to young conservationists from the Global South to work with sea turtle field projects.
• EcoTeach Student Field Trips Educational field trips for students with all profits benefiting conservation efforts.
• School Program Free educational resources, field trips, online presentations, and fundraising opportunities for schools to learn about sea turtles and support conservation efforts.
• Turtle Club Monthly giving program supporting turtle conservation efforts.
• Online Store E-commerce store offering merchandise, hatchling postcards, and adoption certificates related to sea turtle conservation.
• Sea Turtle Community Leaders Program supporting emerging conservation leaders in sea turtle communities worldwide.
• Billion Baby Turtles Fundraiser Contest School fundraiser contest where students sell hatchling postcards for $1 donations. Classes raising at least $100 receive prizes; individual students raising at least $50 receive prizes. 3,800+ students at 35+ schools have raised nearly $50,000.
• Save The Wild Podcast Podcast covering sea turtle research and conservation topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 million+ hatchlings saved at 60+ nesting beaches
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fundacion Tortugas del Mar (Colombia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration since 2017 to reduce turtleshell trade in Cartagena, Colombia, achieving more than 80% reduction. Expanded program to Tolu, Coveñas, and Santa Marta. Provides funding, resources, and technical support including workshops for government officials and teachers.
• Eastern Pacific Hawksbill InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner receiving more than $150,000 for critically endangered hawksbill turtle conservation, helping save more than 300,000 hatchlings of one of the world's most endangered sea turtle populations.
• Environment Society of OmancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding provided for cleanup of derelict fishing gear (ghost gear) on Masirah Island beaches, one of the world's most important loggerhead turtle nesting beaches. Removed approximately 90 tons of waste, primarily fishing gear.
• Travelers Against PlasticcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEE Turtles manages this campaign to reduce plastic use in the travel industry. They were the first Gold Sponsor and now manage the campaign, which educates travelers about plastic reduction.
• Too Rare To Wear Campaign PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNetwork of 150+ conservation and tourism organizations partnering to end demand for turtleshell products through traveler education. Has reached more than 10 million people with its message.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Earthwatch Institute: Global nonprofit operating paid volunteer expeditions that place travelers alongside scientists for conservation fieldwork. Closely aligned business model — paying travelers fund and participate in conservation research.
• Natural Habitat Adventures: Conservation-focused ecotourism operator with WWF partnership offering wildlife trips worldwide. Comparable premium-priced conservation travel experiences targeting environmentally-minded travelers.
• Sea Turtle Conservancy: The world's oldest sea turtle conservation organization, focused on research, education, and protection of nesting beaches in Florida and the Caribbean. Direct mission overlap with SEE Turtles on nesting-beach protection and ecotourism engagement.
• Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire: Regional sea turtle nonprofit operating research, nesting-beach protection, and volunteer programs in Bonaire. Direct mission and operational overlap, though at a smaller single-island scale.
• Oceanic Society: Marine conservation nonprofit that runs whale-watching and ocean wildlife expeditions where travelers contribute to research. Highly comparable model of combining paid ecotourism with citizen-science and conservation funding.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: U.S.-based ocean conservation nonprofit running the International Coastal Cleanup and policy advocacy on plastic pollution. Direct overlap with SEE Turtles' Sea Turtles & Plastic program.
• Conservation International: Global environmental nonprofit working on biodiversity, ocean, and climate conservation. Comparable scope on marine protection and partnerships with coastal communities, though at much larger scale.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Major international conservation organization operating zoos and field programs across 60+ countries. Overlaps with SEE Turtles on field-based wildlife conservation and ecotourism-linked funding.
• G Adventures: Large sustainable-tourism operator offering wildlife and nature tours across Latin America and Africa. Comparable customer base (eco-minded travelers) and destination footprint, though broader in product scope.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Largest global wildlife conservation organization with broad portfolio across species and habitats. Comparable mission but vastly larger scale, broader species scope, and more diversified funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SEEturtles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seeturtles-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SEETurtles.org