Watershed Outreach Professionals' Behavior Change Practices, Challenges, and Needs: Insights and Recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Trust

Abstract

This project was conducted in collaboration with a Maryland non-profit grant-making organization, the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT). The goal of the project was to determine how to assist local organizations in implementing environmental outreach programs (EOPs) that foster environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB) within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Based on findings from a review of conservation psychology literature, interviews with outreach program leaders, and observations of EOPs, the team designed and administered a survey to the CBT grant applicants (n=108, r=55%). The survey determined the EOP practices, challenges, and needs of these organizations. Survey results demonstrated that the majority of respondents’ organizations seek to motivate individuals to protect the Bay (97%) and that their EOPs have behavioral objectives (62%). Respondents reported that they motivate people in variety of ways, such as raising awareness (91 %). Their EOPs, however, also demonstrated misperceptions about how to achieve behavior change, for example suggesting that raising awareness will lead to ERB. Responses further revealed that many organizations are incorporating behavior change strategies and outreach best practices, such as targeting audiences (76%) and conducting internal evaluations (78%). Respondents, however, face challenges in implementing EOPs including: recruiting audiences not already environmentally motivated (53%); intentionally using behavior change strategies (52%); and developing EOPs with limited resources (48%). Finally, respondents felt their EOPs would most benefit from increased collaboration with other organizations (73%), opportunities to learn more about evaluation (63%), and training in how to incorporate academic research on ERB (53%). These survey results, as well as interview, observation, grant review, and presentation findings, led to the development of recommendations for the CBT and other funders interested in supporting EOPs to motivate ERB. Recommendations focused on facilitating effective program design include, addressing behavior change misconceptions, offering opportunities to learn more about behavior change, and developing outreach best practices skills, such as audience targeting and assessment. The recommendations also focus on ways to ensure that the needs of under-resourced grantees are met by encouraging collaboration and providing user-friendly, Bay-specific resources, such as the Rapid Assessment tool and guide to Strategies for Motivating Watershed Behavior created by the team.