DAYTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our vision is to be the premier regional provider of interactive learning experiences which enrich the lives of children of all ages, enhance the quality of life in our community, and promote deeper understanding of the world.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
The mission of the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is to be the premier regional provider of interactive science learning experiences which enrich the lives of children and adults, enhance the quality of life in our community, and promote a broad understanding of the world. To preserve, protect, and enhance the Museum's anthropology, geology, paleontology, and biology collections, and to make these collections available for exhibition, education, and research purposes.
Sunwatch Indian Village
The Mission of SunWatch Indian Village/Archaeological Park is to protect, preserve and research the cultural remains of the SunWatch National Historic Landmark archaeological site and to serve as a visitor and educational center for archaeology, Native American culture, and heritage stewardship as they relate to the site.
Fort Ancient
The Mission of the Dayton Society of Natural History at Fort Ancient is to provide visitor and educational services focused on archaeology, Native American culture, and heritage stewardship as they relate to the site, on behalf of the Ohio History Connection.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Association of Science and Technology Centers
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Provide an extraordinary guest experience
Showcase the collections through engaging exhibits that appeal to all ages
Provide experiential learning opportunities
Ensure financial vitality
Increase visibility, public participation and community partnerships
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Exemplify excellence in customer service in all areas of operations.
Establish a five year master plan to update exhibits so that they are positive and engaging educational experiences for entire families to enjoy together; showcase the talent of our own curation staff by curating exhibits in-house whenever possible; create a new museum entrance; ensure that all interactive activities are safe for children by updating the play spaces.
Provide a variety of educational programs for pre-k through 12; interact closely with regional schools to offer STEM educational programs that meet academic curriculum; provide interactive STEM-based field trips, summer camps and other other learning experiences.
Increase fundraising to $2 million per year; be excellent steward of donor resources; build museum's endowment; manage all expenses to budget; increase membership and admission revenue.
Increase brand awareness through the community through greater communication, social media, special events, and community partnerships.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The DSNH is proud to have an incredibly talented and well-educated staff, with all educators and collections staff maintaining advanced degrees. The entire staff is dedicated to reaching the goals and have committed to a set of institutional values that exemplify what our organization is committed to:
Discovery – We invoke a sense of curiosity about science, history and the natural world
Science-Minded – We believe in scientific principles and foster an environment that teaches logic, hypothesis-testing, critical thinking and reasoning.
Inspiration – We inspire a love of learning, exploration and understanding of our past, present and future.
Collaboration – We work together to achieve collective success.
Family-oriented – The family experience is the center of our focus and we provide experiences that engage people of all ages so they may positively interact with one another.
Passionate – We care about what we do and share our enthusiasm with others.
Increase community participation is vital to our ongoing success. This includes increasing the number of members, visitors, volunteers and donors. We continue to see the very best community leadership for our board and associate board to help guide us in reaching our goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Upgraded Pizza Kitchen, Shape Shop and Zoo Vet Clinic exhibits.
Serve more than 17,000 school children per year via field trips.
Partner with Preschool Promise to expose children to STEM education before entering kindergarten.
Revitalized summer camp programs to be completely STEM-related.
Reintroduced a "Field Camp" for children to have a field science experience.
Obtained funding to create an Ancient Egypt exhibit that will open summer 2019 and feature one of the country's only 3D digital touch screen displays to examine a 2,000 year old mummy.
Upgrade the Planetarium with new seats, lighting, carpeting, dome cleaning and painting to enhance the experience.
Increased participation in fundraising events.
Established monthly behind-the-scenes tours for community and business leaders.
Increased number of educational animals.
New display cases installed at SunWatch to showcase new exhibits.
Future endeavors include:
Remodeling the Science Theater and Do Lab.
Create a new Ancient Egypt permanent exhibit.
Installing a working lab to study water quality and invertebrates.
Renew AZA accreditation by 2020.
Remodel the front entrance to feature Ice Age Mammals with new casts of a Giant Ground Sloth, Short-Face Bear, Saber-tooth Cat and Mastodon.
Create new space for educational animals.
Reconstruction of the Women's House at SunWatch.
See Fort Ancient recognized as a World Heritage Society by 2022.
Continue the work of identifying all of the 1.8 million artifacts in our collection.
Work hard to inspire children and families about the natural wonders of the world.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
DAYTON SOCIETY OF NATURAL HISTORY
Board of directorsas of 06/19/2019
Mr. Greg Hoffbauer
AK Steel
Term: 2018 - 2019
Debra Brathwaite
Transformative Education Consulting LLC
Carissa Clark
SheroBox, LLC
Cheryl A. Ennis
KeyBank
Rachel Goodspeed
Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio
Tim Kambitsch
Dayton Metro Library
Joan Knoll
Community Volunteer
K. Richard B. Niehoff
Retired
Terry W. Posey
Thompson Hine
Timonth G. Rice
Retired
Jose Rodriguez
Rodrigues Financial Strategies, LLC
Nora Stang
Retired
Matthew T. Theil
Ray/Theil Wealth Management, LLC
Charlie Wright
Wright Brothers, Inc.
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes