Investment Proposal Draft

 AMDP Investment Proposal-Surfrider Foundation

TO: Clark Hansen, CEO

FROM: Liam Doheny, Lead Financial Analyst

DATE: March 3rd, 2025

SUBJECT: Surfrider Foundation Investment Opportunity

Hello Clark,

After in depth analysis, I believe that an investment into the Surfrider Foundation is a suitable and recommended allocation of your funds, as the company shows strong future growth and societal applications. 

To begin, Surfrider Foundation specializes on keeping beaches, oceans, and waves clean for all. Their strong legal team has been fighting for over 40 years in order to keep our oceans clean, and their countless volunteers are dedicated to preserving Mother Nature's oceans and beaches (Surfrider). Their main goals include plastic reduction, ocean protection, fair beach access, keeping the coasts and climate clean, and providing clean water for all. This 501(c)(3) nonprofit has been around since 1984, however, their cause is as critical as ever today.

Surfrider Foundation's Key Metrics

Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Profit):

Profit: Since Surfrider is a nonprofit, their stance is solely on using funds raised to protect the environment and coastal climate. Surfrider is effective in allocating funds raised in order to make change within the community, "boasting a strong track record of coastal protection victories" (Philanthropy News Digest).

People: Surfrider has made astounding societal impacts throughout its life as a nonprofit. Surfrider utilizes their "Ocean Friendly Gardens" program, educating coastal communities on the importance of planting native plants that absorb rainwater and filter pollution, keeping beaches and community clean.

Planet: This one is pretty self explanatory...The entire foundation is dedicated to helping and healing the planet through green initiatives and anti-pollution standpoints. 

-Harvard Business School, "Triple Bottom Line"

Corporate Social Responsibilty: Surfrider makes every decision and action with the benefit of the planet and communities in mind. They practice strong ethics, philanthropy, and environmental operations in order to create change in the world.

-Investopedia, "What is CSR?"

Social Enterprise: Surfrider has specific social objectives as its focus, dedicating their efforts towards protecting our oceans. Their goal is not to maximize donations, but to effectively utilize donated funds to fight for their cause.

-Investopedia, "Social Enterprise: What It Is, How It works, and Examples"

Carbon Footprint: The carbon footprint of a company or individual is the total amount of greenhouse gasses that are generated by our actions. It is measured by summing up all emissions throughout each stage of a business, including production, manufacturing, use, and disposal (Enel Green Power). It is important to reduce it in order to decrease the pace of climate change, as greenhouse gasses create a hotter plant, trapping heat within the atmosphere. 

-The Nature Conservancy

Growth and Financial Analysis:

As seen on the figure above, from ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Surfrider has been seeing steady growth throughout the last 10 years. This growth is healthy, and although it is not staggering, it is expected for a nonprofit. Due to the fact that it is a non-profit, the financial analysis is not as important from an investment standpoint. We should be looking at effectiveness of allocation of donations. 

According to Charity Navigator, Surfrider Foundation scored a 97% for nonprofits and a 100% for Accountability and Finance. The factors that contributed to this 100% include a majority of independent board members, strict auditing of their financial statements, and no material diversion of their assets. Every dollar that is donated to this foundation is utilized effectively, and makes for a great investment.

Expert Opinions:

As seen above, Charity Navigator makes a great case for why you should invest into this nonprofit. Not only do your funds go towards a great cause, you know exactly where your money is going, which is rare for some charities. 

In addition, Guidestar rates Surfrider Gold, the highest level achievable. They are effective in forming community events, forming policies that protect the climate, and acquiring volunteer work through cleanups and outreach programs.

Final Conclusion:

You should definitely donate! Every dollar that is donated is a tax write-off, so it not only benefits the earth, it benefits you too. This foundation truly aligns with AMDP's sustainability goals and aspirations, and will continue to do so.


WORKS CITED

 https://www.surfrider.org

https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/features/nonprofit-spotlight/surfrider-foundation

https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/what-is-the-triple-bottom-line

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-social-responsibility.asp#:~:text=Corporate%20social%20responsibility%20(CSR)%20is,its%20stakeholders%2C%20and%20the%20public.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/carbon-footprint-calculator/

https://www.enelgreenpower.com/learning-hub/energy-transition/carbon-footprint

https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/953941826

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/953941826

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