ELEVATING OUR IMPACT ELEVATE CAMPAIGN REPORT FALL 2023
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
NEW HEIGHTS. GREATER AMBITIONS.
Elevate was powered by the generosity and leadership of our three campaign chairs: Maggie Walker, Susan Orr, and Anne Parrish. • As the former Chair of the
National Audubon Society Board of Directors, Maggie played a pivotal role in designing Elevate and inspiring others to believe and invest in the initiative. Her support for the campaign created the Walker Fellows program, an investment in next-generation conservation leaders, and launched a process to reimagine our nature centers into a network of Conservation Action Centers.
When the National Audubon Society’s Elevate campaign concluded in December 2022, we had exceeded our ambitious expectations substantially. Through an unparalleled show of support, Audubon flew past its goal of $750 million—securing an impressive $826 million in resources that positioned us to deliver on our mission as never before. This outpouring of donor generosity has translated into enormous impact, advancing our efforts to protect birds and the places they need at a time of great urgency. Yet in many respects, Elevate served as a prelude for the work still before us. The campaign provides a foundation and a framework for pursuing our core strategic objectives more intensively and intentionally—from mitigating the effects of a changing climate and affirming our leadership in hemispheric conservation to advancing the principles of EDIB (equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging) throughout our organization. We are deeply grateful for your support—and poised to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.
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Susan’s leadership extends across the National Audubon Society and the Audubon Action Fund. Her support has not only spurred growth domestically and throughout the chapter network, but internationally as well— including catalytic investment in Audubon America’s partnership with BirdLife International and the Development Bank of Latin America to foster a more resilient Latin America in the face of climate change.
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As a leader at Bexar Audubon Society, Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, and on the Audubon Texas Advisory Board, Anne has served as an ambassador for Elevate’s visionary agenda at the local, regional, and national levels. Her support helped launch the Audubon Action Fund as well as a bird-friendly policy effort in Texas. Anne’s philanthropy is currently powering a $12M effort to improve our San Antonio center by increasing visitor accessibility, expanding regional connectivity, and improving a world-renowned r iparian corridor and recreation area. 1
Northern Flicker Cover: Rough-legged Hawk
FOCUSED ON SAFEGUARDING BIRDS AND THE PLACES THEY NEED. ELEVATE: STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
SETTING THE STAGE
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
ELEVATE WAS THE LARGEST FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE IN HISTORY
$62 MILLION
Audubon began laying the groundwork for Elevate in 2016. At that time, the organization had recently launched a strategic plan focused on five strategies—Climate, Coasts, Water, Working Lands, and Bird-Friendly Communities. Each of these strategies would require substantial philanthropic investment to realize our potential by connecting localized conservation efforts across key landscapes and leveraging the power of our federal policy and advocacy operations. Audubon was simultaneously evolving its fundraising model to build a culture of major gift philanthropy across the organization.
IN BOARD GIVING
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DONORS OF $25 MILLION+
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That combination of factors served as the foundation for Elevate, the largest fundraising initiative in history focused on safeguarding birds and the places they need. Audubon’s key philanthropic priorities emphasized both the expansion of existing programs and the advent of new endeavors that would support the people, places, and policies critical to Audubon’s success.
SUPPORTERS WHO DONATED $1 MILLION+
$53 MILLION
As the campaign continued to gain momentum, we identified three drivers—Hemispheric Conservation, Climate, and EDIB (equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging)—that reflect Audubon’s evolving sense of where and how our work can deliver the greatest possible benefit for birds, our planet, and the conservation field. Gifts to Elevate have provided a solid foundation for Audubon’s continued growth and impact across these critical drivers.
IN NEW DOCUMENTED BEQUEST INTENTIONS
47%
INCREASE IN SUPPORTERS DURING THE CAMPAIGN PERIOD
Audubon Staff banding a Prothonotary Warbler at Francis Beidler Forest Audubon Center and Sanctuary in South Carolina.
ELEVATE MILESTONES
JANUARY 2016
JULY 2017
OCTOBER 2017
OCTOBER 2017
The Board of Directors endorses Audubon’s 2016-2020 Strategic Plan
Our Western Water program launches with the release of Water and Birds in the Arid West: Habitats in Decline
Audubon plays a lead role in the updating of the US-Mexico Water Treaty
The Great Egret Society is established to celebrate loyal donors who make contributions of $500 or greater annually
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Fueled by donor support and our dedicated staff, Audubon’s commitment to on-the-ground conservation—and the impact we create on behalf of birds and people—continued to grow stronger.
Audubon Americas Many of the birds encountered in local parks and neighborhoods are part-time residents. These migratory species travel thousands of miles each year to and from their winter homes in Latin and South America. Ensuring their survival means protecting the lands they depend on over the course of that often arduous journey.
Audubon is working with farmers at an organic rice field in the Valle de Cauca, part of Colombia’s regenerative agriculture program at Audubon Americas.
Thanks to investments in Elevate, Audubon Americas has expanded its work with local communities in those southern countries to protect habitats, strengthen coastal resilience, support regenerative agriculture, and build an inclusive movement to speak up for birds. Our goal is to create flywaylong protections that ensure migratory birds have safe places to rest, feed, and raise their young throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Migratory Bird Initiative
Explorer. With the Explorer application, bird lovers everywhere can see the pathways their favorite birds follow during their annual journeys, learn about the threats they face along the way, and identify concrete actions they can take to support them.
Platte River Watershed The Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary offers a close-up encounter with one million Sandhill Cranes that rely on the Platte River and nearby cornfields to fuel the final leg of their annual journey north to nest. During Elevate, we secured support to invest in dramatic improvements to Rowe that will accommodate our fivefold increase in visitors. These include building an educational addition, creating a larger gathering space at the Great Hall, and installing accessibility features. These activities will make the center more conducive to educating our 25,000 annual visitors about the vital work taking place at the site, engaging them in our on-the-ground conservation efforts, and inspiring them to take action. Rowe Sanctuary is also at the heart of Audubon’s broader Platte River Initiative (PRI)—a far-reaching effort focused on addressing water shortages caused by Colorado’s diminishing snowfall, three states’ competing demands on that limited water supply, and the important role the river plays as a habitat and natural ecosystem. Elevate dramatically expanded the reach and impact of the PRI and engaged new partners—and supporters—in envisioning a healthier Platte River Watershed.
Elevate played a critical role in expanding the reach and impact of our conservation efforts, helping to ensure we have the resources to protect the places birds need most throughout the hemisphere.
Fueled by transformational early investments from Barbara and Earl Doolin and former Board Member Joe Ellis, Audubon’s Migratory Bird Initiative (MBI) is a first-of-its-kind database of migratory science. The MBI was founded by Audubon and a coalition of leading conservation, science, and technology organizations. These partners work in tandem with hundreds of migration scientists to share data that informs where and how to focus the conservation investments and techniques needed to protect, restore, and manage key bird habitats.
Over the course of the campaign, we invested in bold new projects focused on water conservation in the Western states; collaborated with partners in Alaska to protect the nation’s largest bird nursery; developed pilot programs focused on innovative
In addition to serving as a powerful tool for conservation—one that continues to guide the work of Audubon, our partners, and decision-makers in the public and private sectors—MBI data is being shared broadly with the public through the Bird Migration
FEBRUARY 2018
MAY 2018
JULY 2018
JUNE 2019
A $10 million investment from the High Tide Foundation, under the leadership of Board member Richard Lawrence and his wife Dee, launches Audubon’s state-based climate policy efforts
Audubon and its partners file a federal lawsuit defending the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Audubon Action Fund is created as a 501(c)(4) focused on advancing Audubon’s policy work
Our Board of Directors endorses the quiet launch of Audubon’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, Elevate, with an initial goal of $650 million
Right: The Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary.
Thanks to Elevate, Audubon has taken bold strides to protect birds and the places they need—from Canada to Chile.
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
HEMISPHERIC CONSERVATION
forest management in the northeastern U.S.; and safeguarded shorelines from Long Island and the Outer Banks to the Gulf of Mexico and California’s Richardson Bay.
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Natural climate solutions
Renewable energy
California’s Salton Sea—a vital avian stopover site— has become an increasingly arid place that releases harmful, selenium-tainted dust into the atmosphere. Audubon is partnering with conservation organizations to restore water and plant life to the area, helping to bring its historic marshlands back to life. In addition to storing carbon, these activities create important bird habitat and help reduce the harmful impacts of dust clouds on nearby communities. Similar projects that leverage the strength of natural ecosystems to store carbon are underway in the mangroves of Chile and Panama, as well as the eelgrass environments off the Pacific coast of the U.S.
Recognizing that climate change is the greatest threat to birds has galvanized Audubon to focus on viable climate change solutions—specifically, the rapid deployment of environmentally responsible clean energy and transmission. In 2018, Audubon launched its Clean Energy Initiative with a goal of contributing to 100% clean energy nationally by focusing on bird-friendly wind energy, solar energy, energy storage, and energy transmission. The SunZia transmission project is an early example of our positive impact. Once built, SunZia will be one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in American history—a 550-mile, highvoltage transmission line between central New Mexico and south central Arizona that will transport wind-generated electricity. Audubon leaders met regularly with SunZia’s leaders to explore the project’s impact on birds and habitat, including the incorporation of an ultraviolet light system that helps birds avoid collisions with transmission lines.
In addition to reducing emissions, it’s critical that we help sequester carbon in plants and in the earth. One of the best ways to do this is through investments in natural climate solutions—such as forests, grasslands, mangroves, and tidal marshes— that can become rich carbon sinks, pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and replacing it with muchneeded oxygen.
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
CLIMATE
When it comes to climate, birds are the literal canaries in the coal mine. The atmospheric and ecological changes that impact their well-being have similarly negative consequences for human communities. Over the course of Elevate, climate was a key focus of our science and advocacy efforts, and enhanced our on-the-ground conservation efforts focused on climate resilience and adaptation.
Wind projects are one way to fulfill Audubon’s goal of generating an additional 100 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2028.
The threats posed by climate change are increasingly dire—and we’re rising to the challenge.
Research shows that our changing climate is the gravest long-term danger to bird populations throughout the Western Hemisphere. As temperatures increase, sea levels rise, and storms and fires intensify, birds experience dwindling habitats and declining food sources.
Right: Lead field technician Juliana Chavarría navigates a tangle of mangrove roots while conducting surveys in Panama’s Parita Bay as part of a multiyear project measuring the carbon-storing capacity of mangrove forests.
OCTOBER 2019
DECEMBER 2019
JUNE 2020
FEBRUARY 2021
Survival By Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink, Audubon’s flagship climate report, is published
Aurelio Ramos joins as senior vice president for Audubon Americas
Audubon receives a $36 million bequest from the estate of James L. Osteen, the second-largest bequest in Audubon’s history
Audubon launches The Canopy, a giving society for major donors
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Elevate also helped make our conservation initiatives and programming more inclusive. From collaborating with Indigenous communities and promoting responsible stewardship of the Boreal Forest to implementing clean energy solutions through an equity lens in the Mississippi Delta, Audubon is partnering with community leaders whose perspectives and experiences fuel more effective conservation solutions.
New voices, vital partnerships Gifts to Elevate helped fund initiatives that reflect the organization’s commitment to EDIB. Many of these projects will serve as a framework for s caling and expanding Audubon’s partnership-driven efforts with diverse communities.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING
• As part of Elevate, the Walton Family Foundation and other foundations and corporations partnered with Audubon to protect precious bird habitat along the Colorado River while helping ensure access to water for human communities. That work involved collaborating with Colorado River Indian Tribes to develop solutions that would benefit both birds and Indigenous peoples.
As our EDIB-focused initiatives continue to expand and evolve, we recognize that the inequities we are confronting are deeply rooted in the legacy of systemic racism and social injustice. This work will involve continuous effort; encouraging progress and periodic setbacks; and the sustained investment, collective wisdom, and long-term commitment of our entire organization.
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
Camila Bautista, Salton Sea Senior Program Coordinator, surveying birds at the Salton Sea.
Guiding principles Following the conclusion of Elevate, Audubon continues to build on our commitment to EDIB. In 2023, we adopted a set of EDIB Conservation Principles that were shaped by a diverse group of staff and leaders. Those principles will serve as a core element of our new strategic plan and guide high-level decision-making around where and how we work. Embodying these principles will help ensure our culture and programs reflect our commitment to bring greater diversity and inclusivity to the conservation field.
• Stretching from Alaska to Labrador, the Boreal Forest is one of the largest intact forests left on Earth. Support for the campaign has funded an ongoing collaboration between Audubon and the region’s Indigenous communities to promote scientific research and advocacy. These efforts will help ensure the viability of regional bird populations through responsible stewardship of the Boreal, one of Earth’s greatest sources of carbon sequestration. • The campaign provided support for programs focused on communities that don’t always feel welcomed or safe in the outdoors, including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities. Originally launched at Nebraska’s Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center, Let’s Go Birding Together has expanded to encompass LGBTQ+-friendly events across the nation that emphasize the importance of bringing greater inclusivity to birding and other outdoor activities.
Birders in Central Park during a Let’s Go Birding Together (LGBT) walk organized by NYC Audubon, the Feminist Bird Club, and the NYC Queer Birders group.
Over the course of Elevate, Audubon made foundational investments in longterm efforts to make our organization— and the conservation field—more inclusive and equitable.
Elevate took place during a period of greatly heightened awareness—both within our organization and throughout the conservation field—around the need for a significantly deeper commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB). At Audubon, those investments are being directed toward a combination of internal and external initiatives.
MARCH 2021
DECEMBER 2021
DECEMBER 2021
FEBRUARY 2022
Dr. Elizabeth Gray is named Audubon’s first female president; in November she is appointed first female CEO
The Bezos Earth Fund donates $12M to Conserva Aves partners—Audubon, the American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife International, and RedLAC—for the declaration and management of protected areas across the tropical Andes
With support from former board chair Maggie Walker, the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest secures a designation on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
Thanks to early leadership support and momentum, Elevate launches publicly with a goal of $750 million—a $100 million increase from our initial target
Let’s Go Birding Together walks are for all those who love birds and the outdoors, identify as LGBTQ or allies, and want to enjoy an inclusive outdoor experience.
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A native Californian, James Osteen was a modest man who studied zoology, traveled widely, and loved photography. James passed away in 2019; his estate included a $36 million bequest to Audubon.
ELEVATING OUR CULTURE OF GIVING
Don Lyons, director of conservation science at Audubon’s Seabird Institute (far right), leads a group of Canopy members on Eastern Egg Rock.
This transformative gift had an immediate impact. Because James’s bequest was unrestricted, it provided Audubon with flexibility during the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. His generous contribution was directed to advance key programs, support field-based staff, and accelerate our efforts to protect birds and the places they need at a challenging moment for our planet and our organization.
Grinnell Legacy Society
Transformational gifts: Visionary donors, unprecedented support One of Elevate’s greatest achievements has been our success in inspiring committed donors to embrace our visionary agenda. We often say that birds don’t recognize boundaries or borders; our generous supporters demonstrated a similar sense of expansive thinking through their willingness and commitment to elevate Audubon’s impact by advancing its philanthropic culture. Our supporters’ strategic investments have yielded impressive results. For example, our conservation initiatives on Long Island Sound involve stakeholders from multiple states; supporting their combined efforts through philanthropy has strengthened the collective case for restoring this vital ecosystem. In the Everglades, increasing state-level support for reclamation efforts has played a pivotal role in securing higher levels of federal funding; gifts to the campaign supported efforts on both fronts. At its heart, Elevate was about big ideas, bold ambitions, and strategic thinking: Our lead donors made all the difference in helping to transform those aspirations into reality by forging connections among activities taking place across ecosystems and geographies.
In 2021, Audubon launched The Canopy, our annual giving society for major donors who contribute $10,000 or more annually. Since its formation, The Canopy has energized philanthropy at Audubon by creating opportunities to celebrate and convene its members—strengthening our relationships with those key supporters by bringing them closer to our impact. Our more than 530 Canopy members played a key role in the success of Elevate, and will continue to power Audubon’s efforts for years to come.
The Grinnell Legacy Society honors members and friends who have named the National Audubon Society as a beneficiary in their estate plans. During Elevate, we made a concerted effort to engage more donors around legacy giving—and achieved significant progress. Audubon expanded membership in Grinnell by more than 70 percent and received more than $53 million in new bequest intentions over the duration of the campaign. We also received $15 million in current gifts from Grinnell members who chose to support the campaign directly in addition to their planned commitment.
AUDUBON HAS EXPERIENCED A 171% INCREASE IN DONORS OF $500+ SINCE THE CREATION OF THE GREAT EGRET SOCIETY, AND A 24% INCREASE IN DONORS OF $10,000+ SINCE THE LAUNCH OF THE CANOPY.
JUNE 2021
AUGUST 2022
OCTOBER 2022
DECEMBER 2022
Audubon and The Nature Conservancy are awarded an unprecedented $40 million grant for the creation of a water trust to benefit Great Salt Lake
With support from Audubon and other conservation leaders, the Inflation Reduction Act passes—the largest climate spending bill in history
The Bird Migration Explorer is launched and receives more than 500K screen views and nearly 30K users on the first day alone
Audubon concludes Elevate, the most ambitious campaign for bird conservation in history, raising $826 million
Elevate helped strengthen Audubon’s culture of philanthropy by engaging more donors at higher giving levels than ever before. We dramatically increased participation in annual and planned giving and fostered an expanded community of major donors, resulting in 115 gifts of $1 million or more.
The Canopy: Convening and celebrating leading contributors
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
JAMES OSTEEN: A LANDMARK CONTRIBUTION
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Elevate represented a tremendous achievement for the entire Audubon community—and we’re looking to the future with energy and excitement.
Elevate owes its success to our members’ and supporters’ amazing generosity, commitment, and love for birds and nature. These are the same qualities that helped establish Audubon as a powerful conservation force at our founding; they remain core to our mission today. I’m proud to help build on this amazing success as we work with our supporters in the U.S. and beyond to launch a bold new era for Audubon—and for the birds we cherish.
ELIZABETH GRAY AUDUBON CEO
Susan Bell Mary Daugherty George Golumbeski Kate James Sally Jeffords Richard Lawrence Susan Orr Anne Parrish Anna Riggs Kathy Sullivan Phil Swan Maggie Walker
THE CAMPAIGN FOR AUDUBON
THE NEXT HORIZON
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CAMPAIGN COUNCIL OF CO-CHAIRS
For more than a year, Audubon staff, leaders, and volunteers have been engaged in a deep and inclusive process to shape our next strategic plan. When unveiled, the plan will contain a set of clear and measurable milestones associated with the critical areas that matter to birds and people: hemispheric habitat conservation, policy advocacy, climate action, and community building. In addition to our conservation impact milestones, the plan will also contain a set of workplace excellence milestones. These resources will help make Audubon a better place to work— and strengthen our efforts to effect positive, transformative change on behalf of birds.
Photos:
American Avocet group takes flight from a saline wetland at Audubon’s Gillmor Sanctuary in Salt Lake County, Utah.
Cover: Gordon Hatusupy/ Audubon Photography Awards; Inside cover, p1: Jeffrey Kauffman/Audubon Photography Awards; p2/3: Mike Fernandez/Audubon; p4: Andrés Estefan; p5: Luke Franke/Audubon; p6: Jonathan Lee/Audubon Photography Awards; p7/p8: Mike Fernandez/ Audubon; p9: Luke Franke/Audubon; p10: Ashley L. Conti; p12-13: Evan Barrientos/ Audubon Rockies; Back cover: Janice Katz/Audubon Photography Awards
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THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED ELEVATE—WE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO BIRDS AND TO AUDUBON. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
audubon.org
Allen’s Hummingbird