EVENTS

“Party with a Purpose,” a series of in-home events, was launched in 2022 with the goal to engage community leaders in a fun and personal way while introducing new friends to the Aquarium’s mission. The first event, hosted by Board member Veronica Cintron, was a resounding success, exceeding fundraising expectations.

In collaboration with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) through the Species Survival Plan (SPP), we expanded our colony of African penguins in January and celebrated their arrival with the donors whose generosity helped make the outdoor penguin habitat possible.

Fiscal Year 2022 final fundraising results equaled $3,026,212 in revenue, exceeding budget expectations and making this the second consecutive year of record-breaking philanthropy; securing the largest sum of unrestricted annual revenue for The Florida Aquarium. Other fundraising milestones included:

• A 19% increase (over FY21) in individual fundraising with a total raised of $713,171

• Grants and Foundation revenue was also 128% over FY22 budgeted goal with revenue totaling $1,914,822

With the goal to increase corporate giving, we introduced the Corporate Connect program. The program was launched in Q4, with four (4) paid members. This program allows companies to provide unrestricted operating support with a variety of benefits annually based on membership level.