ENSURING THE FUTURE by Paige Culver WSF Development Manager
W
REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOD
ith any luck, the title of this article will encapsulate the feelings of everyone who was able to make it back to Reno this year. (It may also unintentionally result in that song being stuck in your head for the rest of the dayā¦ Iām sorry about that part.) The last two years of uncertainty and frustration had all of us longing for some semblance of familiarity. This year we were determined, despite additional challenges, to have our Sheep Family reunionāalso known as Sheep ShowĀ®. As usual, the WSF staff were steady and steeled for whatever obstacles would head our way and we marched forward knowing that the prize would be the gathering of old friends, making new ones, and raising money for wild sheep. Unless youāve been living under a rock (or in the White House, apparently) the supply chain and labor shortages will come as no surprise to you. While the challenges we face seem to change from year to year, the one thing that remains a constant is our membersā willingness to show up in a major way. You show up for us, one another, and for wild sheep. The evening banquets were a blast, as usual, and together we were once again able to pull off one of the greatest conservation expos in the world and raise some serious dollars for wild sheep conservation. We are blown away by the commitment of our membership to the cause. In addition to auctions, raffles, etc. our Marco Polo Society membership hit a milestone 75-member mark! This fiscal year we
22 WILD S HEEPĀ® ~ SPRING 2022
have added six new $100,000 dollar Marco Polo Society donors! We are getting so close to our 100-member goal for MPS. This giving society alone is now solely responsible for contributing $7.5 million to mission and program funding! WOW! We cordially invite you to be one of the FINAL 25 members in this 100-member campaign. (See full MPS listing on page 21) Our Chadwick Ram Society welcomed several new members and benefited from MANY upgrades from existing members. The Chadwick Ram Society has benefactor levels ranging from a $2,500 commitment or $250 annually for 10 years on up to a $50,000 commitment or $5,000 annually over a 10-year period. The pledge total from CRS members alone has reached a whopping ~$3.1 million dollars, of which, more than $2 million has been received and put toward āPutting and Keeping Wild Sheep on the MountainĀ®!ā Our Chadwick Ram Society exclusive sheep hunt drawing will take place again this year on June 30th! We are so lucky to be working with our friends at Sierra El Alamo on this yearās CRS sheep hunt. The 2022 CRS winner will win a fully guided one-on-one hunt with Sierra El Alamo. (Full CRS listing can be found on page 18, flier for CRS drawing on page187.) Finally, we added three new members to our Legacy Society. Legacy Society members pledge a gift or bequest by remembering WSF in their will or estate planning. These
dedicated members are integral to our ability to continue to do critical conservation work in perpetuity, guaranteeing that WSF will be around for generations to come. The accolades donāt stop there! This year we had an anonymous donor step forward, pledging to match up to $100,000 in contributions to the Endowment Fund! Our membership answered that challenge in full force, and through this matching campaign alone, we were able to put ~$220,000 into our Endowment Fund within the short span of a few months. This yearās Sheep ShowĀ®, although very different, has been like so many in years past; full of smiling faces, great stories, gut wrenching laughter, a handful of tears, but most importantly, a coming together under the same banner for the benefit of wild sheep and wild places. I love this Sheep Family. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for continuing to show up for each other, for us and supporting our efforts to āPut and Keep Wild Sheep on the MountainĀ®.ā WS
For more information on the Wild Sheep Foundationās giving societies or to make a donation, please contact WSF Development Manager, Paige Culver at 406-404-8758 or pculver@ wildsheepfoundation.org.
