BirdLife and marketing

By Birding-Aus, on December 8th, 2015

Technology willing, I’ve responded to a few questions raised on this forum (I’ve being lurking and listening with interest). Firstly, BirdLife’s appeal is aimed at the hundreds of thousands of Australians who are not aware of the wonderful journey and plight of our migratory shorebirds – the “silence”. Our supporter base is very broad and growing fast; it does not just include members who know their birds. Ornithologists may have known this is a conservation issue for decades but the fact that birds like Eastern Curlew are now critically endangered suggests our collective efforts (here and overseas) to date are not working – the “crisis”. Sadly, government funding for long term conservation programs like Shorebirds ended in mid 2013 (and, frankly, it’s not coming back). So we all need to accept the pivotal and growing role of our wonderful donors to fund bird conservation. Thanks to our generous supporters, programs like Beach-nesting Birds are core funded; we’ve re-invested in Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas and developed a new (and exciting, watch this space) Birdata portal and app to support our volunteers. We are trying hard to match our communications and language with the audience but this is a work in progress. We are only as smart as our database (hence the recent survey). The shorebirds appeal and a forthcoming campaign into 2016 will allow BirdLife to play a leadership role in the implementation of a new conservation plan for migratory shorebirds (soon to be released by the federal government). We know what the solutions are. This is a real opportunity to build momentum, partnerships and action – in Australia and the Flyway – so we can all continue to enjoy these birds. For the record, our fundraising program is a very low cost model, managed in-house by a small professional team. A Committee of people with public standing oversee all public donations to ensure they are properly accounted for in accordance with the constitution and guidelines applying to the Register of Environmental Organisations. Many on BirdingAus already help by volunteering, donating and/or sharing their expertise. Thank you. I am very grateful for your support. As RSPB founder William Henry Hudson said, “You cannot fly like an eagle with the wings of a wren”. Bird conservation will rely on a movement of people like you who care about birds and nature. Enjoy your festive break and keep fighting for our native birds. Paul Sullivan Chief Executive BirdLife Australia 0477 007522 [BirdLife Australia 2016 Calendar] Spend a month with 12 different spectacular Australian birds and support BirdLife Australia’s vital conservation work in the process! Our 2016 wall calendar is available now at store.birdlife.org.au

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jspk

December 9, 2015 at 9:00 pm

In this long (and tiresome) thread, I’ve found these comments from Paul Dodd the most relevant!! If you aren’t taken by a particular thread, or appeal for finds, delete and move on! John Tongue, Devonport, Tas. On 09/12/2015, at 9:29 PM, “Paul Dodd” < paul@angrybluecat.com> wrote:

gclancy

December 9, 2015 at 8:09 pm

Great Ken, I couldn’t have put it better. If you aren’t happy with some things that BA does then join and get involved in the discussion. Refusing to join is only playing into the hands of people who do not care about our birds. Every birdwatcher in Australia should support Birdlife Australia. It is the only way we can sway the politicians to fund the necessary research and to not approve developments and activities that are pushing Australian bird species towards extinction. By all means have a say in what BA does. Criticise it if you wish but join it so that it can become strong enough to have the clout that we all want it to have. Regards Greg Dr Greg. P. Clancy, Ecologist and Birding-wildlife Guide | PO Box 63 Coutts Crossing NSW 2460 | 02 6649 3153 | 0429 601 960 http://www.gregclancyecologistguide.com http://gregswildliferamblings.blogspot.com.au/ —–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 7:17 PM Dear all, I am saddened by some birding-aus participants claiming that they are not members of Birdlife Australia because they are offended by being asked [repeatedly] for money. Unbelievable. Birding-aus is or should be an important part of the birding community in Australia. Birdlife Australia, with the joining of Birds Australia and the Bird Observers Club, is the organisation that campaigns for bird conservation. Don’t give additional money if you can’t or won’t but please be a member! Politicians [sadly] do not judge issues by their rationale worth – it’s bums on seats! The more members Birdlife Australia has the more effective in lobbying it can potentially be. Membership is still only a couple of bucks or so per week – a small investment in the scheme of things! Cheers again Ken PS – Consider buying a calendar… —–Original Message—– Neil Cheshire Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2015 5:33 PM Perhaps BLA could offer a higher subscription category that allowed the member to opt-out of their fund raising bombardment. If they did I would consider rejoining having lapsed several years ago because of their frequent requests. Neil Cheshire

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friarbird43

December 9, 2015 at 6:17 pm

Dear all, I am saddened by some birding-aus participants claiming that they are not members of Birdlife Australia because they are offended by being asked [repeatedly] for money. Unbelievable. Birding-aus is or should be an important part of the birding community in Australia. Birdlife Australia, with the joining of Birds Australia and the Bird Observers Club, is the organisation that campaigns for bird conservation. Don’t give additional money if you can’t or won’t but please be a member! Politicians [sadly] do not judge issues by their rationale worth – it’s bums on seats! The more members Birdlife Australia has the more effective in lobbying it can potentially be. Membership is still only a couple of bucks or so per week – a small investment in the scheme of things! Cheers again Ken PS – Consider buying a calendar… —–Original Message—– Neil Cheshire Sent: Wednesday, 9 December 2015 5:33 PM Perhaps BLA could offer a higher subscription category that allowed the member to opt-out of their fund raising bombardment. If they did I would consider rejoining having lapsed several years ago because of their frequent requests. Neil Cheshire

martinflab

December 9, 2015 at 2:29 pm

An important point is that for those recipients of the letter who are not “tolerant of fund-raising efforts and willing to donate” to have a way of opting out of the follow up. That is currently lacking from the BLA process. A further point is that the scheme you mention is limited to members of the “university from which I graduated”. I have never been a member of BA or BLA but they have somehow harvested my name and email address – perhaps from when I provide data to them through COG or eBird? Martin Martin Butterfield http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/ On 9 December 2015 at 15:10, Stephen Ambrose < stephen@ambecol.com.au> wrote:

stephen

December 9, 2015 at 2:10 pm

For the last few years, a representative of the university from which I graduated has phoned me once a year to ask if I would be interested in donating money towards student scholarships. Each year’s appeal is preceded by a letter from the university’s alumni office alerting graduates that over the next month we can expect a phone call asking for a donation. So there is a warning that we will receive a phone call, rather than it being a cold call. The phone calls are made by student volunteers who, not only ask for a donation, but spend about 15 minutes engaging in a informal chat enquiring about the graduate’s experiences as a student, how one’s studies helped/didn’t help one find a career, and asking about what they could expect if they took the same career pathway. The student volunteers are from the same educational stream as the alumni they are contacting, so a biological sciences student would speak to a biological sciences graduate, an engineering student with an engineering graduate, etc. Therefore, you know that any advice you give to the student over the phone is relevant to that student. But it is not all one-way traffic, because it is also an opportunity for the graduate to ask the students about their university experiences, what they expect once they have completed their degree(s) and, just as importantly, you can ask them directly how any money you may donate would be spent. On each occasion, I have found the student volunteers I have spoken to over the phone extremely courteous, enthusiastic and genuinely interested in the advice provided. On a personal level, I have found it an extremely effective marketing approach, the level of interest, comprehension of advice and courtesy of the student determining the amount that I donate each year. If one agrees to make a donation, then the university sends a personalised letter of thanks with details on how to make a tax deductible payment. Perhaps a similar approach could be taken by BLA. A letter could be sent out to members/supporters alerting them that they would receive a phone call within a month or two about an appeal to raise money for a specific research project or conservation cause. The calls could be made by designated birding volunteers (not marketers) from the BLA head office or branches (if it is for a national project), or just from the branches (if it is for a local project). Two-way conversations could follow about each party’s perceptions of funding priorities for bird conservation & research and an opportunity for the potential donor to question how donations would be spent. Perhaps in the initial letter to be sent out to members/supporters, a tentative breakdown of the proposed expenditure of project funds (if the target is met) could be provided, so that potential donors can see how their money would be spent. This would give potential donors more confidence in discussing the project when they receive the subsequent phone call that requests a donation. If one agrees during the phone conversation to make a donation, then BLA would need to send a personalised letter of thanks with details on how to make a (usually online) tax deductible payment. This approach is obviously labour-intensive, would have initial costs involved (e.g. phone, mailing and printing costs) which should be covered by the receipt of donations, and is bound to annoy some people. But it is a way of communicating on a one-to-one basis with members of a captured and (hopefully) interested audience. The university that I referred to in this email has used this fund-raising technique for at least the last five years, suggesting that it is one that works for them. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work for BLA, provided that members/supporters have the option of saying “no” to receiving a phone call once they have received the initial letter alerting them of the appeal, and that the BLA does actually honour the “no” request. Perhaps a scaled-down approach, if there are inadequate resources, could involve an initial letter of appeal for funds being sent to all members and supporters, alerting them that a subset (rather than everyone) would be phoned, with different subsets being phoned each year, to avoid the same people receiving a phone call every year. Of course, the success of such an approach depends on the ability of BLA to call upon enough birding volunteers to “man the phones”, for two-way phone conversations to be courteous and efficient, for members/supporters to be tolerant of fund-raising efforts and willing to donate, and for BLA to be upfront about how raised funds would be spent. Kind regards, Stephen Stephen Ambrose Ryde, NSW —–Original Message—– Paul Sullivan Sent: Wednesday, December 9, 2015 6:45 AM Cc: Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org It is not a defence, Shirley. I’m very proud of this organisation and what it achieves with our staff and volunteers. All professional organisations use emails as a communications tool. Why not buy a calendar for Christmas and help BirdLife protect birds? The photography is terrific and it profiles our work. Thank you for all the personal messages of support. I will try and get to them soon. Paul Sullivan Chief Executive BirdLife Australia 0477 007522 forum (I’ve being lurking and listening with interest). Australians who are not aware of the wonderful journey and plight of our migratory shorebirds – the “silence”. Our supporter base is very broad and growing fast; it does not just include members who know their birds. but the fact that birds like Eastern Curlew are now critically endangered suggests our collective efforts (here and overseas) to date are not working – the “crisis”. Shorebirds ended in mid 2013 (and, frankly, it’s not coming back). So we all need to accept the pivotal and growing role of our wonderful donors to fund bird conservation. Thanks to our generous supporters, programs like Beach-nesting Birds are core funded; we’ve re-invested in Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas and developed a new (and exciting, watch this space) Birdata portal and app to support our volunteers. audience but this is a work in progress. We are only as smart as our database (hence the recent survey). BirdLife to play a leadership role in the implementation of a new conservation plan for migratory shorebirds (soon to be released by the federal government). We know what the solutions are. This is a real opportunity to build momentum, partnerships and action – in Australia and the Flyway – so we can all continue to enjoy these birds. in-house by a small professional team. A Committee of people with public standing oversee all public donations to ensure they are properly accounted for in accordance with the constitution and guidelines applying to the Register of Environmental Organisations. their expertise. Thank you. I am very grateful for your support. with the wings of a wren”. Bird conservation will rely on a movement of people like you who care about birds and nature.

paul.sullivan

December 9, 2015 at 5:44 am

It is not a defence, Shirley. I’m very proud of this organisation and what it achieves with our staff and volunteers. All professional organisations use emails as a communications tool. Why not buy a calendar for Christmas and help BirdLife protect birds? The photography is terrific and it profiles our work. Thank you for all the personal messages of support. I will try and get to them soon. Paul Sullivan Chief Executive BirdLife Australia 0477 007522

peter

December 9, 2015 at 5:37 am

Paul, one of the key points in the original complaint was that trying to unsubscribe from these emails was ineffective. Do you have an explanation for that? Peter Shute Sent from my iPad

shirleycook

December 9, 2015 at 5:24 am

Oh, dear me! even this “defence” has a marketing message in the tail!! —– Original Message —– Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 5:46 PM

kaischraml

December 8, 2015 at 8:45 pm

I think you’ve put you finger on an important point. Perhaps Mr. Sullivan would be willing to introduce us to the political advocacy his organisation is working on, and why he thinks it is an effective effort. I’d like to hear that answer. Kai Sent from my iPhone

calyptorhynchus

December 8, 2015 at 8:08 pm

I don’t know whether I speak for a lot of people here, but my view is that BirdLife Australia is not a very effective organisation and its predecessors, the RAOU, Birds Australia… haven’t been either. The CEO writes “Sadly, government funding for long term conservation programs like Shorebirds ended in mid 2013 (and, frankly, it’s not coming back).” Well, the RAOU was founded over a 100 years ago, what was it doing during that time such that there is no odium or penalty attached to governments who don’t support the environment? Why did it not influence public discourse throughout this period, and why does it not influence now, such that this blithe acceptance of inevitability of government indifference is acceptable? On 8 December 2015 at 17:46, Paul Sullivan < paul.sullivan@birdlife.org.au> wrote: — John Leonard Canberra Australia http://www.jleonard.net I want to be with the 9,999 other things.

thelander.a

December 8, 2015 at 5:45 pm

Thanks for your response, Paul. We really *are* in a time of crisis for birds here in Australia and around the globe. The thought of losing forever all those species that are now heading for the brink saddens me enormously. Birdlife’s work is more important than ever. I have donated to your appeals in the past and will continue to do so whenever possible in the future. Regards Andrew Thelander

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BirdLife and marketing

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