By Bruce Ross, Executive Director bross@wisducks.org
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s March 2024 Newsletter edition.
Charitable organizations across the country are being impacted by an evolving volunteer model. It’s no secret that people are more stretched, leaving less time for charitable activities. The charitable organizations that depend on volunteerism must adapt.
WWA is no exception. We are losing more chapters than we are gaining, and while the revenue produced by chapter events (banquets and raffles) that fuel our missions has held pretty steady for years, that revenue is being produced by fewer chapters. That’s an organizational risk. Our business model must adapt to this reality – and it is.
WWA has been consciously evolving to have more balanced sources of revenue. One way we are doing that is by expanding our “services for hire”. WWA core competencies include wetland restoration, hunter education, and even contract administration and financial accounting. We work with partners (WI DNR, NRCS, USFWS) who have needs in these areas and available funds, but not the people or expertise. WWA can contract with them to provide these services. Sometimes this is via grants, or sometimes it’s via contract. The chart below illustrates that we are reducing our dependence on chapter events.
Other funding initiatives:
- Raffles: Our recent legal victory over the state charitable gaming regulators will allow us to expand online raffle ticket sales.
- New revenue sources like the Waterfowl Hunters EXPO will become significant sources of funds for WWA mission work in the coming years.
- Expanding our major sponsor program. WWA has historically been a very grassroots organization, receiving funds from a large number of small donations. We need to continue this, but also find larger corporate, charitable and individuals who value what we do, and are willing to invest in it.
- We also hope that individuals who value what we do will remember WWA in their estate planning.
NONE of this is to say chapter-produced revenue is unimportant. Indeed, chapter revenue is the most flexible of all funding WWA receives. It is critical to paying for member services (like publishing a newsletter) and administration (like accounting to ensure funds are used wisely). Without these and other functions, WWA cannot exist. And who then would be the voice of Wisconsin’s waterfowlers?