an introduction to building refuge friends organizationsan introduction to building refuge friends...

Taking FlightAn Introduction toBuilding Refuge Friends Organizations

A National Wildlife Association Publication

Greater sandhill cranes © John and Karen Hollingsworth

Taking FlightAn Introduction to Building

Refuge Friends Organizations

National Wildlife Refuge Association1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20007

2002

This book was made possible by funding from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and shall not beinterpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of tradenames or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

In Memory

of

Mildred Miller Clark1923-1997

Mildred was co-editor of the

Refuge Reporter

and was

a true champion

for the

National Wildlife Refuge System.

In 1994, the Board of Directors of the NationalWildlife Refuge Association made an important deci-sion. They agreed that citizen support groups(“Friends”) were critical to the protection and perpet-uation of the National Wildlife Refuge System. For thisreason, the Board added Friends group developmentand training to their strategic plan.

At that time, no formal programs existed to supportFriends groups. Many established refuge Friendsgroups were struggling with issues such as board orga-nization, developing strong partnerships with refugemanagement, effective advocacy, and fundraising.Newly forming organizations were also struggling withbasic issues such as how to write by-laws and applyfor non-profit status.

For this reason, the National Wildlife Refuge Asso-ciation launched the Friends Initiative in October 1996with grant funding from the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation, the George Gund Foundation, Plum CreekFoundation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

When we began the Initiative, it was clear that one ofour first priorities would be to create a handbook onhow to get a Friends group started – everyone wasasking for some form of written “How to Do It” guide.We decided that the best way to write this guide wasto ask the experts – go to the experienced Friendsgroups and ask them “What are the Keys to Successin organizing a Friends group?” In January 1997, weheld a workshop that was attended by private citizensand U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff that were theFriends experts. These people shared their knowledgewith us and this handbook is a compilation of theirwork.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is pleasedto provide you with this handbook. We hope you willjoin us and your fellow citizens in supporting ourNational Wildlife Refuge System by starting or join-ing a Friends group. The personal rewards are tremen-dous and our refuge system will benefit immeasurablyfrom your help.

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A Message from Evan Hirsche

President of the National WildlifeRefuge Association

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National Wildlife Refuge AssociationBoard of Directors, regional representatives and staff

Officers

Curtis “Buff” BohlenWashington, DCChairman

Walt StieglitzMicco, FLVice Chair

Ann HarveyWilson, WYSecretary

Neal SigmonArlington, VATreasurer

At Large Members

Bill AsheSudbury, MA

Gail S. BakerNiceville, Florida

Molly P. BrownVirginia Beach, VA

Edith T. EddyMenlo Park, CA

Robert C. FieldsBeaverton, OR

Karen HollingsworthPembroke, ME

David H. HoughtonMontpelier, VT

Molly KrivalSanibel, FL

Cal LensinkBuffalo, MN

Joe MazzoniRancho Murieta, CA

William H. MeadowsWashington, DC

Thomas WathenTakoma Park, MD

Regional Representatives

Robert C. [email protected]

Joe MazzoniCalifornia/[email protected]

Larry [email protected]

George HoffmannGreat Lakes — Big [email protected]

Phillip S. [email protected]

David H. [email protected]

John [email protected]

Staff

Evan HirschePresidentNWRA1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NW,Suite 200Washington, D.C. 20007

(202) 333-9075

Fax (202) 333-9077

Email: [email protected]

Gretchen MullerProject Manager


Debbie HarwoodOffice Manager


iii

National Wildlife Refuge Association1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NWSuite 200Washington, D.C. 20007

Phone: (202) 333-9075Fax: (202) 333-9077

E-mail: [email protected]

Visit us on RefugeNET!

www.refugenet.org

For up-to-date information on the Friends Initiative, NWRA, legislation,refuge activities, and more . . .

The National Wildlife Refuge Association isthe only national membership organizationdedicated solely to protecting and perpetuat-ing the National Wildlife Refuge System. Ourmission is to protect, enhance and expand theNational Wildlife Refuge System, lands setaside by the American people to protect ourcountry’s diverse wildlife heritage. We advocateincreased Congressional funding and improvedpolicies to maintain a healthy and properlymanaged wildlife refuge system capable of sus-taining diverse plants and wildlife. Combininga Washington, D.C. headquarters, regional rep-resentatives and members from around thecountry, the NWRA is a leader, mobilizing citi-zen support for refuges.

The National Wildlife Refuge Associationworks to ensure that our national system ofwildlife refuges is protected today and for gen-erations to come. Since its 1975 founding, theNational Wildlife Refuge Association has alsoworked to:

● Increase public awareness, involvement,and support for wildlife refuges

● Promote cooperation among varied conser-vation and environmental groups

● Protect individual refuges from threats towildlife habitat

● Improve the management and protection ofthe Refuge System by providing informa-tion to administrations and Congressionaldecision makers

● Influence legislation that defines the futureof the Refuge System

● Advocate for adequate funding andimproved policy guidance for the RefugeSystem

● Network with Friends groups and support-ing their actions on behalf of refuges.

Mission and Focus

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1994

October

March

May

December

1995 1996 1997

1994 1995 1996 1997

1994 1995 1996 1997

1994 1995 1996 1997

National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) adds Friends group training and devel-opment to its strategic plan.

NWRA submits Friends Initiative grant proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foun-dation (NFWF). Goals of the project included identifying existing Friends groups, help-ing new groups get started, and developing a resource handbook.

President Clinton signs Executive Order on the Management and General Public Use ofthe National Wildlife Refuge System.

US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) sponsors a workshop: From Executive Order toCollective Action. Participants Friends groups as the highest priority for strengtheningthe refuge system.

NFWF hosts first Friends Initiative Roundtable to discuss building Friends groups andimplementing NWRA’s Friends Initiative.

October NWRA officially begins work on the Friends Initiative project.

FWS receives funds to sponsor a Friends mentoring program to provide one-on-onetraining to refuge staff and new Friends group members. It also receives funds to con-duct a Friends workshop for refuge managers.

National Audubon Society launches its Audubon Refuge Keepers (ARK) programdesigned to stimulate citizen action on refuges through local Audubon chapters.

NWRA begins national surveys of Friends groups and refuge managers.

March FWS launches its Friends mentoring program.

July FWS sponsors its first workshop for refuge managers and park superintendents onFriends groups.

August NWRA publishes first Refuge Friends Group Directory.

November NWRA launches Friends Initiative phase two, to include workshops, networking opportu-nities, improved communications systems, and direct technical and financial assistance.

October FWS funds Friends mini-grant program. $100,000 to $125,000 will be made availableto Friends groups. The program is administered as a cooperative effort between theFWS, NWRA, NFWF, and NAS.

January NWRA sponsors first meeting of Friends group leaders and FWS staff. “Keys to Suc-cess” are discussed and an outline for a handbook is developed.

History of the Friends Initiative

January Audubon’s ARK Program grows to more than 35 refuge sup-port groups.

August NWRA, NAS, NFWF and FWS disburse 50 mini-grants toFriends groups, for a total of $180,500, to support start-upand capacity-building activities as well as specific projects.

October First regional network of Friends groups, the Friends ofRefuges Mid-Atlantic (FORMA), begins to take shape.

March NWRA and Audubon host 20 Friends groups in Washing-ton, DC for an advocacy bootcamp. Friends lobby their law-makers for increased Refuge System funding.

November NWRA hosts the Friends Academy, a three-day workshopto build Friends groups’ skills in the areas of board develop-ment, fundraising and volunteer management.

March NWRA publishes its second resource manual, entitled Build-ing Your Nest Egg: An Introduction to Raising Funds forNational Wildlife Refuge Support Groups.

May Audubon’s ARK Program includes more than 75 refuge sup-port groups.

May NWRA’s new president, Evan Hirsche, makes Friends a toppriority in the Association’s five-year business plan. NWRAand FWS begin to plan the first annual National RefugeFriends Conference.

November Fifteen Friends groups participate in a pilot media project,providing grassroots support for the efforts of the Coopera-tive Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE). Project ishighly successful, with widespread media coverage of theRefuge System funding crisis.

February More than 220 Friends, representing 102 refuges and 43states, gather in Washington D.C. at the first annual Nation-al Refuge Friends Conference for a weekend of skills-build-ing and networking sponsored by the FWS and NWRA. Morethan 130 Friends lobby their lawmakers for increased refugefunding.

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1998 1999 2000

1998 1999 2000

1998 1999 2000

“Friends Group” is defined as any formal organization whose missionis to support the goals and purposes of its associated refuge and theNational Wildlife Refuge System overall. This includes Friends Orga-nizations and Cooperating and Interpretive Associations.

‘Why are youinvolved inthe Friendsgroup?’ *

“The refuge is apart of our com-munity.”

– Molly Brown,Friends of Back Bay,

Virginia Beach, Virginia.

“I live here.”– Jackie Peoples,

Partnership for theSounds, Columbia,

North Carolina.

“A love ofwildlife and theRefuge, as wellas the time togive of my tal-ents.”– Marilyn Kloosterman,“Ding” Darling Wildlife

Society

“As a long timevolunteer in thefield of recre-ation and parkswith an interestin wildlife andconservation, Iwanted to tryand make a dif-ference.”

– Harlen Tucker,Friends Of

Patuxent WildlifeResearch Center

*Friends Survey,NWRA, 1997

Our Vision for the Friends Initiative is to promote the devel-opment of local Friends organizations that will provide an inde-pendent citizen voice for the protection, conservation andenhancement of fish and wildlife and their habitats for the ben-efit of present and future generations.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is committed tostrengthening existing and perpetuating the creation of newFriends organizations that:

● Are informed of and support the mission of the NationalWildlife Refuge System;

● Provide a positive community influence and act as a doorwayto the public;

● Are independent advocates working to protect the naturalresource;

● Strive to influence support for the local refuge and theNational Wildlife Refuge System overall;

● Cooperate with other Friends organizations locally, regional-ly, and nationally and participate whenever possible in col-laborative programs with these groups as well as with theNational Wildlife Refuge Association;

● Strive to maintain a relationship of cooperation and mutualrespect with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel; and

● Adhere to high ethical standards of behavior applicable toprivate nonprofit charitable organizations and adhere to allreporting requirements and other regulations as required bystate and federal law.

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Our Vision . . .

When the National Wildlife Refuge Association launched theFriends Initiative, it was clear that a basic guide book was need-ed to help citizens form new refuge Friends groups. Aroundthe country, citizens were “reinventing the wheel,” spendingprecious time and energy figuring out how to file for non-profitstatus or deciding what the Board of Directors would do.

Taking Flight is written for use by both citizens and refugestaff who are working to form a new Friends group. Becausethere is so much information we could offer in this handbook,we had to make some difficult decisions about what to includeand what to leave out. To help us, we decided that the bookshould do the following:

● Give new or forming Friends groups and refugestaff the tools to get started during the first year oforganization.

● Give Friends groups and refuge staff an overview, adistillation of information in a quick, easy, andreadable format.

● Teach Friends groups and refuge staff the impor-tance of forming and maintaining relationshipsthat are built around the natural resource.

To write this handbook, we consulted the experts – those cit-izens and refuge staff who had experienced a long history of suc-cess with a Friends group. The National Wildlife Refuge Asso-ciation convened a meeting in January 1997, where theseFriends experts described the “keys to success” in organizingand developed a model process for building a Friends group.This handbook is a compilation of their stories, insights andwisdom.

As you form your Friends group, you will have many ques-tions that are not fully answered in this book. However, webelieve that Taking Flight provides the basic tools you will needto get started. We hope you will agree that this book is a usefultool in building your organization.

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About this handbook

Note: The National Wildlife Refuge Association grants permissionto reprint any part of this handbook. Please credit Taking Flightand National Wildlife Refuge Asssociation in any copies made.

Friends GroupsHelen Bain Friends of Bon Secour NWR ALEdgar Bristow Atlantic Audubon NJMolly Brown Friends of Back Bay VAKurt Buchholtz Rocky Mountain Nature Association COEdward Crozier Friends of Minnesota Valley and NWRA MNAnn Haines Friends of the Minnesota Valley NWR MNBeverly Heinze-Lacey Friends of Parker River NWR and NWRA MARichard Hickner Friends of Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge TXCarol Kolash Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Society COMolly Krival Ding Darling Wildlife Society FLFlorence LaRiviere Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge CAEmerson Learn Friends of Bosque del Apache NMJane Storm St Marks Refuge Association FLPenny Thomsen Friends of Walnut Creek NWR IATana Watt Friends of Mashpee NWR MAFrank Wolff Friends of Blackwater NWR Association, Inc. MD

U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceJanet AdyNational Education and Training Center WVRick Coleman US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1 ORGeorge Constantino US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 7 AKTony Leger US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5 MAPatricia Martinkovic Long Island NWR Complex NYPhil Norton Bosque del Apache NWR NMAllyson Rowell US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuges VAJohn Stasko Back Bay NWR VATom Worthington US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3 MN

National Wildlife Refuge Association and National Fish and Wildlife FoundationWilliam Ashe National Wildlife Refuge Association MAKaren Hollingsworth National Wildlife Refuge Association COKathleen Pickering National Fish and Wildlife Foundation DC

Speakers and ObserversAngeline Andrew National Wildlife Refuge Association NHSarah Bevilacqua US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5 MAJim and Mildred Clark Refuge Reporter VAAnne Criss National Wildlife Refuge Association DCDan Ashe US Fish and Wildlife Service, External Affairs DCRonald Lambertson US Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 5 MARobert Shallenberger US Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Refuges VARobert Streeter US Fish and Wildlife Service, Directorate DCDavid Tobin National Wildlife Refuge Association DCLora Wondolowski National Audubon Society DC

FacilitatorsJim Feldt and Wes Wyens Institute of Community Area Development/University of Georgia

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National Wildlife Refuge Association Friends Meeting, January 1997Meeting Participants, Speakers, Observers, and Facilitators

First and foremost, we want to thank the partici-pants in the National Wildlife Refuge Association’sFriends Meeting held in January 1997 at VirginiaBeach. It was their ideas and comments that haveformed the backbone of this handbook. This handbookwould not have been possible without their help. Thefull list of names is provided earlier in this section.

We would also like to thank the many people whoreviewed and edited the draft version of this handbook,including: Janet Ady, Sarah Bevilaqua, Molly BrownEdward Crozier, John Fillio, Malcolm Fraser, AnnHaines, Karen Hollingsworth, George Hoffman, JamesLacey, Molly Krival, Patricia Martinkovic, Phil Nor-ton, Allyson Rowell, Frank Wolff, and Thomas Wor-thington. In addition, we want to thank AngelineAndrew for helping us gather background material forthis handbook and Laurie Hagar for designing thehandbook's layout.

Special thanks goes to Karen Hollingsworth who pro-vided the photographs that appear throughout thishandbook.

In addition, we especially want to thank John(“Jack”) Fillio and the staff at Parker River NationalWildlife Refuge for making room for us under reallytight conditions. They have welcomed us with openarms and we have greatly enjoyed their camaraderieand good humor.

We also want to acknowledge Allyson Rowell for hersupport and interest in the Friends Initiative. She hasbeen instrumental in gaining support for the Initia-tive throughout the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Wehave appreciated her good sense of humor and sincer-ity, which has helped keep us moving forward.

And finally, we want to thank all the Friends groupsand US Fish and Wildlife Service staff who have sup-ported this effort with their ideas, suggestions, andencouragement.

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Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

What is the National Wildlife Refuge System?..................................................................2What Are Friends, and Why Are They So Important? .......................................................5

THE MODEL PROCESS

Model Process Diagram ....................................................................................................9A Model Process for Starting a Friends Group................................................................10

THE CORE GROUP

Forming the Core Leadership..........................................................................................14Words of Wisdom from Other Friends Groups ................................................................17Core Group Checklist ......................................................................................................19

DEVELOPING THE RELATIONSHIP

Building a Relationship Between Friends and Refuge Staff ............................................22Typical Wildlife Refuge Staff (diagram) ...........................................................................23Words of Wisdom from Other Friends Groups ................................................................27Guiding Principles for the Friends and US Fish and Wildlife Service Relationship .........28Relationship Building Checklist .......................................................................................31

MISSION AND VISION

Mission, Goals and Objectives ........................................................................................34Goals vs. Objectives........................................................................................................37Mission and Vision Checklist ...........................................................................................39

BUILDING THE ORGANIZATION

Building the Organization ................................................................................................42The Board........................................................................................................................45Committees .....................................................................................................................47The Stages of Board Development .................................................................................48The Legal Stuff ................................................................................................................49To Be or Not to Be a Nonprofit Organization?.................................................................50To Be or Not to Be a Cooperative Association? ..............................................................52Board Membership Checklist ..........................................................................................55Organization Checklist ....................................................................................................57

PLANNING

On Planning ....................................................................................................................60Words of Wisdom From Other Friends Groups...............................................................63Planning Checklist...........................................................................................................65

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Table of Contents

MEMBERSHIP

Building Membership.......................................................................................................68Group Dynamics .............................................................................................................69Membership Checklist.....................................................................................................71

FUNDRAISING

Funding ...........................................................................................................................74Words of Wisdom from Other Friends Groups................................................................76Fundraising Checklist......................................................................................................77

OUTREACH

Communicating ...................................................................................................80The Newsletter and Membership Brochure.........................................................83Words of Wisdom from Other Friend’s Groups ...................................................84Outreach Checklist ..............................................................................................85

CELEBRATE SUCCESS

Celebrate Your Successes ..................................................................................88Words of Wisdom from Other Friend’s Groups ...................................................88Celebrate Success Checklist...............................................................................89

RESOURCES

Where Do You Go From Here? ...........................................................................92Internet Resources ..............................................................................................93Resources from the NWRA .................................................................................93Bibliography.........................................................................................................94

APPENDICES .........................................................................................................

xi

Table of Contents (continued)

Intr

oducti

on

© John and Karen Hollingsworth

Great egret, J.N. “Ding” Darling NWR, Florida

President Theodore Roosevelt created the firstrefuge on Florida’s Pelican Island in 1903. He used thepower of the Presidency to put a stop to the destruc-tion of breeding colonies of brown pelicans whosefeathers were used in the millinery industry. Roo-sevelt, a lifelong conservationist and big game huntersaw an end to the country’s seemingly boundlessresources, something many of his contemporariescould not imagine. Roosevelt did something about it.He went on to set up 52 more refuges, some for the pro-tection of big game species such as bears, deer and elk.

Roosevelt said:

“Defenders of the short-sighted men who in theirgreed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our coun-try of half its charm by their reckless extermination ofall useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek tochampion them by saying that ‘the game belongs tothe people.’ So it does; and not merely to the peoplenow alive, but to the unborn people. The ‘greatestgood of the greatest number’ applies to the numberwithin the womb of time, compared to which thosenow alive form but an insignificant fraction.”

Now, a century later, with more than 540 refuges,the National Wildlife Refuge System manages aunique and valuable array of more than 94 millionacres set aside to preserve and protect the diversityof this country’s natural environment and its

Pelican Island, the first refuge,had its start in citizen actioncarried out by the country’s veryfirst refuge manager, PaulKroegel. The following is anexcerpt from an interview withJ.T. Thompson, Kroegel’s,daughter, written by Phil Millionwhich appeared in the Fish andWildlife News, Jan. 1979. Shetells how her father became themanager of the Pelican Island

2

What is the National WildlifeRefuge System?

Refuge. The story vividly illus-trates the power of one or twopeople when they put their pas-sion behind a cause:“..Attracted by the HomesteadAct and the lure of balmyweather, more and more peoplewere coming to Florida’s eastcoast at this time. The gradualincrease in boat traffic spelledtrouble for the highly visible -and highly vulnerable - colony

of pelicans inhabiting PelicanIsland.“One must remember thesewere freewheeling times. Gamelaws were practically non-exis-tent. Plume hunters were dev-astating waterfowl in the Ever-glades to supply the fashionindustry’s demand for feathers.One observer pretty wellsummed up human behaviortoward wildlife on Florida’s

The Story of the First Refuge Pelican Island, FL

1903 Executiveorder

signed by TheodoreRoosevelt establish-es Pelican Island,Florida, as a “pre-serve and breedingground for nativebirds.” During twoterms in office, Roo-sevelt establishesmore than 50 Nation-al Wildlife Refugesand withdrawsenough land from thecontrol of commer-cial interests to pro-vide space for futurerefuges, along withlands for nationalpark and forest sys-tems. In 30 years,the system expandsto 1.6 million acres.

1934 Congresspasses the

Migratory Bird Hunt-ing Stamp Act to pro-vide funds for thepurchase of migra-tory bird habitat.

Continued on page 3

wild creatures. Waterfowl Production Areas (WPA’s)add nearly 2 million more acres in the north centralregion of the country. These small “prairie pothole”wetlands are managed to preserve breeding, migrat-ing and wintering habitat for waterfowl. On averageover 200,000 acres of new lands are added to therefuge system every year.

The refuge system is managed by the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, inthe Executive branch of government. Today it pre-serves diverse ecosystems with over 220 species ofmammals, more than 700 species of birds, 250 reptilesand amphibians and over 200 species of fish, including168 threatened and endangered species. The systemstretches from Alaska to the Florida Keys, and fromMaine to the Trust Islands in the Pacific. There arerefuges in Guam, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa.Your refuge is but one link in a large chain that makesup the National Wildlife Refuge System.

A success story? It certainly is. Yet, the future ofthe refuge system is threatened and refugesneed help from local citizens.

The Refuge System is burdened by public ignoranceand neglect and survives mainly due to the dedica-tion of employees who manage it and the volunteerswho help them. The varied challenges of managingindividual refuges are met every day by dedicatedrefuge managers and their staffs whose problems varyfrom refuge to refuge. Inadequate funding is the basicissue which plagues nearly every one.

While the national park system receives about $16per acre in annual federal funding, the refuge sys-tem, with 14 million acres more land, will receive

waterways in the late 1870’swhen he reported: 'Practicallyall tourists were armed withrifles, shotguns, revolvers, or allthree. These armed men linedthe rails of the steamboats andshot ad libitum at alligators,waterfowl, or anything thatmade an attractive target.There were practically norestrictions on shooting,although the steamers neverstopped to gather in the game,but left it where it fell.'"

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The Story of . . . Pelican Island, FL

Mrs. Thompson rememberswell her father’s accounts ofthose days of trouble for hisbeloved pelicans: “The channelwas such that boats had to gowithin 100 feet of PelicanIsland. When the boats gotclose, the pelicans would justrise up and hover around them.And that’s when people startedshooting at the pelicans. Well,daddy saw what was happeningand he just had to do some-thing about it.”

What he did was begin anintensive lobbying campaign onbehalf of the birds.According to Mrs. Thompson,one valuable, if unsung, ally inthis campaign was a Mrs. Lath-am who ran a popular fishinglodge a few miles away andnumbered among her clientelevarious “big people from Wash-ington.” When such VIP’s werein residence, she would sendword to Kroegel via the mail

1934 PresidentFranklin D.

Roosevelt appointsJ.N. “Ding” Darling,chief of the Bureauof Biological Survey,then part of theDepartment of Agri-culture, the agency incharge of what willbecome the NationalWildlife Refuge Sys-tem. Darling hired J.Clark Salyer II, ayoung biologist whotraveled around thecountry to identifylikely sites forrefuges. Refuge sys-tem expands to 5.6million acres.

1940 Fish &Wildlife

Service formallyestablished under theDepartment of theInterior. The RefugeSystem grows to 9.6million acres in thelower 48 states, 8million more acres inAlaska.

1960’s Land andWater Con-

servation Fund setup to collect rev-enues from offshoredrilling leases usedto increase publicspace for outdoorrecreation, and tosupplement duckstamp sales.

Continued from page 2

Continued on page 4

about $3 per acre in 2003. Currently a funding back-log of nearly $2-billion leaves refuge managers unableto manage these lands to a level that will maintaintheir integrity into the future. It is a shortfall thatendangers the mission of the refuge system: to pre-serve these lands for future generations.

The bottom line: While some progress is beingmade, the National Wildlife Refuge System is stillunderstaffed and underfunded. The public eitherdoesn’t understand or is unaware of the mission ofrefuges for wildlife first. Members of Congress need tobe fully informed about the value of our refuges andencouraged to ensure adequate funding.

That’s where citizens can make a difference onrefuges.

They can help ensure that refuge lands are protect-ed and preserved, that their mission in protectingwildlife is not compromised, and that Congress allo-cates sufficient funds and supports positive legislationthat preserve the system. They provide refuges withcritical support by volunteering, raising funds andeducating the public. Many citizens have increasedtheir effectiveness by banding together and formingFriends Groups.

Friends groups play a critical role in helping thepublic understand the importance of protecting andpreserving our refuges – in essence, they act as refuge“ambassadors.” Friends groups have proven to behighly effective partners in working to improve theability of refuges to meet their missions.

4

boat that ran between Titusvilleand Stewart.“The mailman would come byand say so-and-so is there andmy father would go right upthere and use all the influencehe possibly could to get the pel-icans some help from Washington.”Another important enlistee inKroegel’s cause was thefamous ornithologist, Dr. Frank

M. Chapman, who was later todescribe Pelican Island’s birdcolony as “the most interestingin my experience.” Chapman,already heavily engaged in thebattle to halt the plume trade,helped spread the word aboutthe need to protect the pelicans.“What my father wanted to dowas get word through to Presi-dent Roosevelt.” Mrs. Thomp-

son says. “He wanted PelicanIsland to be a Federal reserva-tion so he would have the pow-er to keep people off theisland.”Roosevelt made him the man-ager of the refuge in 1903.

The Story of . . . Pelican Island, FL

1973 Endan-gered

Species Act autho-rized the purchase ofrefuge lands to pro-tect a wide variety ofwildlife and plants.

1980 AlaskaNational

Interest Lands Con-servation Actexpands the existingAlaska refuges by13.7 million acres,and establishes 40million acres of newrefuges. The refugesystem more thandoubles in size.

1994 The 500threfuge is

added - Canaan Val-ley Refuge in WestVirginia.

1996 PresidentClinton

signs a landmarkexecutive orderwhich clearly definesand reaffirms themission, guiding prin-ciples and prioritypublic uses of theNational WildlifeRefuge System: “...topreserve a nationalnetwork of lands andwaters for the con-servation and man-agement of the fish,wildlife, and plants ofthe United States forthe benefit of presentand future genera-tions."


Friends groups are made up of lots of “regular folks”:students, teachers, carpenters, bankers, nurses, pro-fessors, retirees. The one thing these people have incommon is that they care about the refuge as a natu-ral resource and work to protect it. Their concern forthe resource spurs them into action to organize aFriends group that is dedicated to promoting and per-petuating their local refuge.

Few people know that the refuge in their area is apart of a larger national system, that the refuge systemis under-funded, and lacks political support. Friendsgroups can promote the system by helping their localcommunity understand the mission of the refuge as aplace for wildlife first.

Starting with their local refuge, each individual canmake a difference to the whole refuge system and helpto ensure its future. Friends of refuges not only gettheir hands dirty donating time, energy and sweat,they also perform the critical mission of public out-reach — of communicating the refuge story not just tothe general public, but to lawmakers who legislate thefuture of refuge lands. An effective Friends group canbring a strong and powerful voice to their local refuge.The collective action of volunteer groups communicat-ing the importance of their local refuges then strength-ens the refuge system as a whole.

Friends groups may also be non-profit organizations,but some are organized strictly as advocacy groups andmay not meet IRS requirements for tax-deductible sta-tus. Many Friends groups have formal, written agree-ments that define their relationship with their localrefuge (Memorandum of Agreement or CooperativeAgreement). While these are encouraged and are use-ful documents, they are not required to become a refugeFriends group.

5

What are Friends andwhy are they soimportant?

“You’re REALLY missing the boat if you don’t have one!”—Leland (Lee) E. Herzberger, Refuge Manager, Muscatatuck NWR

(Refuge Manager Survey, NWRA, 1997)

1997 President Clinton signsthe National Wildlife

Refuge System ImprovementAct. The Act declares that compati-ble wildlife-dependent recreationaluses are legitimate priority publicuses of refuges. The six uses —hunting, fishing, wildlife observa-tion, photography, environmentaleducation and interpretation — areto receive enhanced considerationin planning and management overall other general public uses of theRefuge System. When planning forexpanded and new refuges andwhen making refuge managementdecisions, the Act requires effectivecoordination with other federalagencies, state fish and wildlife orconservation agencies and refugeneighbors. This was an invitation toembrace Support Groups and vol-unteers of all types.

1998President Clinton signsthe National Wildlife

Refuge System Volunteer and Com-munity Partnership EnhancementAct. The Act greatly expands publicinvolvement in the National WildlifeRefuge System and reaffirms thecommitment and need to work withvolunteers and partners to expandthe ability to accomplish the missionof the Refuge System. The Actspecifically focuses on enhance-ment of partnerships, volunteersand educational opportunities.

2000 Congress overwhelming-ly passes the National

Wildlife Refuge System CentennialAct. This law broadens publicunderstanding and appreciation forthe Refuge System by expandingpartnerships for their care andstrengthening the infrastructure ofthe 540 refuges that make up theSystem; calls for the establishmentof a Centennial Commission com-prised of prominent American citi-zens and decision-makers; andtasks the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService with developing a long-term plan to address the highestpriority operations, maintenance,and construction needs of theRefuge System.

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“As most who belong to our group, I have a love for the outdoors and its wildlife.Habitat and wildlife need all of the help all of us can give. Helping others is whatmakes the project work.”

–Phil McClure, Muscatatuck Wildlife Society,Seymour, Indiana. (Friends Survey, NWRA, 1997)

❑ Volunteer for projects to improve refugeresources.

❑ Educate U.S. Representatives and Senators.

❑ Vote for legislation that supports the refuge sys-tem and its natural resources.

❑ Raise public awareness and interest in a refugeby: offering educational programs and festivals;writing letters to newspapers; and participat-ing in community meetings.

❑ Raise funds to support refuge projects and pro-grams.

❑ Join the NWRA. Stay informed.

Friends groups are …

● Advocates for a local refugeand the National WildlifeRefuge System.

● Formal organizationsdesigned to support the missionof a refuge.

● Private, independent organi-zations formed and managedby local citizens.

Friends groups are not …

● “Anti” groups

● A “mouthpiece” for refugemanagement or the Fish andWildlife Service.

● Refuge managers.

What can Friends do to turntheir concern into action?

“(Having a Friends Group)... is an effective way to get workdone, get funding for projects and increase refuge identityand outreach.”

–Paul D. Daly, Refuge Manager, Bombay Hook NWR(Refuge Manager Survey, NWRA, 1997)

The

Model

Pro

cess


Salt marsh bird's beak, Tijuana Slough NWR, California

Meeting Participants

National Wildlife Refuge AssociationFriends Meeting

January 31 through February 2, 1997Virginia Beach, Virginia

Courtesy Jim Clark, Refuge Reporter

The Model Process forstarting a Friends group

9

10

Around the country, there are a num-ber of refuge Friends groups that havea great deal of experience and a longhistory of success. In January 1997, theNational Wildlife Refuge Associationconvened a meeting of these groups andtheir affiliated Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice staff to tap into their expertise.

The meeting had several goals. Onemajor goal was to develop an outline forthis handbook. The twenty-eight par-ticipants shared their experiences andenthusiasm for the refuge system.

They shared their success stories andtalked about their bumps and bruisestoo. Most importantly, everyoneworked together to provide an outlineof the most critical aspects of Friendsgroup organization and development.Through their experiences, theydescribed the “keys to success” and for-mulated a Model Process for Organiz-ing a Friends Group.

These Friends experts agreed thatwhile each group’s experience will bedifferent, all will go through this mod-el process as they organize and grow.

The remainder of this handbookdescribes the model process in detail.The appendix contains a number oftools and sample documents to helpyour group get started.

THE CORE GROUPA core group of enthusiastic and energeticpeople perceive a need or see that aFriends group could make a difference fora refuge. That group engages in a dia-logue with the refuge manager and staff.

DEVELOP APARTNERSHIP

The dialogue initiates the development ofa partnership between the FWS staff andthe Friends of the refuge. The substanceof the dialogue is about the needs andissues confronting the natural resourceand refuge.

MISSION & VISIONThe result of the interactions is an initialvision and mission for the Friends group.The Friends have been informally orga-nized to that point.

BUILD THEORGANIZATION

The group begins to formalize their organi-zation. They build the organization struc-ture and develop the board.

PLANNINGThe Board of Directors then begin todevelop plans for goals and programs thatwill help to fulfill the mission and toachieve the vision.

OUTREACH &MEMBERSHIP

The Friends group then engages in out-reach activities, builds and maintains itsmembership, and raises funds.

CELEBRATE!Along the way, the Friends group cele-brates its successes, whether large orsmall.

A Model Process for Starting a Friends Group

11

● Good communication among mem-bers and between the FWS staff andfriends.

● Learning about pertinent govern-ment processes, including coming toknow who in the agency’s hierarchyis the person who is authorized tomake decision relative to the issuesthe Friends address.

● Consistent use of the network toensure good advice from otherfriends groups, other non-profitorganizations, and other resources,so that the Friends do not wastetime and energy re-inventing thewheel.

● Continual effort to nurture the goodrelationship between the refugestaff and the friends.

● Wise attention to group dynamics.

The Story of … Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge

Each Friends group has a storyto tell.

Citizens Committee to Com-plete the Refuge started as ahandful of citizens concernedabout the loss of wetlandsaround San Francisco Bay. Acore group was instrumental inan original Refuge Committee.In 1972, they got a bill passedinto law to establish the existingrefuge.

At an informal “kitchen table"meeting in 1985, the groupexpanded its efforts. One of themembers proposed acquiringevery remaining acre of wet-lands around the Bay to doublethe size of the Refuge - some20,000 more acres.

The campaign involved gather-ing support from all the citiesand towns around the Bay.They gathered signatures, dis-

tributed bumper stickers, wroteand appeared in public serviceannouncements, producedbrochures, gathered the sup-port of businesses and lawmak-ers and raised money.

In 1988, after a long campaign,a bill was passed in the Houseand the Senate to acquire everyremaining acre of the Bay wet-lands for the refuge, doublingits size.

Five foundations supportthis model process:

The

Core

Gro

up


Antelope, Red Rock Lakes NWR, Montana

Every Friends group has its own unique story abouthow it got started. Most have stories of bumps andbruises along the way and also stories of great suc-cesses.

In some cases, one or two people recognized the need,talked with the refuge manager and formed a group.

In other cases, an issue arose that galvanized peo-ple into action — these people wanted to protect orestablish a refuge and organized a group. In addition,there are cases where the refuge staff developed posi-tive relationships with the community and the refugewas perceived as a good neighbor. In these cases, aFriends group formed because they were interested inhelping their “neighbor in need.”

Regardless of the reason for organizing, allgroups got their start with a core group of com-munity leaders who recognized the need for aFriends group.

A strong core group is essential to beginning the pro-cess of forming a Friends organization.

While some of these groups are now mature withlarge memberships and budgets, each has also experi-enced great achievements while they were fledglinggroups with a handful of dollars and only a few mem-bers.

Ding Darling Wildlife Society gotits start in 1982 as a cooperat-ing association to support themission of the refuge by offeringinterpretive and environmentaleducation opportunities to visi-tors. The Society has grown toabout 1,000 members. The localmembers donate 22,000 hours

14

THE CORE GROUP

Forming the Core Leadership

The Story of . . . Ding Darling Wildlife Society

in volunteer time and contributeabout $50,000 to fund projectsfor the refuge annually. Aftereight years of deriving incomefrom a few shelves of books,membership dues and dona-tions, the Society enclosed avisitor center deck to make asales area. Recently, they

launched a drive to raise $2 mil-lion to build a new visitor center.So far, they are approaching thehalfway mark, and when theydo, they plan to break ground.

● Can lead without beingoverbearing.

● Has or is able to devel-op community connec-tions.

● Has a flexible style.● Has the ability to moti-

vate and hold membersaccountable.

● Makes needed changesin board members in adiplomatic way.

● Is able to recognize tal-ents and match themwith what needs to bedone.

15

THE CORE GROUP

Friends of Parker River NationalWildlife Refuge started in 1992when its community wasembroiled in a piping plover ver-sus people controversy. Withless than 50 members, theFriends helped to resolve thecontroversy. The piping ploverwas a protected species and the

“We are involved with the friends group because we can see results of our efforts; wehave contributed financially; we have freely given our time because we believe thatwe are saving taxpayer dollars, while deriving great satisfaction for ourselves.”

—Robert Jones, Okefenokee Wildlife League, Inc.,Folkston, Georgia (Friends Survey, NWRA, 1997)

A GOOD LEADER

There are some common factors involved informing the core leadership and beginning the pro-cess of organizing a group.

❑ Two to five highly dedicated, like mind-ed people, are needed to start the pro-cess.

❑ The core group engages in dialoguewith the refuge manager and staff todiscuss the need for a Friends group.

❑ The core group begins to attract andrecruit members to the board.

❑ The core group begins the work ofdeveloping a successful relationshipwith the refuge staff, and creating avision and mission for the Friendsgroup and building the organization.

The Story of . . . Friends of Parker River NWR

Friends gained support fromboth the community and federallegislators. With only a handfulof dedicated volunteers, thisgroup sponsored a community-wide piping plover festival,which has since become anannual event. As a result of thework performed by this group,

the local community now seesthe refuge as a valuable naturalresource and is promoting eco-tourism as a primary industry.

Environmental organizations

School Board

Service clubs (Kiwanis, Lions)

Features, newspaper ads or letters to editor

Refuge volunteers

Conservation committees

City Council

Chamber of Commerce

Universities, technical schools

Students and teachers

Religious groups

Societies (historical, garden clubs)

Council on Aging, elder services

Sports enthusiasts (hunting, fishing)

Refuge neighbors

Other refuge partners

Look for coreleaders who have:

● A real concern for the refuge.● Some organizational skills.● A willingness to “work” andnot simply advise.● Time to commit for an indefi-nite period and energy to getthe friends group started.● Enthusiasm.● An ability to adapt to localgeographical and culturalneeds.

16

THE CORE GROUP

Where to look forcore leaders

“All journeys begin with the first step.”–Ed Bristow, Atlantic Audubon and

Friends of Forsythe NWR

What can I do to getthem involved?

● Make phone calls● Attend public meetings● Prepare refuge slide shows● Write letters to the newspaper● Write feature articles● Personal visits● Ask prominent people in com-munity for recommendations

Be careful about who you choose for board leader-ship; this start-up group can make or break the pro-cess.

~Be sure to not “just take anybody,” — be sure to

match people with needed skills.~

Don’t be too limiting in creating your image or toonarrow in your focus.

~Develop a network so that you have others to turn

to for answers and advice. The network can be otherrefuge Friends groups or other non-profit groups inyour area.

~Identify a resource person with non-profit experience

to provide advice.~

Speak with one united voice.~

Study the successes of others.~

Keep a sense of humor.~

Get out and enjoy the refuge!

The motto of theWalnut CreekRefuge Friendsgroup is “PanicForward!” That is,if you do nothave the knowl-edge, skill, abili-ties, or money youthink you need –just go out andget it.

17

THE CORE GROUP

Words of Wisdom From Other Friends Groups

“Realize it will take time, six months to a year toget things going.”

Advice from Friends atthe 1997 facilitated meeting in Virginia.

“

”

✔ Your Refuge Regional Office

✔ The National Wildlife Refuge Association

✔ US Fish and Wildlife Service Friends men-toring team

✔ Other established Friends groups (refuges,parks, libraries, hospitals, etc.)

✔ Other volunteer based organizations andother volunteer/leadership centers

✔ Local Audubon groups and other local envi-ronmental organizations

✔ Academic institutions

✔ Service Corps of Retired Executives(SCORE) which is comprised of retired busi-ness people

✔ RefugeNET(http://www.refugenet.org)

Now you’ve got two orthree people interested inbeginning the work offorming a group. What’snext? Building relation-ships.

Begin by building arelationship with therefuge staff:

– Set up a meeting withthe refuge manager

– Brainstorm ideas

– Begin networking

18

THE CORE GROUP

Resources

Now What?

The Friends ofMashpee NWR’s

motto is“Just do it!”

19

THE CORE GROUP

Core Group ChecklistIdentify one or two people willing to start the process and take on a

leadership role.

Begin a preliminary assessment of achievable goals the group canaccomplish to assist the refuge.

Communicate with refuge staff to begin relationship building pro-cess.

Make a decision as to whether a Friends group is needed or if it is theright time.

Begin putting together a Board of Directors.

Network with other Friends groups.

Begin to attract and recruit members.

Be willing to assess the group’s viability, board structure and goals.

Be willing to develop abilities, skills and knowledge through train-ing sessions.

Dev

elop

the

Rel

atio

nsh

ip© John and Karen Hollingsworth

Red-footed boobies, Kilauea Point NWR, Hawaii

One key factor in the success of aFriends group is the relationship itsmembers have with the refuge staff.

Open and regular communication is crit-ical to making these relationships work.Each group has a responsibility to under-stand each others’ mission, responsibilities,talents, capabilities and shortcomings. Thebest partnership is where the parties tapinto each other’s strengths and use themto achieve a common goal.

One thing a Friends group can do to helpbuild the relationship is to begin to under-stand how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice is structured, and therefore how themanager of your refuge gets things done.

Most refuges are headed by a RefugeManager, who also has the administrativetitle of Project Leader. He or she overseesa staff of varying size and composition,depending on the refuge size and needs.(See the chart on the following page for anexample of a “typical” refuge staff).

Your refuge manger answers to a chainof command within one of seven RegionalOffices. Some refuge decisions may need togo through a complicated chain of com-mand which may include U.S. Fish andWildlife Service directors in Washington,DC. This bureaucracy can slow down thedecision making process and can be veryfrustrating for the public. Talking withyour Refuge Manager and people withinthe Regional and Washington offices canhelp you to understand how things work.Understanding how things work within theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will helpFriends groups be better advocates in com-municating the issues to the public. It willalso help you to understand where the

Groups that are the mosteffective get to know the sys-tem and its people. They:

■Learn how to cut throughthe red tape

■Understand the system

■Learn about their localregions.

■Develop relationships withintheir regions

■ Identify who to talk to inorder to get things done.

22


Building a relationshipbetween Friends and

Refuge staff “It takes time to nurturea working relationship.Be patient!”

–Martin C. Kaehny, RefugeManager, Eastern Neck NWR

(Refuge Manager Survey,NWRA, 1997)

Keys to learningabout your refuge

Continued on page 24

23


Refuge Manager

also known as ProjectLeader

Biology Staff

Forestry Staff

Public Use

May include OutdoorRecreation Planner(ORP), Volunteer

Coordinator, PublicUse Specialist, etc.

AdministrativeTechnician

(office staff)

Refuge OperationsSpecialist

also known asAssistant Refuge

Manager

Law Enforcement

OfficerPark Rangers

Wardens

Maintenance Workers

May includesupervisors and tractor

operators

Typical Wildlife Refuge Staff *

* The diagram shows typical job categories onemight find on a refuge. Refuge's staff vary accord-ing to the needs and size of the particular site.

barriers may be in achieving the goals atyour refuge.

Another thing Friends and the refugestaff can do to build their relationship is tounderstand the expectations they hold forone another. Each group should ask the fol-lowing question: What expectations do theFriends and the staff of the refuge hold forthemselves and each other in the relation-ship? It is useful to do some consensusbuilding exercises. You will develop a listof guiding principles which clearly commu-nicate the expectations of the two groups.

This is an important exercise that youcan and should do with the refuge staff atsome point. It is important to realize thatsome tension is to be expected. It exists inevery relationship. Ask yourselves, “Whatare the undercurrents?” These are theissues that are critical to get into the openand discuss.

Some have likened the Friends/refugepartnership to a marriage, where, in orderto succeed, each party must continue to beflexible, respectful, understanding, sup-portive, positive, and open to discussionand possible change. Developing a strong,open and supportive relationship takestime and effort by both the refuge staff andthe group’s members.

■Talk about the hierarchy ofthe Fish and Wildlife Servicewith your refuge manager.

■Visit your Regional office –get a tour of all the depart-ments. Meet the people thatplay a major role in manage-ment and decision making.

Use the tools each refugeoffers:

■Annual Narrative Reports

■Comprehensive manage-ment plan or master plan,interpretive plans.

■Understand the focus ofyour local refuge and theissues that affect it.

■See the U.S. Fish andWildlife Service web page fora wealth of informationabout the FWS itself, its poli-cies, programs and objec-tives (http://www. fws.gov).

24



Tools for learningabout your refuge

“Stick with it! Let even the small refugesknow they can benefit!”

–Forrest W. Cameron, Refuge Manager, MalheurNWR (Refuge Manager Survey, NWRA, 1997)

A great resource forinformation about theRefuge System:

Refuge Reporter James Clark, editorAvocet Two, publisherMillwood, VA 22646-0156Phone/Fax [email protected]

25


“I think managers/staffneed to develop a trustrelationship with groups.The groups need to get toknow you, have little suc-cesses with projects andideas and then expand. Ittakes a significantamount of time and per-sonal attention (face toface rather than letters) tobuild this relationship.”

–Mick Erickson, Refuge Man-ager, Chase Lake NWR

(NWR Refuge ManagersSurvey, 1997)

● A true involvement ofboth parties.

● Everyone playing onthe same team.

● Mutual respect for andunderstanding of eachother’s mission.

● Open and regular com-munication betweenboth parties.

● Refuge manager andthe staff need to reallywant a friends groupand give their time tosupport the partner-ship.

A GOODPARTNERSHIP IS . . .■Remember that day-to-day management of the

refuge belongs to the refuge staff.

■Refuge staff performance evaluations are also theresponsibility of refuge staff.

■ In the same way, the refuge manager does not “man-age” the Friends group.

■Get agency support. This may include getting to knowthe right people in the regional office and the Washing-ton office.

■ Involve the FWS people, but do not be deterred if theyare not supportive. Wait out the non-supportive staff.

■Don’t do something that the refuge does not support.

■Stay in sequence with the refuge. Don’t go too fastinto a project. Note that often the refuge is slower to act.Sometimes the Friends group may need to push thingsalong. When making decisions, keep maintaining agood relationship in mind and be sure to discuss planswith the Refuge manager.

■Don’t go over the Refuge manager’s head, withouthis/her knowledge. This does not imply having to gettheir permission!

■Don’t let a personal conflict persist (e.g., Friends mem-ber versus refuge manager/staff).

■Sometimes the Friends may be in conflict with what theFWS wants to do. It is important to discuss these differ-ences with the refuge manager. It’s okay to disagree,but it will hurt the relationship to “air your dirty laundry” inpublic.

Tools for Success

26


“Be prepared to share in management decisions andhave a willingness to compromise.”

–Daniel Doshier, Refuge Manager, Crab Orchard NWR. (RefugeManager Survey, NWRA, 1997)

Now that we have entered this relationship, how do we build a partnership?

Ask for a meeting with the refuge manager. Together you will make a preliminaryidentification of the kinds of things your group can do to assist the refuge. Thisbegins the partnership building process.

How do we build the partnership?

Important topics to discuss with refugemanager:

Make a decision whether aFriends Group is needed or if itis the right time.❏ Coordinate efforts with the refuge

manager and get his or her personalsupport.

❏ The refuge manager must give theFriends personal attention and time.

❏ The refuge manager should encour-age the entire refuge staff and volun-teers to support the friends.

Discuss partnershipopportunities.❏ Exchange ideas on refuge needs and

wants.❏ Ask, “How can we help you?”❏ Suggest ideas of how you can help.

(Do your homework on what could beand needs to be done.)

❏ Review ideas how other establishedFriends Groups have helped otherrefuges.

Discuss roles❏ Define the Friends’ role - the specific

areas in which they will provide “sup-port” to that refuge.

❏ Clarify what activities the Friends doand do not want to get involved with.

❏ Clarify what the Refuge manager andstaff do and do not get involved inwith regard to the Friends group.

❏ Clarify the difference between therefuge volunteers and the Friends.They have different purposes,although memberships often overlap.

❏ Educate yourself and others aboutthe dynamics of partnerships.

Discuss rules of communication ❏ A philosophy of no surprises is a good

idea.

Describe the long-term relation-ship with a formal agreement(Memorandum of Agreement orMOA).

Note: While this step is recommendedto help clarify the relationship, it is notrequired for a Friends group to organizeand support a refuge. Indeed, theremay be reasons why a refuge managerand the Friends group do not want todevelop an MOA (e.g., when the Friendsgroup is focused mainly on legislationand does not qualify for 501 (c) (3) non-profit.)

27


A couple of years are needed to establish the full trustingand supportive relationship. Even if it starts up easily, youall need time to build the relationship.

~A change in the refuge manager will require additional

work to establish a new relationship. This may take timeand require new strategies.

~Changes in membership of the Friends group can also

impact the situation.~

Expect things to ebb and flow.~

Friends and the manager need to be patient, enthusias-tic, persevere, stress teamwork, and commit to the partner-ship.

~Develop mutual respect for each other.

~Make a distinction between operational matters versus

opinions, issues, etc.~

Remember that the process is dynamic and the relation-ship and issues will change over time.


“

”

“Very positive experience– An excellent way forthe refuge to get thepublic involved.”

–Louis S. Hinds III,Refuge Manager,

J.N. Ding Darling NWR (Refuge Managers Survey,

NWRA, 1997)

“It’s a very rewardingand worthwhile experi-ence and the benefitsoutweigh the staff timeneeded to support theirefforts.”

–Burkett S. Neely, Jr.,Refuge Manager, Arthur R.

Marshall Loxahatchee NWR(Refuge Manager Survey,

NWRA, 1997)

What follows is the list of expectations for the relationship between FWS andFriends groups developed at the culmination of the 1997 meeting in Virginia. Itwas signed by everyone present as a statement of principles:

We commit to abide by the following expectations that we hold for one anotherin the Friends-FWS relationship.

Expectations that the Friends hold for themselves in the relationship:

● That we will consistently and regularly communicate honestly and strongly.● That we will work to protect the natural resource.● That we will respect the concerns that the USFWS has regarding the relationship,

i.e., that we will have reasonable expectations of them and what they can do.● That we will be committed to the refuge mission, which means that we must know

what the mission is and so we will educate ourselves.● That we will be fully committed to keeping up our end of the partnership.● That we will not undercut agency and refuge management, that the “dirty linens”

will not be aired in public.● That we will buy into a shared vision, that means a vision that both sides work to

create.● That we will help the Service personnel to be and feel productive.

Expectations that the Friends hold for the FWS relationship:

● “That they will put their money where their mouths are.” You talk the talk, can youwalk the walk? Commit to training, to mentoring and to providing the resources thatare needed. That the FWS will commit to doing what needs to be done to help makethe Friends group effort succeed: it is not just the money.

● That they are making a long-term commitment to this effort, that the non-profitorganizations are here to stay. That the commitment is consistent among refugemanagers (both serially over time and at each refuge and across all refuges) andthroughout the USFWS.

● That they will have a true sense of partnership, wherein there will be a “no surpris-es” philosophy and a full sharing of information in both directions.

● That the Friends efforts will have the support of the whole USFWS, and especiallyincluding the managers. The managers are critical but it needs to permeate thewhole agency.

● That they will trust and respect us.● That they will work to protect the natural resource.

28


Guiding principles for theFriends/U.S. Fish and Wildlife relationship


29


Expectations that the FWS hold for themselves in the relationship:

● View the Friends groups as a long-term, personal friendship. This implies dealingwith them honestly, trusting and respecting them, appreciating them, being patientwith them, not being negative about them, and using the full set of talents.

● We will work to sell it to our peers and to the troops. We will work to infuse supportfor Friends throughout the agency.

● Providing consistent follow-through and active support of Friends groups from theWashington office, the regional offices, and the field.

● We understand what it takes to have a Friends group and then make the commit-ment.

● That we will help you help us. We will teach you about the government systems tomake your job easier. We will give you the information that you need to do your joband to give you the information before you read it in the media.

● That we will help the Friends to be and feel productive.

Expectations that the FWS hold for the Friends in the relationship:

● To protect the resource.● To be independent advocates. That they will learn how to influence governmental

systems. That they will be advocates for the good of the system at the local andnational level. That they might help to raise funds to benefit the refuges.

● That they will respect and trust the Service employees.● That they will understand and respect the operational pressures and boundaries that

affect the Service (Give the Service the room they need to make management deci-sions.)

● To provide a positive community influence. Be our doorway to the public.● To assist in accomplishing refuge projects. The Service’s resources are limited and

sometimes we need you to help us to finish a project.


31


Relationship Building ChecklistMeet with the refuge staff to clarify the roles of the Friends group

and the Refuge in the relationship.

Gain the personal support of the Refuge manager.

Learn all you can about the Refuge. Do your homework.

Ask Refuge staff, “How can we help you?” Bring some ideas of your own.

Establish clear rules of open and regular communication. No sur-prises.

Give the relationship time to grow.

Mis

sion a

nd V

isio

n


Saguaro cactus, Kofa NWR, Arizona

Establishing your organizationrequires that you think throughwhat the purpose of your groupwill be: What is its mission andhow will you translate that mis-sion into action? Your missionstatement will define your group.Once you have a mission, you’lldevelop a list of goals and objec-tives to help you achieve yourmission.

The mission statement sayswho you are. It gives your groupits identity. It is a single consis-tent statement that communi-cates to the public and memberswhat your group represents –why it exists, what greater goalsit hopes to accomplish. It alsoguides decision making, sinceeach project your group works onshould help to achieve its mis-sion.

Understanding what you cando to help the refuge will helpyour group decide on a missionand a vision. Spend plenty of timetalking with the refuge managerand staff to decide on a generalrole for your group. Once your

34

MISSION & VISION

Mission, goals and objectivesgroup has decided what it can dofor the refuge, you will be readyto develop the group’s missionand vision.

Often it takes time, perhapsmany meetings to develop yourmission statement. Don’t gethung up on the language or exactwording. Good leadership canprevent this from happening.There is no one format yourstatement must take. Your goal isto come up with consensus fromthe group for a statement thatbest describes your purpose.

The process of forming a mis-sion statement is almost asimportant as having one.Through this process, your groupwill form a commitment to theorganization. Your group gets achance to openly express and dis-cuss their visions and concernsfor the future of the organization.

For the public good, preserveand enhance the integrity of theNational Wildlife Refuge Systemas the nation’s most importantnetwork of diverse and strategi-cally located habitats set asideprimarily for the benefit of fish,wildlife, and plants.

National Wildlife RefugeAssociation

Instill reverence, respect andsense of value for our wild crea-tures and habitats. -Facilitateeducation of others in the waysof the wilds. - Interpret the sen-sations of nature ... so otherscan marvel in her magnificencewhile learning to respect herfragility. Ours is a mission ofservice most humble yet of thehighest order.

Tensas River RefugeAssociation, Winnsboro, LA,Tensas River NWR

The Ding Darling Wildlife Soci-ety will promote a better under-standing and appreciation of thenatural environment of south-west Florida, and, in particular,the J.N. Ding Darling NWR.

Ding Darling Wildlife Society,Sanibel, FL,J.N. Ding Darling NWR

sample mission statements


A MissionStatement Is . . .● Based on an

understanding ofthe mission of thelocal refuge.

● Based on anunderstanding ofthe purpose andmission of RefugeSystem (and theFWS).

● A shared visiondefined together,with citizens andrefuge manager.

● Designed around alist of goals identi-fying several thatcan be accom-plished first.

● Simply stated,clear and able toinspire people toaction.

35

MISSION & VISION

A group’s mission is dynamic,not static. Friends groups aredynamic organizations. While itis important to develop a missionand vision that works well today,the needs of the group and /or therefuge may change. As you devel-op, your group may find it wantsto accomplish things that werenot part of the original vision.Remember, the mission is not setin stone. It can and should berevisited and revised as needed.Try not to get “bogged down” inphilosophical discussions thattake energy away from thegroup. At some point, everyoneneeds to agree on the group’s mis-sion and move on. The missioncan be revisited at some point tomake sure it works for the group.


To add to the Refuge all wet-lands remaining on the Bay, toprotect each from degradationuntil it can be acquired, and tolobby for funds for purchase.

Citizens to Complete theRefuge, Palo Alto, CADon Edwards San FranciscoBay NWR, San Francisco BayNWR Complex

To support environmental edu-cational, recreational activitiesand programs; to increase pub-lic understanding of the historyand environment of BombayHook and Prime Hook Refuges,the Allee House, and the U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service.

Friends Of Bombay Hook,Smyrna, DE, Bombay Hook &Prime Hook Refuges

Promote better understandingand appreciation of the naturalhistory and natural environmentof the Upper Peninsula of Michi-gan, and in particular, the SeneyNWR.

Seney Natural HistoryAssociation, Seney, MI, SeneyNWR


■Pull together a meeting of Friends andRefuge staff to brainstorm about the visionand mission.

■Consider all ideas during the “visioning”and brainstorming.

■Be realistic, but be visionary.

■Have the refuge manager conduct a tourand introduction session to the specificrefuge and the FWS.

■ Identify someone in the community withtraining in vision writing to facilitate a meet-ing.

■Get copies of other Friends groups’ missionstatements.

■Understand that your mission may changeover time, be prepared to rework it as need-ed.

■Don’t be overly concerned whether youcall your document a mission statement, avision or a purpose.

36

MISSION & VISION

Tools to help your groupbuild a mission


The purpose of the MerrittIsland Wildlife Assoc. is to pro-mote conservation, awareness,and appreciation of the MerrittIsland NWR and to provideassistance to Refuge programs.

Merritt Island WildlifeAssociation, Titusville, FL,Merritt Island NWR

The Friends of Seal BeachNWR are committed to commu-nity stewardship of the SealBeach NWR through preserva-tion, restoration, and education.

Friends of Seal Beach NWR,Seal Beach, CA,Seal Beach NWR

The purchase and protection ofsalt marsh esturine systems andtheir adjacent upland areas andwatersheds from Kittery to CapeElizabeth, ME.

Friends of Rachel Carson NWR,Wells, ME,Rachel Carson NWR

The mission statement – a short statement of agroup’s purpose – doesn’t tell the whole story aboutwhat your group is doing. How is your group going toaccomplish its mission?

Once your group creates its mission, you’ll want totranslate it into action. This is done by setting goals andobjectives. These will define how you will go aboutdoing your organization’s business. Your group will useits mission, goals and objectives in many ways – fornonprofit filing, membership development, programdecisions and fundraising. Be realistic, but be visionary.Plan to revisit your goals and objectives annually.

Goals are general statements about what you wantto accomplish and objectives are specific statementsabout how you plan to do it. Goals are also calledstrategies or strategic initiatives. Examples of goalstatements might be: “to educate the public about therefuge”; or “to raise money for the refuge”; or “toincrease membership”; or “to increase public outreachin various media.”

Objectives are specific, measurable, verifiable activ-ities your group will do to carry out your strategy. Toeducate the public, you might decide to build a newdisplay in the refuge’s visitor center, organize naturewalks to teach people about wildlife and the refuge’srole in preserving it, or go into the schools with a spe-cific curriculum.

To raise money, your group might sponsor annualfestivals, road races or other events and seek a specificsum of money to be raised.

Outreach may include publishing ten articles in thelocal newspaper, and may require getting acquaintedwith the editorial staffs of all local publications; thegroup might also decide to publish a brochure.

■ Goals:Conserve the integrity of theMinnesota Valley NationalWildlife Refuge.

Provide education to residentsof communities adjacent to theValley towards wildlife conser-vation goals.

Provide wildlife conservationand environmental education togovernmental agencies con-cerned with the Valley.

Work to complete land acquisi-tion in the Minnesota ValleyNational Wildlife Refuge.

Provide advocacy for theRefuge as needed.

Committees were formed to meet thesegoals. They developed objectives and aplan of action. A sampling from the out-reach committee plan follows:

■ Objective:Expand membership to 300 byDecember, 1995

Action Items:● Contact members who do notrenew their memberships.● Increase number and varietyof Friends member events to atleast four per year.

■ Objective:Begin a program of outreach tocommunity groups.

Action items:● Develop a Friends presenta-tion and present to the Board forinput in February, 1995.● Conduct 6 presentations tocity councils, committees, andlocal business leaders byDecember, 1995.

*see appendix for entire strategic plan

37

MISSION & VISION

Goals vs. Objectives Excerpt from Friends ofMinnesota Valley NWR’sstrategic plan, 1994-1995*

39

MISSION & VISION

Mission and Vision ChecklistYou may consider getting a facilitator to help with the mission state-ment and goal setting process.

Both Friends and Refuge staff are involved in creating a missionthat is clear and simply stated and will inspire people to action.

Be bold in your vision, but be realistic too.

The mission is be based on an understanding of the Refuge mission.

The mission serves as a focus for the group and will help to identifywhich projects to undertake.

Be willing to periodically re-evaluate your mission, goals and objec-tives.

Translate the mission into action by setting goals and objectives tocarry it out.

Buildin

g th

e Org

aniz

atio

n© John and Karen Hollingsworth

Snow geese, DeSoto NWR, Iowa

Steps to formalizeyour organization

Now you have a core leadership and a mission state-ment. Maybe you also have a few projects that yourgroup has agreed to do with the refuge. What’s next?How do you move from being a group of dedicated vol-unteers to being an organization with membership,money and recognition?

There are a number of steps, and a few legal hoops,your group must go through to formally establish yourorganization. Some of the questions you may want toconsider include:

•Do you want a voting membership or just contrib-utors?

•Do you want to raise funds, and for what?•What type of activities will your group be

involved in?•Do you want to be a non-profit organization that

can receive tax-deductible contributions, andwhat are the options?

•How many board members do you need and whatskills should they bring to the group?

•What do you expect from the board members?•Do you need formal committees?

Some answers to these questions will come natural-ly from your mission and goals statement, others will bemore difficult to answer.

No two Friends groups are exactly alike – some aremore formal than others, some focus on outreach, oth-ers focus on projects or fundraising. Some have votingmembers and others have only contributors.

Friends groups report being involved in a wide vari-ety of activities.* (See chart opposite)

❑ Determine the purposeof the organization

❑ Form a board of direc-tors

❑ Draft bylaws ❑ File articles of incorpo-

ration❑ File for an Internal

Revenue Service deter-mination of federal taxexempt status

❑ Meet the requirementsof state, county, andmunicipal charitablesolicitation laws

42


Building the organization

“People who get involved with public causes open themselves to frustration and dis-appointment, but – through it all and after it all – those moments of makingchange happen for the better are among our lasting joys. There’s something won-derfully rewarding in being part of an effort that makes a difference and there’ssomething rewarding too, in being among other people when they’re at their best.”

Brian O’Connell,The Board Member’s Book

43


100%90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%0%

Other

Refuge Planning

Research

National Issues

State Legislation

Federal Legislation

Sounding Board

Advocacy

Educate Public Officials

Local Issues

Community Relations

Conservation

Fundraising

Publicity

Sales

Volunteer

Interpretation/Education

Special Events

Friends Group Activities

* National Wildlife Refuge Association Friends Survey, 1997.

Making decisions about what your organization willlook like and how it will function takes time – maybe asmuch as six months to a year. While the process mayfeel terribly slow, these are important decisions thatwill dictate how your organization will function foryears to come. There really is no reason to rush.

It’s also important to move forward and not allowyourself to get bogged down with difficult issues. Somedisagreement is inevitable, and sometimes it may bebest to “agree to disagree” and move on. You can alwaysagree to change things later if some part of your orga-nization isn’t working the way you want it to. In fact,it is important as a group to regularly (annually)review your mission statement, goals and accomplish-ments to be sure you are on track. Any needed changescan be made at that time.

1. Friends of Back Bay decided toform a 501 (c) (4) organization. Theirmission is focused on land acquisition:lobbying is a main activity, thus theyhave no formal agreement with the Fishand Wildlife Service, but excellent peo-ple-to-people communications.

2. Friends of Minnesota Valley is a501 (c) (3) organization. Their missionis to conserve and protect the naturaland cultural resources of the MinnesotaRiver Valley. Their activities are a mixof supporting the refuge, establishmentand development, education of thepublic, fund raising to support theseactivities, all the while helping to “edu-cate” congressional leaders about theValley’s resources and needs. Theyhave formal agreements with the Fishand Wildlife Service on a project specif-ic basis.

3. Seney Natural History Associationhas 501 (c) (3) status. Operating asales outlet is their main activity. Theyhave a cooperating association salesagreement with the Fish and WildlifeService. They successfully operate a$80,000+ sales facility. Proceeds godirectly into support of refuge educa-tional and interpretive activities.

44


Three different kinds ofFriends Groups

■Develop an annual and long term strategic plan

■Develop a budget and resource development plan

■Establish Committees

■Establish a record keeping system for the organization’sofficial records

■Establish an accounting system

■Choose a logo, use it on your stationery

■Develop a brochure

■Print some stationery

■Create a Public Relations plan

Tools to build the organization

Members of the Board of Directors of a Friends groupwill be the key people who develop policy and makedecisions about how the organization’s mission will betranslated into action. An effective Board of Directors iscritical to the success of the organization. The coregroup will need to reach out to the community to buildthe board. What follows are some tips on how to puttogether an effective board.

Consider people’s strengths and use thosestrengths on your board.

As you build your board, consider the skills neededto make the organization work. For example, a lawyerand/or tax accountant to help with the non-profit fil-ing, a banker to help with financial aspects, etc. The ini-tial board will be composed of both “worker bees” andleaders. In time, you will have members who will paydues and volunteer on the refuge.

Look for people willing to:Commit time and energy to the organization.

Put the interests of the organization first.

Prepare for and attend meetings.

Ask questions, listen and think creatively.

Take responsibility, follow through on assignments.

Contribute personal and financial resources in a gen-erous way according to circumstances.

Open doors in the community.

Evaluate themselves.

Work well with people individually and in a group.

Cultivate and solicit funds.

Cultivate and recruit board members and volunteers.

Read and understand financial statements.

Learn more about the organization.

Be honest, sensitive to and tolerate differing views.

Have a friendly, responsive, and patient approach.

Possess community-building and leadership skills.

Organizing tools:■Do not make the board toolarge or too small. A size of 9 to15 or fewer is preferable.

■Match skills with needs.

■Prepare a written job descrip-tion for individual board mem-bers.

■Ask each board member toserve on at least one boardcommittee. For new members,one committee assignment isenough.

45


The Board “When I look at whatmakes a board tick, it’soften the ability to worktogether that counts,and this depends onqualities that lendthemselves to teamwork.”

Brian O’Connell,The Board Member’s Book

Friends of Mashpee on Cape Cod in Massachusettswas formed to acquire lands to create the refuge. Theirmessage to the public is: “The Refuge is Good for You.”

A non-hierarchical board was gathered from a list ofpeople who served on various organizations in the com-munity to bring the organization leverage:

Responsibilities of theBoard of Directors:

● Clarify the institution’smission

● Approve long range plans● Oversee the educational

programs● Insure financial solvency● Preserve institutional

independence● Enhance the group’s public

image● Interpret the organization to

the community● Serve as a court of appeal● Assess board performance

– Brian O’Connell, The Board Member’s Book

46


Each spoke represents a needed skill, which helpedthe group identify people they wanted on the board.Each board member holds an identified responsibilityand sometimes heads a volunteer committee to accom-plish the job. On one hand, they sought people whocould help them accomplish their goals. On the other,they also brought in people who showed lots of interest.For example, one fellow kept showing up at boardmeetings. “Who is this guy?” the core members asked.They found out he had lots to offer and lots of connec-tions with important players in the community.

Mashpee’s senior coordinator David Palmer says hekeeps a broom by his desk to remind him what his jobis: “. . . to sweep the stuff out of the other board mem-bers paths – to help them accomplish their jobs.”

VolunteerRecruitment

Trails,Refuge Management

General Counsel(Legal)

ConservationCommission

TreasurerLand Acquisition

PublicRelations

Fundraising

EducationCommittee

AdministrativeSupport

AssociateCoordinator,

Advocacy, Grants

Here is an example of how one Friends groupformed its Board of Directors:

SeniorCoordinator

The goal of your group is to get something done. You’llwant to translate your mission into tangible action. Onegood way to do this is to set up a number of commit-tees, each with a specific focus.

The job of committee members is to carry out theobjectives set forth by the Board of Directors. Becausecommittees are small (made up of one or more people)and focused (generally one project or issue), they canget a lot of work done that can’t be done at the largerBoard meetings. It is through your committees thatthe “real” work of your organization will be accom-plished.

To encourage smooth functioning committees, wesuggest that you:

● Keep it simple and the numbers small. Consider usingad hoc committees when practical, disbanding themwhen their objectives are completed.

● Prepare written statements of committee responsi-bilities, guidelines and goals. Plan on reviewingthese statements every one to two years for the longstanding committees.

● Make committee work assignments according to thebackground, expertise, and schedule of each mem-ber.

● Distribute tasks among members so that everyoneparticipates but no one is overloaded.

● Create a system of checks and balances to monitorcommittee members’ work and assure that tasks arecompleted on schedule.

● Assign an appropriate board member to work witheach committee.

As a board grows in size, hereare some of the committees thegroup might form in addition tothe Executive Committee, theboard officers and the commit-tee chair:

■ Nominating CommitteeTo identify and recruit newboard members.

■ Budget CommitteePeople with financial experienceto take care of the financialmanagement of the group.

■ Fundraising CommitteeTo take on the fund-raising role.

■ Strategic PlanningCarries out the task of realisticplanning, reviewing the group’smission regularly. One goodstrategy for planning is to hold afacilitated annual planningretreat to develop the agendafor the coming year.

■ Membership CommitteeSeeks new members. Setsdues. Prepares and updates amembership brochure or flyer.

Friends report having othercommittees for:

specific annual events and func-tions; outreach; education; landacquisition; newsletter; boarddevelopment and evaluation;refuge conservation;etc.

47


Committees

The Stages of Board Development:

All Friends groups are dynamic organizations. Understanding what type ofgroup you want to be and deciding how to get there will help your groupsucceed in the long run. You must expect your group to change as it growsand matures. The following observations note three stages of progressionin the life of nonprofit boards as described in Karl Mathiasen's book, BoardPassages: Three Key Stages in a Nonprofit Board's Life Cycle.

1. An Organizing Board of Volunteers – a small, homogenous group of com-mitted volunteers who form a board to work on a mutually agreed pro-ject. This board tends to be rather informal in its operational style.

2. A Volunteer Governing Board – as the organization grows, the board’sfocus ultimately shifts away from performing the day-to-day operationaltasks. This board is more diversified and concentrates much of its workin committees and task forces; less work is done by the board acting as acommittee of the whole. This board takes a larger role in planning and exe-cuting the organization’s work, overseeing its finances and accounting forthe organization’s integrity.

3. Institutional or Fund Raising Board – this board tends to be very largeand includes more people who have the capacity to give or have access tofunders. This board becomes more prestigious and accepts the role offundraising. Governance of the organization is delegated to an executiveor management committee.

Many Refuge Friends groups are in the first or second stage. Many groupsnever reach the third stage, preferring to stay in the smaller, less formal-ized volunteer board stage. What’s important is to understand where yourgroup is, where you want to be, and to regularly evaluate your progress.Revaluation is the key to a group’s successful growth, and how it weatherschange.

48


49


Note: The following is intended to pro-vide general guidance and information. It isnot intended to be used as legal adviceregarding the tax consequences of action byyour group. If possible, seek the advice of aqualified attorney during this process.

State rules varyEach state has its own rules for incorpo-

ration and nonprofits. It’s critical that yourgroup understands and follows these rules.Consult with your state Department ofRevenue or your state Attorney General’soffice.

IncorporationAfter your group has formulated the mis-

sion and bylaws and completed the boarddevelopment, it should then considerwhether or not to incorporate. Incorpora-tion allows the normal debts of an organi-zation to be confined to the organizationand generally does not put the personalassets of an individual at risk. While incor-poration provides some protection, theboard of directors is still liable for the con-duct and management of the organizationunder state and federal law. Whether or notto incorporate may also be dictated by

Individuals Corporation

Liability ............ Joint LimitedGoverned by.... Individuals Board, bylaws

and officers

Tax exemption. Not possible Possible

Non-tax-exempt Tax exempt

Income............. Taxed Not taxedDonations ........ Not deductible May be

deductibleActivities .......... Not limited by tax law Limited by tax

law

Bulk mail.......... Commercial rate Charitable rate

501(c)(4) 501(c)(3)

Lobbying.......... Not limited Limited

Electioneering.. Not allowed Not allowed

Income............. Not taxed Not taxed

Donations ........ Not deductible Deductible

Private Operating PubliclyFoundation Supported

Support............ From fewer donors From moredonors

Donations ........ Less deductible Moredeductible

Source: Starting Up: A Handbook for New River and Water-shed Organizations

Use this “map” of tax status options. Follow it to help youdetermine what tax status your group will file.

The legal stuff


your state’s laws governing nonprofit orga-nizations. Making the decision to incorpo-rate will likely be made at the same timeyou are making the decision whether or notto file for nonprofit status.

To be or not to be a nonprofitorganization?

Filing for nonprofit status is not that dif-ficult, however having a lawyer will helpyou understand the legal jargon and getthrough the language of the forms. MostFriends groups choose to do it. Whetheror not to file is an extremely important deci-sion your group must make.

Under IRS codes, there are many differ-ent categories for non-profit groups. MostFriends groups choose to file under 501 (c)(3) — the charitable organizations sectionof the IRS code.

The benefits of a 501 (c) (3) is that it legal-ly exempts your group from paying taxes onits income, and allows a tax deduction tocontributors. Some funding agencies,including the federal government andmany foundations and corporations willmake donations and grants only to organi-zations with 501 (c) (3) status. Groups thatwant to operate a sales outlet on a refugemust also gain non-profit status. If theoption is available, your group can operateunder the umbrella of another group thathas 501 (c) (3) status.

The drawback of 501 (c) (3) is it legallylimits some actions. A 501 (c) (3) statusallows very little lobbying. If you do anylobbying at all under 501 (c) (3) status, youmust track it carefully. The general rule isthat up to 5% of your group’s activity maybe spent on lobbying. Between 6-19% is agray area. Anything more than 20% couldjeopardize your group’s 501 (c) (3) status.The broad definition of lobbying is: “anyattempt to influence any legislationthrough an attempt to affect the opinions ofthe general public or any segment there-of,” (known as “grass roots” lobbying) or“any attempt to influence any legislationthrough communication with any member

Filing for non-profitstatusPros of 501 (c) (3) . .

● Able to receive private tax-deductible gifts and donations

● Nonprofit status gives group credi-bility

● Able to receive funds from the gov-ernment including the FWS and otherorganizations *

● Some private foundations only fund501(c)(3) organizations

Cons of 501 (c) (3) . . .

● Accountable to follow state lawsmanaging the organization

● Ability to lobby is severely restricted

● Cannot campaign for or fund politi-cal candidates

● Annual paperwork involves timeand commitment

*In 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice will distribute more than$100,000 in grants for Friends, andyou must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit tobe eligible.

50




51


or employee of a legislative body, or withany governmental official or employee whomay participate in the formulation of thelegislation.”

In addition, under the 501 (c) (3) statusyour group may not fund or endorse a can-didate for election.

However, you can meet with your legis-lators to educate or inform them aboutrefuge issues without it being consideredlobbying. Educating legislators wouldinclude, writing/visiting/calling to providethem with information about the refuge,and refuge programs; their benefit to thecommunity; who you are; and what yourgroup is trying to do. These activities can beconsidered relationship building, not lob-bying.

If your group is founded specifically tolobby, it can file under 501 (c) (4) - the socialwelfare section of the IRS code. Lobbyingis allowed under 501 (c) (4) status, but isstill restricted. This status makes the orga-nization tax exempt, but does not allow taxdeductions to contributors. You can lobby,for example, to influence your legislator’svote on specific bills and on such matters asrefuge funding, policies on land acquisition,or resources that effect either your localrefuge or the National Wildlife Refuge Sys-tem in general.Getting through the Paperwork

The primary purpose of a non-profit is tobe a charitable organization. If you’vedecided nonprofit is the way to go with yourgroup, you must file for tax-exempt status.Call the IRS and send for the forms. Then,our best advice to you is to get a lawyer toguide you through the process.

The most important way your group canprepare to file is to have a clear idea of yourgroup’s purpose with a mission statement.From that mission comes the group’s oper-ating document, goals and objectives.

This information is needed when fillingout the forms. If your goal is 501 (c) (3) non-profit status, the primary purpose of yourgroup cannot be lobbying or your applica-tion will be denied.

■ Finding a lawyerCall the State Bar Association

Speak with other nonprofits(who do they use?)

Ask members of your group

Contact your local nonprofitmanagement institute or theNational Center for NonprofitBoards for leads

Ask your FWS regional officelegal department for leads

■ Getting the formsFederal:

Call the IRS at 1-800-829-3676and ask for the following forms:

Publication 557 – “Tax ExemptStatus for Your Organization”information booklet

Form 1023 – to file 501 (c) (3)status

Form 1024 – to file 501 (c) (4)status

Form 8178 – “User Fee forExempt Organization Determi-nation Letter Request”

Form SS-4 – “Application forEmployer Identification Number”

Form 872-C – “Consent FixingPeriod of Limitation UponAssessment of Tax Under Sec-tion 4940 of the Internal Rev-enue Code”

State:

Contact your state’s Corpora-tions Division, Secretary ofState’s Office, to find out whatyour state’s laws are.


Many refuge Friends groups also have a cooper-ating agreement with the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService that allows them to sell items of educa-tional or interpretive value like books and posterson the refuge. The Cooperating Association Agree-ment is a legal document between the Friendsgroup and the FWS that defines the responsibili-ties of the Friends group and the FWS in the salesoutlet partnership. Only groups who file for non-profit status with the IRS will be allowed to set upa sales outlet on a refuge.

The major benefit to having a cooperating agree-ment is that having a sales outlet provides a steadysource of income. The Friends can then use theprofits for projects that will benefit the refuge.

Having a sales outlet also requires your groupto manage a business, which includes careful book-keeping, keeping goods in stock, and training andmanaging staff and or volunteers to run it.

✔ Talk to other CooperatingAssociations to discuss prod-ucts, accounting, management,etc.

✔ Some Cooperating Associa-tions provide loans for start-up.

✔ Loans may be available fromthe National Fish and WildlifeFoundation, Call: (202) 857-0166 for information.

52


To be or not to bea Cooperating Association

CooperatingAssociationResources

53


What you need to start aCooperating Association

Business manager (volunteer or hired) or Book-store Committee

Volunteers

Start-up money to purchase initial stock

Cooperative agreement with Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice

501(c)(3) Non-profit status

Sales space

Important noteThe FWS has written guide-lines for Cooperating Associa-tions. Standard agreementsare also available.

To learn more, contact:Tina DobrinskyU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Division of Refuges4401 N. Fairfax Drive,Room 670Arlington, VA 22203Phone: (703) 358-1744

● Steady source of income –these funds will enable yourgroup to provide manyresources to the refuge that mayotherwise not be possible.

● Builds visibility through salesof refuge and Friends specificitems.

● Builds membership and volun-teers through a visible presenceon the refuge.

● Lack of space at a visitor cen-ter, kiosk or other structure forsales space.

● Doesn’t fit with your group’smission or objectives.

● Your group doesn’t meet non-profit status requirement.

● Competes with current volun-teer time, resources or both.

● Your group is not ready totake on the management of abusiness.

Reasons to becomea CooperatingAssociation . . .

. . . or not

55


Board Membership ChecklistDecide first what skills you need, and then seek out people who

have them.

Prepare written job descriptions for board members.

Ask each board member to serve on at least one committee.

Each member must understand the responsibilities of the board ofdirectors.

Understand what stage your board is in, and be willing to regular-ly evaluate your progress. Be willing to grow and change.

Put together a Board Manual with all pertinent information aboutthe group. Update it regularly (see appendix).

Decide which committees your group will have, and how they willconduct their business.

57


Organization ChecklistWhat is your group’s focus and what types of activities will you

engage in? This will determine the structure of the organization.

Formalize your organization with a board of directors, committees,bylaws, and articles of incorporation.

Decide whether to file for 501 (c) (3), or 501 (c) (4) tax-exempt sta-tus.

Decide if it is appropriate for your group to become a CooperatingAssociation with a sales outlet on the Refuge.

Begin the planning process. Start with an annual plan. Later thinkabout a long-term strategic plan and public relations plan.

Establish a bookkeeping system.

Create a logo and a brochure.

Print letterhead.

Establish a record keeping system.

Pla

nnin

g© John and Karen Hollingsworth

Karner Blue butterfly, Necedah NWR, Wisconsin

As you begin, your group will likely start with a short-term action plan – focus on a few small achievablegoals. This will allow growth, development of ideas, andgive those ideas some time to evolve. While you’ll havevisions of accomplishing great things, you’ll have tomake hard decisions about where to focus your ener-gies. This is where planning comes in.

Planning is a process which is too important to beleft to chance. Most successful groups spend time wise-ly in their planning. If you can afford to, it will helpyour group immeasurably to hire a consultant to facil-itate this process.

● Develop short-term and long-term goals. Balance boththinking big and being realis-tic

● Take on projects that forcethe group to stretch them-selves to be successful

● Decide what type of activitiesto pursue. Should it be edu-cation, visitors’ facilities, habi-tat protection, or somethingelse?

● Look for new ways to do oldbusiness. Be creative.

● Become aware of obstacles.Develop plans to overcomethem.

● Early on, focus on the naturalresource, not on the politics.

● Ask why. Ask why not...

60

PLANNING

On planning

“ Involve the full board in deciding attainablegoals and the best methods for achieving them.The basic rule is to involve the group in identi-fying attainable goals and agreeing to stick tothem tenaciously.”

– Brian O’Connell,The Board Member’s Book

Plan to succeed

In planning it is useful to think aboutpotential products you will end up with.The following list was adapted from ANonprofit Organization Operating Man-ual by Arnold J. and Philip R. Olenick.)

■ Mission statement – who and whatyou are.

■ Vision statement – what “business”you are in, what you plan to do, andwhat kind of organization you will needto do it.

■ Strategic plan – what you willaccomplish in 3-5 years.

■ Annual plan – what you will accom-plish this year.

■ Human Resource plan – how youwill organize your volunteers.

■ Logistics – What you need, whereand when and what resources to carryout plans.

■ Funds and other donatedresources – What you need to pay forhuman resources, and to pay for logisti-cal needs.

■ Sources and types of funding –fees, grants, endowments, in-kind con-tributions, borrowing, etc.

■ Work plans – projects and othertasks planned for the coming year withtimelines.

■ Organizational issues – board,staff, and volunteer roles and relation-ships beyond provisions of the bylaws.

■ Marketing and public relations –getting your message across to the pub-lic, funding sources, writing grants,fundraising, marketing and public rela-tions.

❑ Do a needs assessment Brainstorm ideas.

❑ Establish priorities and orderthem

❑ Define roles and responsibili-ties of group members

❑ Do a reality checkWhat is possible to accom-plish given your resources? Set goals that are achievablegiven your resources.

❑ Develop programs and goalsin line with your mission andwith the missions of the refugeand refuge system.

61

PLANNING

Set short-term andlong-term goals, and deadlines

In your first year, you are going to want to say that you’veaccomplished something. What will that something be? Inthe beginning, it may be possible to only accomplish three tofive new things each year.

Methods to identify planning tactics orobjectives:

■ List actions needed to achieve the goal; staff, con-cept plan, maps, funds, media.■ Match people with the tasks, define roles and responsi-bilities.■ Do a needs assessment.■ Establish priorities.■ Do a reality check.■ Plan your five W’s for implementation, ask: who, what,when, where, and why.

Tips for achieving agreement, concurrence orbuy-in for your plans:

■ Meet with membership, management, and staff.■ Write a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)between Friends and Refuge.■ Build support with facts and attention to details.■ Be prepared to defend and to sell your plan. ■ Think through who the opposition is and what theymay say. Know your supporters and opponents.

Definine responsibilities to achieve each task –match people with tasks.

■ Ask for volunteers.■ Determine whether paid employees would be best forcertain duties.■ Use other groups. Engage other organizations.■ Again make use of the five W’s.

Establish deadlines and procedures forfollow-up.

■ Make deadlines realistic and be flexible to accommo-date constraints and unforeseen circumstances.■ Check in on progress often.■ If no deadlines are set, then it never gets done.

Document what you did. ■ Keep a written history or chronicle of each project tolearn from what was done.

Revisit your plan every year.■ Planning is a process, not an event.■ Schedule a time to do planning (at least every year).

Evaluate the outcomes of the project andconsider what went well and ways to improve.

62

PLANNING

Tools for Planning

63

PLANNING

Dare to dream big dreams.~

Plan for small successes and celebrate them.~

Don’t expect immediate results.~

Respect each volunteer’s time.~

Look for big successes over time.~

It is not easy. There will be ups and downs and youmay have short-term failures. DO NOT GIVE UP!

~Always say “Please” and “Thank you.”

The devil is in the details.~

Remember that it is 5% inspiration and 95% perspi-ration.

~Don’t sweat the small stuff.

~Get out and enjoy the refuge!

“

”


65

PLANNING

Planning ChecklistPlanning is too important to leave to chance. If possible, get a facil-

itator to help you with this process.

Involve the entire board in planning to achieve buy-in.

Brainstorm ideas for both short term and long term goals. Orderthese and establish priorities.

Don’t try to do it all at once. Begin by accomplishing what you canin the short term, while thinking ahead to the future.

Keep your mission in mind in all stages of planning.

Revisit your plans regularly. Be willing to adapt or change them.

Establish responsibilities to achieve each task, with deadlines andprocedures for follow-up on all projects.

Remember, your focus is the resource.

Analyze, document what you did to help with future planning.

Mem

ber

ship


Migrating shorebirds, Grays Harbor NWR, Washington

68

MEMBERSHIP

Once you have your missionstatement and begin working onyour activities, you’ll want tobegin building your general mem-bership. Here are some sugges-tions for doing this.

Seek diversity in your member-ship. Diversity creates newopportunities and a rich mix oftalents and skills and interestsfor your group. Consider who youhave not invited to join you. Agreat place to start is with theusers of the refuge.

People volunteer because theycare. It is as simple as that.Recent surveys show that 51 per-cent of Americans volunteer anaverage of at least five hours aweek. The Friends Group Surveyshows the average Friends boardmember give about four hours oftheir time each month.

■Develop a computerizedmembership data base. Makesure it is a flexible program.■Find a computer expert tohelp you. Make sure everyonecan use the program.■Develop a list and activelyrecruit members.■In the beginning, eachboard member could be

“You never know when you’re going to need a friend, so we havelots of them.”

– David Palmer, Friends of Mashpee

Building membershipSuggestions for keeping members

Follow-up – Analyze who your membersare and include this information in thedatabase. Do selective mailings to target sec-tors of members that have particular inter-ests.

Benefits – Offer additional benefits tomembers who contribute more money (e.g.,discounts at the bookstore and life membersreceive a guided tour of the refuge as recog-nition).

Personalized welcome – Welcome newmembers with a personal letter. Also use apersonal letter as a reminder to renew. Wel-come new members in the newsletters or witha picnic, etc.

Privileges and benefits – Provide spe-cial privileges and benefits for members. Letthem be the first to tour new trails, etc.

Recognition – Hold volunteer recognitiondinners.

responsible to contact tenpeople.■Find names from suchsources as:–Tax rolls for ownership of land.–Local environmental groups,e.g., Audubon chapter.–Visitor registers from therefuge.

■Encourage refuge staff toacquire names and to addaddresses to their database.■Re-structure the refuge visitorregister to get addresses andphone numbers.■Use the newsletter to solicitmembers.■Distribute membership infor-mation during speeches.

Tools for Success

Understanding and being aware of groupdynamics is important to getting and keep-ing members. Members must be nurtured –they must feel that their contributions arevalued, that their opinions are important,and that their time is well spent. Theymust feel that they gain something person-ally by participating in the group.

In any diverse group of people of differingtalents and abilities, disagreement willinevitably arise. People don’t always seeeye to eye. How you handle it is critical.Allow for difference of opinion. Conflict isnecessary, and not a problem, unless it pre-vents the group from making progress.

Here are some suggestions to help devel-op a positive group dynamic for your neworganization.

Practice “active listening.” Give feed-back so people know they were heard. Ifsomeone is dominating the discussion, puta limit on how long each person can talk,

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MEMBERSHIP

Tools for Success

■Initially offer complimentarymembership for the first year(to refuge volunteers).■Consider using banquets,etc. to recruit new membersfrom the community.■Using personal contacts andasking people face to facegets better results.■A membership brochure.(Other Friends groups and

NWRA can provide exam-ples.)■Set minimum membershipdues to receive the newsletterand other products to coverthe costs of printing and send-ing.■Offer a variety of member-ship levels, (corporate, individ-ual, lifetime). Make sure theamount and level of responsi-

bility are coordinated with theregion.■Consult with other groupsthat have tried specific mem-bership drives,(hired a firm fora membership drive).■Honor both those who con-tribute money and the mem-bers who contribute labor andattend meetings. (You needboth and strategies to keepthem, as members will differ.)

Group Dynamicsand give priority in the speaking order tothose who have less to say.

Don’t ignore problems. Deal withissues, not personalities. Discuss specificproblems, and look for causes and solu-tions. Has there been a misunderstanding?Is someone being asked to do somethingthey are not equipped to do? Suggest achange that will be good for the individualand the group.

Set out clear expectations from thebeginning. Regular meetings and evalu-ations can redirect efforts, identify prob-lems early, and prevent things from gettingout of hand.

Watch out for “rogue members” whojoin only to fulfill their own agendas.Resolve this issue immediately. It mayrequire finding them out of order at a meet-ing.

organization with the public

● Accept the guidance anddecisions of project coordi-nators

● Carry out duties promptlyand reliably

● Be willing to participate inorientation, training pro-grams and meetings

● Understand the function ofthe paid staff and maintainpositive working relation-ships with them

● Stay within the bounds ofthe volunteer description,unless otherwise asked

*from Starting Up: A Handbook forNew River and Watershed Organiza-tions

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MEMBERSHIP

■Keep volunteers busy, andgive them responsibility, oryou will lose them.

■Ensure mutual respect ofgroup members.

■Listen, listen, listen!

■Keep things “adult” andprofessional.

■Trust and need form asacred bond.

■Be honest, enthusiastic, andhave courage.

■Prevent Friends group burn-out – plan your projects well.

■Do not be too serious all ofthe time. Expect setbacksand be willing to laugh atthem and then re-group. If itis not fun, then do not do it.

■Deal with problems immedi-ately! Never publicize differ-ences, instead keep themwithin the group.

■Encourage action with talk.

■Know the issues personally.

■Understand that it is a long-term commitment that youare making.

Tools for Success

Volunteers havethe right to . . .● Be treated as a co-worker● Be given a suitable assign-

ment● Know as much as possible

about the organization● Be recognized and heard● Receive training and contin-

uing education for the task● Have a regular evaluation

of one’s performance, andbe given a variety of experi-ences

Responsibilities ofvolunteers are to . . .● Be sincere in the offer of

service and believe in thevalue of the task being done

● Be loyal to the communityorganization with whichone works

● Maintain the dignity andintegrity of the community

VOLUNTEER RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

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MEMBERSHIP

Membership Checklist

Seek diversity in your membership.

Create and maintain a computerized database of members.

Develop lists of potential new members and actively recruit them.

Offer member benefits such as a newsletter, with additional bene-fits to members who contribute more than the minimum dues.

Keep members by personalizing their welcome to your group, giv-ing them recognition, and keeping them well informed.

Always show and expect respect, keep things professional, and giveand keep trust.

Give members responsibilities that fit their skills, and challengethem.

Raising money is among the more important thingsyour group needs to plan for. However, it need not besomething to fear. With good planning, careful atten-tion to building relationships, and showing the publicwhat your group can do for the refuge, your treasurywill grow, in time.

Brian O’Neill, of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Nation-al Park prefers to call fundraising “friend-raising,” andwith good reason. In twenty years as Park Superinten-dent for Golden Gate, he has nurtured a solid networkof friends and as a result has seen millions of dollarsdonated to the Park. People give to people. Fundrais-ing is all about making new friends who are willing tocommit their funds to your organization’s cause. O’Neillunderstands why people give. Success breeds success.People see great things being done with their contri-butions — they trust that when they donate, their mon-ey will be used wisely.

At first, your budget will be based on membershipdues and small donations. In the first five years, mostlikely your group will accomplish a great deal on ashoestring budget. According to the NWRA’s FriendsSurvey, most groups five years old and younger oper-ate with a budget of $5,000 or less, and they report amultitude of accomplishments for their refuges.

Begin with the attitude that you can accomplish agreat deal with very little money. Dedicated volunteerscan make a big difference with their hands and hearts.

Even as a fledgling operation however, you do needsome money. Some of the start up costs will includeincorporation and non-profit filing fees, logo design,brochure development, newsletter, printing and mail-ing expenses.

You’ll need money for projects big and small, and toplan activities to reward your volunteers. An emergen-cy or “rainy day” fund is helpful for unexpected orunplanned needs.

■Do not be afraid to ask formoney.

■Face the need for fund rais-ing head-on and develop aplan for it.

■For some people, moneyequals having respect foryour group.

■Set sound financial priori-ties.

■A small amount of start-upmoney is necessary.

■Create a broad base ofmembers and contributors.

●Board members

●Basic membership and spe-cial member contributions

●Programs and events (fees,donations, raffles)

●“Family/Neighbor” support

●Private donors (from mem-bership, local community)

●Corporations (businesses,banks)

●Foundations

●Government

●Special fund raising drives

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FUNDRAISING

FundingTools to build theorganization

Funding sources

■ Determine how much you need and develop abudget for each funding need.

● Have specific goals and deadlines – develop a clarity ofneed.

■ Determine the sources that you plan to go afterand develop a plan and set strategy.

● Seek in-kind donations for goods and services (e.g.,computers, grant writing, lawyers, accountants, facilita-tors).● Be realistic in your plans (e.g., setting timelines for rais-ing funds, assigning responsibilities).● Consider making use of grant writers and fund-raisers.

■ Ask for funds● Board members shouldn’t be afraid to ask for moneyand need to see fundraising as part of their job.● Get the right people to do the asking. Remember – peo-ple give to people.● Ensure that you are doing the right prospecting or ask-ing ● Get training if you need it.● Establish a communication link with donors.

■ Be aware of the strings that may be attached toany donation.

● Refuse donations that have strings that your organiza-tion can’t live with because you’ll find other sources offunds.

■ Be sure to say “Please” and “Thank you.”● Provide a donor recognition. Use a personal touchstrategy.

75

FUNDRAISING

Ways to begin raising money

76

FUNDRAISING

Ask once a year or more often for special needs.~

Express your thanks within 24 hours.~

Establish a hierarchy of thank-you’s to correspondto the levels of donation.

~Every visitor to the refuge is a potential prospect.

~Do not phone.

~Make sure that you have peers asking peers.

~Keep learning about asking.

~Know your donors.

“

”


77

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising Checklist

Set up a budget. As a fledgling group, you will need start up moneyfor things like incorporation and non-profit filing fees, printing costsfor a newsletter and brochure and mailing expenses.

Fundraising is “Friend-raising.” It depends on developing good rela-tionships. Be sure to have peers asking peers.

Early on your budget will be small, based on membership dues andsmall donations, but as you build your relationships, your treasurywill grow.

A great deal can be accomplish on a small budget.

Ask and you will receive. Get the right people to do the asking.

Always say “Please,” and “Thank You.”

Set priorities. Develop a fundraising plan. Know how much you needand determine a strategy to get it.

Always be willing to learn more about fundraising.

Outr

each


Western meadowlark, Medicine Lake NWR, Montana

Communication is the critical aspect of making it allwork. Clear and effective communication is the back-bone that supports all of your organization’s otheractivities. Good communication means everyone under-stands their roles and responsibilities, and the work ofthe organization will be clear to members, refuge staffand the public. Poor communication will result in con-fusion and mistrust.

To be effective, your group needs to find ways to reachout to the public so they understand your group’s mis-sion and objectives and become aware of refuge issues.Ultimately, you want your outreach efforts to result inan increased membership and support of the refuge.

The original Friends ofMonomoy NWR were a group ofretirees whose focus was to car-ry out work projects on therefuge. The group wasn’t readyfor the controversy that eruptedwhen the US Fish and WildlifeService made the decision toreduce the gull population.

In hindsight, Dean Steeger, aFriends of Monomoy Boardmember, wishes his group hadplanned ahead, well before theissue hit, even though outreachwasn’t the group’s original focus.

Steeger believes one obligation

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OUTREACH

Monomoy NWR consists of two small barrier islands of 2,740 acres withofficial wilderness status, off the “elbow” of Cape Cod. The islands hostmore than half a million birds, some rare and threatened species. Overtime, gull populations began to overwhelm smaller species. In 1994, theFish and Wildlife Service, in a management decision, designated 175 acresas a gull-free zone. In 1996, the FWS implemented their management planby poisoning several thousand gulls on Monomoy. Unfortunately, hundredsof these gulls died on the Cape Cod mainland, which upset the residentsand created a firestorm of controversy . . .

The Story of . . . Friends of Monomoy NWR

of Friends groups is to be avoice of support for their refuge.To do this, he said, all groupsshould form relationships withpeople in their area who are thedecision makers and establishcontacts in the offices of localand State political representa-tives. Groups also should estab-lish a relationship with themedia, raising interest in therefuge in general before anyissues arise.

His advice, “The key is in the for-mation of your board. Get one ortwo people on the board who are

willing to do outreach, who arearticulate. Your political successwill depend on those one or twopeople.”

He sees his role at Monomoy asthat of an individual who is amember of the community and aFriend who can be a counter-point between the oppositionand the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService in situations where theFWS must tread lightly. Thevoice of Friends carry weight inthe community, because they’rethe public, too -–they’re not theFederal Government.

Communicating A great resource bookfor outreach:Getting the Word Out in theFight to Save the Earth byRichard Beamish

The Johns Hopkins UniversityPress – ISBN 0-8018-4895-4

Good outreach begins with clear inter-nal communications between board mem-bers and with the membership. Everyoneshould be aware of and informed aboutwhat the group is doing, when events aretaking place, and plans for the future. Inother words, no surprises. Identify who willbe the spokesperson (or people) for yourgroup. It should be someone who can artic-ulate clearly and concisely. Make sure thatperson has all the facts, and support thatperson.

Communication also must be clearbetween Friends and the refuge managerand staff. Here again it needs to be two waycommunication with no surprises. Buildthe relationship through good, consistentcommunication.

■Reach out to other groups and organi-zations. Re-inventing the wheel is tootime consuming.

■Start educating the public by speak-ing at organizations (not just environ-mental organizations) and to the broad-cast media.

■Contact and enlist the users of therefuge.

■ Involve politicians at the local, state,and national levels.

■Use your name. Make it visible. Get itout in front of people.

Advice from Friendsof MonomoyRemember your job as Friends:

● To promote the National WildlifeRefuge System and its soundmanagement.

● To serve as a litmus test to FWS.As members of the general public,they can see how their manage-ment decisions will “play” with thepublic by asking you first.

● Most members of the FWS are sci-entists. Friends can help themexplain and interpret technicalinformation to the general public.

Ways to reach the media: ● Respond to newspaper articles

with letters to the editor.

● Go to local and cable TV stations.Get a Public Service Announce-ment (PSA) made. Stations areobligated to run PSA’s for free.

● Use the Internet, get a web site,publish your address in yourbrochure and anything you sendout.

● Be professional in your image. Cre-ate a great logo, edit carefully.

● Call editors (not reporters) with sto-ry ideas, or even just to give youropinion on an issue. They usuallyask questions and listen.

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OUTREACH

Tools for outreach

Do your homework so that you know what you aretalking about.

Develop and maintain credibility.

If you don’t know, say so! Offer to find out, then doit.

Keep the channels of communication open betweenthe group and the refuge and within the group.

Be factual and honest.

Desire to work together.

Maintain a sense of trust - off the record “trust”means you don’t repeat something you promisednot to.

Communicate frequently.

Share information before it becomes public.

Attend to good manners and show respect.

Share photographs (visual communication).

Internalcommunication

Develop a way to communicate.Possibly use a newsletter andphone tree.

Communicate with all membersregularly.

Meet regularly and often, possi-bly on a monthly basis.

Let everyone know what it isthat you are doing.

Ensure open communicationbetween the friends group andthe refuge staff.

Share your technical knowl-edge.

Learn what kind of communica-tion works best between mem-bers.Do not assume everyoneknows.

No surprises!!!

Summarize meetings so every-one understands what was dis-cussed.

Make sure there are no breaksin the lines of communication.

Do not keep quiet when youdisagree or do not understand.

Do not burn any bridges.

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OUTREACH

Other Suggestions

Two outreach tools you will find useful are thenewsletter and the membership brochure. These willhelp inform your members about the activities of yourgroup and get your message to potential new members,legislators and people in the general community.

Even in the beginning when your budget is limited,take the time and spend as much as you can afford toproduce a good product. Appearance counts. Graphics,eye catching headlines and distinct, easy to read typeare all important ingredients to an effective newslet-ter or brochure.

Strive to be interesting and readable. Assume anintelligent audience, but don’t assume they know thebackground and details of your story. Explain thingsclearly and completely.

Avoid dense text. Tell the story with pictures. Observethe one-third/two-thirds rule: Devote two-thirds of thepublication to graphics, headlines and white space andone-third to text.

Who gets your Newsletter?

•Members.

•Town/City Council.

•Conservation Commission.

•State and federal elected officials.

•Local library.

•Chamber of Commerce.

•Local conservation groups and other refuge stakeholders.

•Media contacts.

Once you have your nonprofit ruling, your group maybe eligible to use bulk mail. Check with your post-officeabout their requirements. The rules are somewhat com-plicated, but worth checking into, as the savings areconsiderable.

■Collect newsletters andbrochures you like. Use themas models in your owndesign.

■Look for a printer with rea-sonable prices. Initially, whenyou have limited funds, see ifyour refuge will allow you touse their copy machine.

■Do a production schedulea year in advance for anewsletter. Establish dead-lines for preparation, printingand mailing.

■ Information should be con-cise, readable and to thepoint.

■Avoid technical jargon, lan-guage, and acronyms.

■Use a typeface that is clearand easy to read.

■Edit. All writing can bemade tighter. Get someoneto proofread.

■Keep your audience inmind.

■Use lots of white space andgraphics.

■Good reference books:Elements of Style by Strunk& White; Chicago Manualof Style; Getting the WordOut by Richard Beamish.

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OUTREACH

The newsletter andmembership brochure

Newsletter andBrochure Tools

84

OUTREACH

Make sure everyone understands - translate technical language intofamiliar terms (define acronyms, place names, technical terms, jargon).

~Tap into existing communication opportunities.

~Be visible – show momentum.

~Pick a name that people can remember – keep it simple.

~Use graphics to capture and express the passion.

~Be positive.

~Make it look fun, even if it isn’t!!!

~Demonstrate awareness, understanding, caring, and action.

~Edit – be professional with polished products.

~Dress professionally.

~Be consistent with your message.

~Know who is speaking for your membership.

~Conduct yourself professionally, even in adversarial situations.

~Be appreciative – say thanks (in many ways)!!

~Follow through and follow up.

~Toot your horn – often and loudly.

“

”


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OUTREACH

Outreach Checklist

Clear and effective communication is the key to your organization’ssuccess.

Build public support for your group’s activities by getting the wordout about your group’s activities to the public.

Develop relationships with key editors in the media and political are-na. Involve politicians at the State and local level.

Be visible to the public. Find ways to use your name frequently, ina number of ways. Use all mediums available: newsletter, newspa-per, cable, internet.

Create and maintain a professional image. Develop an appropriatelogo, edit everything you send out carefully.

Create an outreach plan and form those relationships before youneed them!

Know who your spokespeople are and let them carry your message.Make sure they have accurate information so they know what they’retalking about. Be consistent with your message.

Interpret technical language into common language.

Cel

ebra

te S

ucc

ess


Great blue heron, Blackwater NWR, Maryland

Perhaps one of the most important things your groupneeds to remember is to celebrate its successes. Cele-brate big successes and little ones. It is the successesthat will draw membership, volunteer participation,funds, and bring lasting recognition to your group.

Think about what defines overall success for each ofyour group’s activities and plan to celebrate small suc-cesses along the way (especially for bigger, longer termprojects). Holding out for the big, obvious successesmight bring celebration into the picture too late.Besides, why wait until the end of a project to cele-brate it?

The key is to find something to crow about, the sil-ver lining, even the positive twist in a “failure.” Failwith flair! Find something to celebrate, even wheneverything didn’t go as planned. Reward the attempt,not just the outcome.

Celebrating success will give everyone in your groupsomething tangible to feel good about. It is these posi-tive feelings will help your group grow.

You can recognize your successes in a variety of ways.Say “Thank You,” send a note, thank people in yournewsletter. You can stage events, hold a dinner, makeuse of awards. Have fun with it, be silly. Most impor-tant, do it in a timely manner. Surprise people!

Use news articles to publicize the group’s major suc-cesses. Use all the available opportunities, even fiveminutes at the board meetings can be built in toacknowledge your successes. Use pictures and wordsto describe your group’s achievements. Give people theopportunity to see what your group is doing not onlyso the public can appreciate your accomplishments,but so that your members can too, so they can say tothemselves, “Wow! Look at what we did!”

There will be others besides the people in your groupthat need thanks and celebration too. Remember therefuge staff, the community, your legislators and cityofficials. Thank you cards to donors are a nice surpriseand always appreciated.

88

CELEBRATE SUCCESS

Celebrate yoursuccesses

Don’t forget to do it.~

Don’t take people forgranted.

~It's okay to celebrate the

partial successes. You donot have to be all done or100% successful.

~Be sure to publicize it.

The whole group is recog-nized too.

~Be sure the celebrations

fit the successes.~

Celebrate all year long,not just once a year.

~Celebrate immediately.

Do not wait too long or youlose the opportunities.

~Saying “thanks” goes a

long way. Say it often.~

Negative feedback cannotbe retracted and givingnegative feedback can spelldisaster for the group andthe individual.

“

”

Words of WisdomFrom Other

Friends Groups

89

CELEBRATE SUCCESS

Celebrate Success Checklist

Define what success means to your group. Celebrate often. Don’twait until a project is over. Celebrate the small successes too.

Celebrating gives your group something tangible to feel good about.Positive feelings help the group to grow.

Take advantage of any opportunity to celebrate success and acknowl-edge a job well done: your newsletter, at board meetings, in newspaperarticles and letters to the editor, in a thank you note . . .

Be sensitive to the differences of people in your group. Don’t throwthe spotlight on someone who would be made uncomfortable. Findanother way to thank them.

“Thank You.” Two simple words that need to be used often.

Post evidence of accomplishments with lists of the names of partic-ipants on a plaque near completed projects on the refuge.

Consider anyone who needs to be thanked, not just members of yourgroup, but also Refuge staff, members of the community, politicians,etc. . . .

Celebrate with food. Throw a party.

Res

ourc

es


Racoon, Montezuma NWR, New York

The focus of this handbook has been to help you getstarted in the first year. Establishing your Friendsgroup is just the beginning. We expect that you willhave a busy year and many accomplishments over thenext several months. Once you have established yourgroup, you’ll be asking what’s next? You will also beworking to build a stable organization that will have along future.

The National Wildlife Refuge Association is dedicat-ed to helping your group successfully meet its new chal-lenges. Over the next couple of years, we will offer anumber of programs to new and well-establishedgroups.* These will include:

•Workshops on getting started, fundraising and out-reach.

•A Friends/NWRA joint membership program.

•Local networking programs for Friends groups insmall geographic areas to meet and work together onlocal interests.

•An expanded Friends section in the NWRA quar-terly newsletter.

•An expanded Friends section in Refuge Net, our website on the Internet. We plan to make handbook mate-rials available on this web site and will provide aFriends bulletin board for easy communications.

•Opportunity to become involved in regional andnational policy and media initiatives.

•An annual National Refuge Friends Conference inWashington, D.C.

Assistance is also available from a variety of othersources, such as other Friends groups, the US Fish andWildlife Service, the National Center for NonprofitBoards and local and national conservation organiza-tions. We have listed ways to contact these and otherresources in the next few pages.

If you have any additional questions or need help, besure to contact us either by telephone at (202) 333-9075 or Email at [email protected].

(*All programs are dependent upon funding.)

92

RESOURCES

Where do you go from here?

93

RESOURCES

✔ RefugeNET is the National WildlifeRefuge Association’s web site on theInternet. This site contains a wealth ofinformation about the refuge system, adirectory of Friends groups, and actionalerts. It’s a great place to begin net-working! http://www.refugenet.org

✔ National Center for Nonprofit Boardsis a good resource for all questions youmight have about nonprofit organiza-tions, including forming your board.http://www.ncnb.org

✔ The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicehome page is a good place to learnabout refuges all over the country.http://www.fws.gov

Call (202) 333-9075 to ask for:

✔ A Friends Directory listing all Friendsgroups across the nation.

✔ Information on workshops, regionaland subregional networking meetingssponsored by the National WildlifeRefuge Association.

✔ Referrals or direct assistance on fil-ing for non-profit status.

✔ Names of experienced Friendsgroups who are willing to lend theirexpertise to new groups.

✔ The Refuge Support Group mini-grant program, conducted in coopera-tion with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser-vice, the National Fish and WildlifeFoundation and the National AudubonSociety.

✔ Action Alerts on issues affecting theNational Wildlife Refuge System, avail-able through the NWRA Friends List-serve. To sign up for the Listserve,email [email protected]

Internet resources Resources from theNational Wildlife RefugeAssociation

94

RESOURCES

One Step At A Time: An Outreach Workbook, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 5,1995.

The National Wildlife Refuge System, Promises for a New Century, a brochure, U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, 1996.

Beamish, Richard, Getting the Word Out in the Fight to Save the Earth, The Johns Hop-kins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 1995.

Chadwick, Douglas. “National Wildlife Refuges,” National Geographic, October, 1996.

Dalsimer, John Paul, Understanding Nonprofit Financial Statements: A Primer for BoardMembers, National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington, DC 1995.

Drabelle, Dennis. “The National Wildlife Refuge System” Audubon Wildlife Report, 1985(updated 11/6/96).

Drucker, Peter, Managing the Non-Profit Organization, Principles and Practices, HarperCollins, New York, 1992.

Environmental Grantmaking Foundations 1997 Directory, to order, write or call:Resources for Global Sustainability, P.O. Box 22770, Rochester, NY 22770. (800) 724-1857.

Grummon Nelson, Judith, Six Keys to Recruiting, Orienting, and Involving NonprofitBoard Members, National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington, DC, 1992.

Hagar, Laurie. “Defining the Refuge System,” Friends of the Parker River WildlifeRefuge Newsletter, Fall, 1996

Hoff, Ron. Say It In Six; How to say exactly what you mean in six minutes or less,Andrews and McMeel, Kansas City, 1996.

Hummel, Joan M., Starting and Running a Nonprofit Organization, University of Min-nesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 1996.

Line, Les. “A System Under Siege,” Wilderness Magazine, Fall, 1995.

Bibliography

95

RESOURCES

Luscher, Kathy, Starting Up; A Handbook for New River and Watershed Organizations,Portland, OR, 1996.

M Booth & Associates, Inc., Promoting Issues & Ideas; A Guide to Public Relations ForNonprofit Organizations, The Foundation Center, NY, 1995.

Management and General Public Use of the National Refuge System, Executive Order#12996, signed by President Clinton March 25, 1996.

Mathiasen, Karl, Board Passages: Three Key Stages in a Nonprofit Board’s Life Cycle,National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington, DC 1995.

O’Connell, Brian, The Board Member’s Book, The Foundation Center, NY, 1993.

Olenick, Arnold J. and Philip R., A Nonprofit Organization Operating Manual, The Foun-dation Center, New York, 1991.

Seltzer, Michael, Securing Your Organization’s Future; A Complete Guide to Fundrais-ing Strategies, The Foundation Center, NY, 1987.

Smith, Bucklin & Associates, The Complete Guide to Nonprofit Management, JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., NY, 1994.

Williams, Ted. “Seeking Refuge,” Audubon Magazine, May – June, 1996.

Wolf, Thomas, Managing a Nonprofit Organization, Prentice Hall Press, NY, 1990.

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Canada geese, Lewis and Clark NWR, WA / OR

an introduction to building refuge friends organizationsan introduction to building refuge friends...

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