While an earlier campaign, completed in 2016, enabled us to buy the current land and develop the property to its current state, there is still work to be done. Each year we have added more flight cages, more resident mews for non-releasable wildlife Ambassadors, and additional amenities across the campus like our Kathleen Lang Butterfly Garden, and expanded space and staffing for our nationally recognized Non-Eagle Feather Repository. But relieving us of our lingering mortgage would increase our ability to invest in staff to further grow our educational offerings.
The current phase of the campaign seeks $5 million to support expansion. Successful completion of this campaign, with your support, will fully realize this nationally recognized model facility. It will enable us to continue to develop and to grow our comprehensive services to meet the needs of our increasingly challenged natural world. Indeed, last year representatives from US Fish & Wildlife licensed rehabilitation facilities across the Western United States came to our campus for national meetings. The permits director of US Fish & Wildlife for the region specifically requested the meetings be held at Liberty Wildlife to showcase the outstanding work being done here as an example of best practice.
Of course, such recognition is no surprise or accident. Liberty Wildlife has managed an exceptionally efficient operation since 1981. We are fortunate to benefit from hundreds of volunteers, who provide tens of thousands of hours of service. We are now at a point in our organization’s growth that requires greater investment in building our paid staff. As we further grow into the full utilization of our new campus, our expanded programming will require additional staff, across rehabilitation and education services. As responsible stewards, we understand the need to also build our endowment to ensure these resources continue to be available to the public far into the future.
Much hard work, from the board to each of our volunteers and staff, has grown Liberty Wildlife to this point. We now have an exceptional campus and have repaid half the construction loan required to complete the building. We are now caring for more animals, and educating more children and adults, than ever. We look forward to growing our reach even further… with your support.
Specifically, paying off the mortgage will free up approximately $175,000 annually to grow staff for marketing/events, development/administration and educational programs. These positions, in turn, allow us to grow new revenue streams (e.g. facility rentals, membership programs).
Significant gifts toward these campaign goals can be recognized in very visible ways on our campus. A list of named gift opportunities is available below.
