With many of its facilities in ruins, and its employees, customers, volunteers and donors scattered by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ Audubon Nature Institute turned to the Web to raise the money needed to get back to its mission.

By Abny Santicola

In Case of Emergency …

Gene Austin, CEO of Convio, on putting an immediate-response online fundraising program together:

“Get online immediately and take advantage of your e-communication capabilities by reaching out to your constituents and letting them know what’s happened to your organization. I would also recommend moving quickly to put in place a micro-campaign, meaning re-orient your organization’s Web site around the help you need and make it extremely visible on the site. You should consume the homepage with, ‘These are ways you can help our organization.’ It doesn’t all have to be monetary, but your message should be very clear to Web site visitors.

“Then, as things move forward, it’s extremely important to let everyone know what progress is being made with your recovery efforts. Let supporters know of any changes involving your organization’s needs. For example, perhaps you no longer need financial assistance, but instead need clothing or food or other items. You need to keep people engaged online as much as possible, which helps encourage additional giving and support. This also helps motivate your supporters to recruit other individuals to get involved, so that you’re actually growing your organization’s constituent base and creating a larger following.”

In August 2005, New Orleans’ Audubon Nature Institute was on the verge of beginning a $100 million capital campaign. Philadelphia-based development, marketing and management consultants Schultz & Williams had just finished a feasibility study for the organization, and all signs were “go.”

“I don’t think I ever saw so many positive signs for the success of a capital campaign,” Schultz & Williams President Scott Schultz says. “They were — they are — a beloved institution in that city. People really cared about it, people were really engaged. We felt very good about moving forward with this capital campaign.”

Audubon Nature Institute

6500 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70118

Web site: www.auduboninstitute.org

Phone: 800.774.7394

Operating Budget (Pre-Katrina): Roughly $40 million

Operating Budget (2006): $26 million

Mission: Audubon Nature Institute celebrates the wonders of nature by fulfilling its mission to exhibit the diversity of wildlife; preserve native Louisiana habitats; provide opportunities for recreation in natural settings; educate visitors about the natural world; and enhance the care and survival of wildlife through research and conservation.

ANI’s family of museums and parks include:

Audubon Park
Audubon Zoo
Woldenberg Riverfront Park
Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Entergy IMAX® Theatre
Freeport-McMoRan Audubon pecies Survival Center
Audubon Louisiana Nature Center
Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species
Audubon Wilderness Park
Audubon Insectarium

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