State of the Society 2010: Report to the Membership

By John Harrison, President

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MISSION STATEMENT: To foster community values that result in the protection and restoration of native ecosystems and conservation of natural resources through education, science and advocacy in Hawai`i and the Pacific.

The Hawai`i Audubon Society (HAS) was founded in 1939 as an independent, nonprofit membership association dedicated to the protection of Hawaii's native wildlife and habitats through education, science and advocacy. Current membership consists of approximately 1,978 individuals and institutions and operates in accordance with a constitution and by-laws under the supervision of a Board of Directors elected by the members. In 1978 HAS was named a certified chapter of the National Audubon Society (NAS), while continuing to function independently in all fiscal, policy and programmatic matters. An office manager, an aquatics programs director, and several independent contractors provide administrative and professional services for HAS, but many necessary tasks and responsibilities are accomplished through the efforts of dedicated volunteers statewide. HAS publishes the `Elepaio, a peer-reviewed journal, and operates two websites: www.hawaiiaudubon.com and www.pacfish.org. It is my privilege, as the current President of HAS, to offer the following review of the past year's activities and our principal goals for the coming year.

Officers, Directors, Managers and Volunteers:: The 2010 HAS Board of Directors consisted of President John Harrison, First Vice President Wendy Johnson, Recording Secretary Missy Sprecher, and Directors Carol Bebb, Phil Bruner, Arlene Buchholz, Tom Jacobs, Lauren Goodmiller, and Rab Guild. We are grateful to all the Directors who have given so much of their time voluntarily to further the mission of HAS. At year's end, Tom Jacobs and Rab Guild retired from the Board, and the Nominating Committee offered five new nominees. For 2011, Melissa Kolonie will become the HAS Treasurer, and Nicole Galase, Landin Johnson, Kristen Nalani Mailheau , and Laura Cottongim Sheehan will join the returning Officers and Directors on the HAS Board. We also gratefully acknowledge the constant advice and support of our in-house counsel, Linda Paul, who works tirelessly to keep us in compliance with Federal and State regulatory provisions. Also, I deeply thank Casey Primacio, our Office Manager, without whose cheerful efforts and diligent attention to daily queries from members and directors alike HAS would quickly descend into confusion! Casey and Scientific Editor Dave Leonard have done a terrific job assembling and editing the `Elepaio this year, for which we all are immensely grateful. Finally and especially, we extend heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the many members and volunteers for all of their time and dedicated efforts on behalf of furthering the HAS mission during the past year

Membership:: Prevailing economic conditions continue to present major challenges to all of us, and during recent years membership numbers showed some decline. Recognizing the critical importance of a robust membership base, the Board of Directors invited Mike Corcoran, principal of Gull Rock Services, a professional membership development consultancy, to submit a proposal to initiate direct mail invitation services. Mr. Corcoran presented his proposal, along with a thorough analysis of existing membership service employed by HAS at the time, at the Annual Retreat in January 2010. The Board voted to engage Mike's services, and during the ensuing months, the Society reorganized renewal procedures and streamlined processing. The first of a series of membership invitations went out mid-year and resulted in 75 new memberships.

A second effort presently is underway that targets a wider geographic base to meet the inherent challenge of sustaining growing operational and programmatic demands that in large measure depend on the support of a membership that is derived from a relatively fixed population. By expanding our base to include more members from outside of Hawai`i, HAS can take advantage of both a larger potential market and an opportunity to extend awareness of the critical conservation needs in Hawai`i to concerned citizens on the mainland. In the long term, the vitality and effectiveness of HAS in meeting our mission goals depends on a strong and committed membership, and we are seeing an encouraging momentum of membership growth.

Operations: THAS supports its basic operations by leveraging income derived from donations, product sales, grants, and membership dues with the volunteer efforts of a committed Board of Directors, engaged members, and tireless efforts of our office manager. The operations budget covers payroll and employee overhead, office rent, contract services, printing and reproduction, postage, and utilities. Contract services include accountant services, website maintenance, and more recently, membership development. The administration of grant programs is covered through an overhead expense category included in the budgets of the respective grants. During 2010, carryover funds from prior years supported grant-funded operations that continued work begun previously.

Dividend income from investments and membership income remained relatively unchanged from 2009. Product sales increased by about 50% reflecting generally improving economic trends. Overall, gross profit from all operations decreased about 4%, while total expenses increased by 19% from the prior year. The operating deficit was covered using operating reserves, and the Board has taken steps to increase revenue while decreasing expenses. Already, HAS has renegotiated its office lease to achieve an annual saving of $10,000, and we are seeking additional operating savings while increasing fundraising efforts. As new memberships are developed, we anticipate increased revenue from dues, and we are actively pursuing external funding grants as a way to both broaden our programmatic efforts and increase overhead returns in support of our operating expenses. For its work in 2011 HAS has already received generous donations, particularly for the Freeman Seabird Preserve (FSP), with a total in excess of $31,000. A strong return in the general and targeted donation receipts bodes well for the future.