Maine Audubon at Hog Island

1. Maine Audubon at Hog Island Connecting people with nature

2. Question for Springboard How does Maine Audubon build a sustainable cooperative business structure with National Audubon and Audubon Chapters to continue residential nature education programs at Hog Island?

3. Mission The Hog Island Audubon Center conducts environmental education programs on the Maine coast. An experience at Hog Island inspires, motivates, and teaches skills - connecting people with nature and fostering a commitment to conserve the natural environment. Maine Audubon works to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation, and action. National Audubon conserves and restores natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

4. MA Programs % is % of 2007 MA program expenses (total approx. $3.1 MM)

5. The Facility PASTE IN PHOO OF THE ISLAND • GO TO

6. History of Hog Island and MA 1930’s 1940’s 1950’s 1960’s 1970’s 1980’s 1990’s 2000’s 1936: Founded as National Audubon’s 1st nature camp 1936 – 90: Successful growth of prestigious program 1990 – 99: Slow decline in attendance 2000: MA affiliates as state office of National 2000 – 07: MA struggles to operate the facility 2008: Low attendance forces session cancellations 2009: MA Board suspends Hog Island operations Red dates = HI operated by National Audubon

7. Profile of HI Customer 78 chapters have supported 547 participants

8. HI Financial Structure

9. Constraints and Challenges • Program & Facility affect the business model • Short season – June thru August • Small facility – no economies of scale • Complex programming serving wide diversity of audiences • Island facilities inherently expensive, high fixed costs, development constraints • Maine Audubon as the lead organization • Changing leadership at Maine Audubon • High risk program out of scale with other MA activities • Marketing reach required well beyond MA’s capabilities • Wider Audubon scene • Fractured nature of Audubon – chapters are organizationally independent • Complexity – high number of players spread out geographically • Current economic conditions impacting everyone

10. Recap: What We Know • Residential nature of the programs at HI consistently inspire, energize, and motivate individuals to act on behalf of the environment. • A new organizational relationship is required. Neither MA nor NA has been financially successful in running HI alone. • This is high risk – operationally and financially – in a challenging economy. • This is highly complex - NA chapters are geographically spread across the US and are independent organizations mostly run by volunteers • Hog Island facilities & programs require substantial updating and improvement. • Maine Audubon and National Audubon are jointly engaging in a full strategic planning process • Maine Audubon has a role in Hog Island’s future

11. Success Defined • Program quality remains outstanding. • Hog Island is “the” landmark Audubon education facility nourishing Audubon ideals at many levels. • Appropriate resources are devoted to the Center so it can thrive operationally and financially. • Collaborative business structure moves Chapters from customers to investors. • Maine Audubon is not solely responsible for the Center either operationally or financially. • Business model is strong enough to survive turnover of staff/volunteers in MA, NA & Chapters.

12. What We Don’t Know • What the business structure could be to spread the operating and financial risks. • What the real depth of National Audubon’s commitment is. • What commitments or roles Chapters would be willing to assume. • How to move Chapters from consumers to investors. • What role Maine Audubon can best play without unduly impacting the rest of its programs.

13. Question for Springboard How does Maine Audubon build a sustainable cooperative business structure with National Audubon and Audubon Chapters to continue residential nature education programs at Hog Island?