Birdathon 2024 – Our Most Successful Fundraiser Ever

By Sharol Nelson-Embry, Birdathon 2024 co-chair

Over the last couple of months, we held our largest annual fundraiser, Birdathon, to fund our education programs, advocacy work, and conservation of bird and wildlife habitats year after year. It was the most successful fundraiser we’ve ever held, raising upwards of $160,000. The best part was the fun had by the organizing committee as well as roughly 400 members of our community  who participated in the nearly 50 programs offered as part of the fundraising.

The month of April, along with a couple of weeks before and after, was devoted to offering nearly 40 field trips led by our own volunteers and some special guest leaders. GGBA Board President Chris Tarr, and Board Treasurer Derek Heins led that effort. Chris and Derek’s familiarity with expert leaders and birding hotspots helped them put together a rich offering of trips throughout San Francisco and Alameda County as well as trips further afield. With nearly double the number of trips we’ve offered in the past, we exceeded our goal by raising $65,000. We had 278 people participate in the tours in total.

At the tail-end of our Birdathon we hosted an Adventure Auction led by Daryl Goldman with help from Ilana DeBare, Patrick Meeker, and Mary Wand. Exciting auction items included “Bed and Bird” lodging packages, including a trip to Central Park in New York and a trip to the Rocky Mountains. Other “Bed and Bird” packages featured local options in Lodi, San Francisco, and further afield options, with three offered in Arizona and some on the north coast of California. We also had local adventure outings around the Bay Area such as a coffee tasting, a package of museum memberships, a guided history tour of Oakland by bicycle, and many others, all donated by generous members and businesses. This was GGBA’s best auction ever, raising over $23,000.

Our Bay Birding Challenge this year featured not just two but SEVEN teams competing to see who could find the most bird species in a day as well as raise the most money. Whitney Grover, our Deputy Director, coordinated the effort. Imagine a day starting at dawn and filled with the excitement of moving from birding hotspot to hotspot until dark, trying to be the winning team. Derek Heins led the Tactical Shrike Force to victory, as the team observed 165 bird species and raised over $18,000.. In a new winner’s category, the Righteous Roadrunners  took the award for the “lowest carbon footprint” during the contest with everyone carpooling in an electric vehicle. The highest individual Bay Birding Challenge fundraiser was Board Member Kenneth Hillan, who raised $9,353. The Challenge raised a total of $40,050.

In addition to the Bay Birding Challenge, we sponsored a “Friends and Family” fundraising campaign where individuals set up fundraising pages that allowed their friends to either make flat-rate donations or pledges based on the number of birds the fundraiser aimed to find during Birdathon l. Bruce Mast won the individual fundraising effort this year, raising just over $4,500, with Dan Harris in second place. Some of our regular field trip leaders who offer free programs throughout the rest of the year even set up fundraising pages where their participants could support GGBA with a donation during the month. Overall $35,047 was raised through the Friends and Family fundraising from 33 fundraisers in total.

Birdathon culminated with an in-person celebration event on Sunday afternoon, May 19. The event was free to attend, thanks to the Awards Celebration Host Committee and corporate sponsor Martin Marietta, whose funds rented the Shoreline Center at MLK Regional Shoreline in Oakland, hired a caterer for delicious small bites and desserts, and compensated Vivian Hsu, a harpist (who also happens to be part of the Master Birder program this year). Chelsea Connor, one of our Birding for Everyone fellows, exhibited her artwork. Nearly 100 people—many of them GGBA field trip leaders—turned out to enjoy the beautiful, sunny afternoon. Thanks to the capable planning of Beth Moseley, Mary Wand, Glenn and others, it was a great way to celebrate this season of successful fundraising. We even had a brief special guest appearance by a Bald Eagle who settled on the tip of Arrowhead Marsh across the channel.

And what does all of this fundraising support? It allows GGBA to offer over 200 field trips for the general public each year, mostly free guided birding tours. It also supports our prize-winning Eco-Education program which has connected over 20,000 students and their families to birds and nature since 1999, focusing on youth from low-income neighborhoods. We also do important conservation work—restoring critical bird habitat at sites like Pier 94, protecting wetlands such as Crissy Field and Point Pinole, and partnering with other environmental groups to advocate for new parklands such as Point Molate (Richmond) and Tesla Park (Alameda County). We recently helped attain stronger protections for Golden Eagles and other raptors at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area, working with a coalition of other chapters and National Audubon.

We’re deeply grateful for each of you who participated in Birdathon this year—whether you took part in a field trip or the Bay Birding Challenge, raised money from friends, bid in the auction, or helped organize and lead one of these initiatives!  As Co-Chair of the 2024 Birdathon Committee, I’m especially grateful to have worked with a wonderful team of volunteers and GGBA staff who started planning this multifaceted event back in September. 

Cheers to Birdathon 2024 and onward to Birdathon 2025! Mary Wand will co-chair the committee next year, so let her know if you’d like to be part of the effort. We welcome new ideas and energy – such as YOURS! You can reach Mary at mwand@goldengatebirds.org.

Sharol Nelson-Embry recently retired after 35 years as an interpretive naturalist, the last 26 as a Supervising Naturalist for the East Bay Regional Parks District, where she directed the Crab Cove Visitor Center and Aquarium in Alameda. In addition to her extensive experience as an outdoor educator, Sharol has a BS in Natural Resources Management from Cal Poly, SLO, and completed her Master Birder certificate in 2021.