TREC Reports and Research
TREC applied research and reports are published with the support of Wilburforce Foundation.
You may also search the TREC Knowledge Library.
Weathering the Storm (2009)
In 2009, TREC completed its third in an ongoing series of surveys of staff members and boards of directors responsible for fundraising for environmental nonprofits in the United States and Canada. Development and executive directors from 98 organizations responded. The results show that environmental groups have strengthened their relationships with individual donors and foundations, which are — by far —the largest source of revenue for groups in our sample. In particular, organizations increased communication with their supporters (including through online fundraising) and actively built closer connections with them. The data also suggest that the economic recession will have significant negative impacts on environmental nonprofits.
While we found that fundraising in 2008 was very successful, 2009 and beyond is proving to be a much more challenging period. The results of this study, in which 98 organizations participated, provide important insights into how environmental organizations have raised money over the last two years and how they are coping with the current economic recession. Among the most notable findings: environmental groups were able to expand their operations in 2008 by leveraging and strengthening their relationships with current individual donors and foundations, which are — by far — still the largest source of revenue for those in our sample. In particular, organizations increased communication with their supporters (both individuals and foundations) and have worked actively to build closer connections with them.
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Training Resources for the Environmental Community (TREC). Our mission is to catalyze the habitat conservation and wilderness protection community in Western North America to promote sustainable environmental integrity and diversity. We carry out our mission through coaching, consulting and training services focused on leadership development, capacity-building and leveraging resources to organizations dedicated to habitat conservation and wilderness protection.