Reality Check: A New Nonprofit's Fight to Stay Alive

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Mar 09, 2003 Source: JWR's March 2003 Newsletter Submitted By: Giulia "We have enough of a budget to last until the end of June or so." - Jim Hanna JWR Directors, Jim Hanna and Vicki Hanna, provide answers to pointed questions about the foundation's budget, the work yet to be done, and the challenge of surviving through a tough economic time. Q: As co-directors who manage all operations of JWR, what has been your greatest victory and your toughest challenge to date? Jim: Putting the mountaintop removal coal mining issue and how it impacts the Clean Water Act on the radar of the Waterkeeper Alliance is a big victory, even though there is a lot more to do on the issue. A lunch between Kevin Richardson and Bobby Kennedy kind of helped pave the way for the issue to be put on the priority list of the Natural Resources Defense Council. We're glad that we played a role in that. Our toughest challenge has always been fundraising. The environment is a politically charged subject, not everyone is on the same side of the issue, the economy is struggling, 9/11 occurred, now we're on the brink of war... you name it, it's happened and it hasn't made the time ripe for getting support. It's difficult to pitch programs when people's attention is occupied by other issues, and it's hard to get donations when people feel uncertain and uneasy and have little to give. Q: By looking at JWR's 2001 annual report, it looks like a good portion of the funding came from the Backstreet Boys' concert ticket proceeds. What resources does JWR depend on now since there was no ticket revenue or tour contribution last year? Jim: We've been depending on YOU! As a public, 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, we depend on individual contributions, meaning money from donors like fans, environmental advocates, moms who care about their kids' future, people who believe in our mission. We've had a couple fundraising events which has really helped. We've approached corporations for partnerships but so far nothing has been a good fit. And we have to be very careful about what companies we do business with, given that many companies support environmental groups so they can "green wash" their image and appear to be environmentally conscious. So we pretty much survive on the checks and PayPal donations you make and the donations received for merchandise orders. Q: So what kind of financial shape is JWR really in? Jim: Right now, after earmarking funds for the 2003-04 Scholarship Awards, we have enough of a budget to last until the end of June or so. That's not long. But we're hoping that everyone who cares about JWR and its mission takes a look at what we've done the last two years with a modest budget and decides it's worth their continued support. Vicki: We received a total of six individual, straight donations for the entire month of February, and one of those was earmarked to support a scholarship. So that should give you some idea of what we're facing. Every time I do an interview or meet someone new, I'm asked, "So what kind of budget do you guys have, like one or two million?" I have to laugh because we've never had more than over $200,000 in the bank. People look at me like I'm from another planet when I say that because they can't believe it. And that budget covers everything -- from travel, corporate materials and supplies and the Web site, to scholarships, contributions to other groups and two professional full-time staff members. Q: Many people believe the organization is funded by Kevin Richardson himself. Is that a misperception on our part? Jim: I think that is a misperception. Kevin did provide seed money to get JWR off the ground but it is not his responsibility to fund the organization. He also has donated proceeds from celebrity appearances like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and "Fear Factor." When we started Just Within Reach, we all agreed from day one that this would be a grassroots effort, meaning people from all walks of life would have to come together to support the mission. Vicki: I think Kevin feels very strongly, as do we that the environment is too serious of an issue to just throw money at and hope that it works like a Band-Aid. Kevin contributes by donating his time and labor, some of his travel, and of course his name, voice and celebrity in order to gain attention for issues most important to him. I think maybe the misperception comes from the fact that some celebrities do just put money into something so their name can be on it. But again, that's not what JWR is about. Q: What exactly do you do, anyway? Can you describe a typical day? Vicki: There is no "typical day" when you're working on behalf of the environment. We do a lot of different things and they vary day to day. One day we might have a briefing with one of our colleague organizations to be brought up to speed on an issue. Another day we'll process donations and send receipts and acknowledgments while also answering emails from school kids, teachers, moms, other science-based professionals, or people from other parts of the world. And we do our best to also answer Nick Carter's ocean-related emails too, but there are a LOT of them! We handle Kevin's environmental project schedule and manage the scholarship program and projects like the public lands video we're doing with National Geographic. We speak to classes, research issues, coordinate efforts with other environmental groups and educate political leaders. We also provide all the information for the Web site and write pieces for Earth Matters, which is produced by a volunteer team. Then of course, when we have events, that adds an additional tier of duties including increased media relations, managing logistics, collecting items for auctions and raffles, selling the tickets, sending invitations, etc. Of course we do the day-to-day tasks like manage the books and file government-required documents for taxes, legal solicitations in the states, nonprofit filings, etc. One thing we have done little of in the past is sleep, which is why some of you get answers to your emails at like 3 or 4 a.m. Pacific Time. But we're working on that bad habit. Q:What work do you think needs to be done that hasn't been started yet? Jim: I recently attended a conference on Sustainability and I met with members from the Union of Concerned Scientists who said the best thing we can teach people is to live more sustainable lives. The two most important things people need to do in order to provide a more sustainable Earth is drive a fuel efficient car and shop locally, meaning buy food from local growers. That message needs to be spread and taught to people now. We'd like to have traveling programs where we go into communities and literally teach people these principles and teach basic environmental issues. So many people just don't understand what is going on around them and are hungry for someone to tell them. But we have to be able to reach them before we can expect them to act or change behaviors. Vicki: In working with Wildlife On Wheels, a Los Angeles area organization that takes wild animals into schools to teach kids about wildlife and ecosystems, I've learned that school budgets are being cut to the point that field trips and guest speakers are no longer being planned for students. And that problem isn't unique to Los Angeles County schools, it's happening all across our country. With enough funding and manpower, we could facilitate day trips for students - trips that get kids outdoors so they can connect with nature and understand why it should be protected. When we shot the National Geographic video, we worked with kids who had never been to the desert, which is a two-hour drive away. We've worked with kids who have never seen an ocean or touched an animal from the wild. JWR would be meeting an important need, and in a perfect scenario, would be doing it for free, as a service to the kids and their future. Q: JWR has asked people to make a difference in their local communities by getting involved and it sounds like that is happening. With all this in mind, what else can people do to help at this point? Jim: Make donations. Give. Vicki: Give what you can, give soon and give often. And if you can't give, be sure to keep up the fight by doing your part to clean up and preserve the environmental treasures in your own neighborhood or region. Never give up. 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