rainforest trust: 6 month progress report
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RAINFOREST TRUSTA SIX MONTH PROGRESS REPORTAPRIL 2014
On cover, from left: Blue-throated Macaw, Amazon Rainforest, Wax Palms in El Dorado Reserve, Santa Marta Salamander. Inside left: Sierra del Divisor, Peru
ABOUT RAINFOREST TRUSTRainforest Trust, formerly World Land Trust-US, is a nonprofit conservation organization focused on saving rainforest and endangered species. Since its founding in 1988, Rainforest Trust has saved nearly 8 million acres of rainforests and other tropical habitats in 73 projects across 20 tropical countries. The nonprofit purchases and protects threatened land in partnership with local conservation leaders, engaging indigenous communities. Rainforest Trust has been awarded the top four-star Charity Navigator rating for each of the last five years.
Dear Rainforest Trust Supporters:
In fall 2013, as we approached our organization’s 25th anniversary, we made a major decision that we hoped would enable us to grow and meet the challenges of the next quarter century: We changed our name from World Land Trust-US to Rainforest Trust.
The name Rainforest Trust more accurately reflects our mission: to purchase and protect threatened tropical forests and save endangered wildlife through community engagement and local partnerships. We are pleased to report that since we adopted our new name, the achievements of Rainforest Trust – made possible by our supporters and our partners – have exceeded our expectations.
In recent months, we’ve launched exciting and important conservation projects in countries where we have long worked, such as Bolivia, Brazil, and Colombia. Late in 2013, we started our most ambitious project yet to protect 5.9 million acres of pristine Peruvian Amazon. Rainforest Trust has also supported projects with new partners in Asian and African nations, including Borneo, Madagascar, and the Philippines, that are home to critically endangered species.
Our ability to fund conservation projects has been gaining record support from our donors. Rainforest Trust’s income from donations more than doubled from 2012 to 2013, reaching an all-time high of nearly $4.7 million. This reflects the generosity of our long-time donors – as well as many new contributors. Our donor base grew by 57 percent in 2013, and among those first-time donors, 70 percent contributed after the name change.
As Rainforest Trust, we are better able to reach existing and new supporters through improved digital media outreach. We’ve updated our web site, expanded our presence on Facebook, and attracted new interest from the media. We have also augmented our staff and Board with individuals who have experience and passion for our mission. Our organization continues to be one of the most efficient conservation nonprofits. Rainforest Trust ensures that 95 percent of revenues go directly to conservation programs. This efficiency is reflected in our consistent, coveted 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.
At Rainforest Trust, our commitment to engage local communities and partners to purchase and protect threatened rainforests and other endangered habitats is unshakable. As the threats against rainforests grow, so must our efforts to counteract them.
The report that follows highlights some of our post-branding successes over the last six months. You share in that success, and we thank you for your continued support.
Dr. Paul Salaman CEO, Rainforest Trust
A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
Message from the CEO | PAGE 12014 Rainforest Trust Progress Report
SUMMARY OF POST-BRANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
CONSERVATION PROJECTS:
• Launched important projects around the globe: • Peru: protecting 5.9 million acres of Amazon Rainforest • Madagascar: protecting critically endangered amphibian species • Philippines: protecting endemics near one of world’s most “irreplaceable” areas • Colombia: protecting rare endemic bird species • Brazil: conserving some of the best jaguar habitat in the world • Borneo: protecting orangutan and pygmy elephant habitat • Helped double size of Blue-throated Macaw Reserve in Bolivia by adding 14,827 acres • Helped secure purchase of: • 19 properties in Borneo • 600 acres to expand Buenaventura Reserve in Ecuador • 237 acres to expand Serra Bonita Reserve in Brazil • 688 acres to expand Las Tangaras Reserve in Colombia • Awarded $10,000 mapping grant to Brazilian partner REGUA to evaluate adjoining properties and develop land-acquisition strategy • Helped launch million dollar “Leap Frog” fund with partners to improve worldwide amphibian conservation
2014 Rainforest Trust Progress ReportPAGE 2 | Conservation Projects
From left: Amazon River, Spectacled Bear, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014
FUNDING:
• In 2013, Rainforest Trust raised $4.7 million dollars, and nearly half of these funds ($2.16 million) occurred after the name change. In the final three months of 2013 – the period immediately following the name change – donations were double the level of the comparable period of 2012. Additionally, for the entire six month period following the name change, Rainforest Trust doubled the number of new donors compared to the year-ago period. Rainforest Trust received $3 million in gifts in the six months following the name change, compared to just $1.7 million during the same period of the previous year. • Fully funded Phase One of the Peruvian project in the Sierra del Divisor Mountain Range – one of the Amazon’s last true wildernesses and home to jaguars and the South American tapir – totaling $646,000. • Raised nearly $1.5 million with U.K. partner World Land Trust to fund Borneo project to protect orangutan and pygmy elephant habitat. • 2013 donor base grew by 57 percent, with 70 percent of first-time donors contributing after the name change.
2014 Rainforest Trust Progress Report Funding | PAGE 3
From left: Amazon River, Spectacled Bear, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
From top: Crystal Frog, Pygmy Marmoset, Sloth
LEADERSHIP:
• Internationally renowned conservation biologist Dr. Thomas Lovejoy joined our Board of Directors. • CEO Paul Salaman was elected to Amphibian Survival Alliance’s Global Council.
BRAND VISIBILITY & ENGAGEMENT:
• Increased brand engagement on Facebook via engaging contests and content; Facebook “likes” have gone from 1,260 in early October to over 13,600 at the end of March, 2014. • Introduced Rainforest Trust to several renowned media outlets including TIME magazine, Discovery, National Geographic, and The Washington Post, which published a February 24, 2014 profile featuring Dr. Paul Salaman and efforts to save the endangered golden poison frog.
2014 Rainforest Trust Progress ReportPAGE 4 | Leadership/Brand Visibility
From top: Andean Condor, Golden-headed Lion Tamarin, El Dorado Reserve
Please call, email, or follow us if you would like to know more.
Phone 1.800.456.4930Email [email protected] www.rainforesttrust.orgFacebook www.facebook.com/RainforestTrustTwitter www.twitter.com/rainforesttrustYouTube www.youtube.com/user/rainforesttrust
To donate online: www.rainforesttrust.org/donations
Development Contact: Malissa Cadwallader, [email protected]
Media Contact: Joe Lowe, [email protected]
Contact Us | PAGE 52014 Rainforest Trust Progress Report
CONTACT US
Rainforest Trust 25 Horner Street Warrenton, VA 20186www.RainforestTrust.org