By Steven Price, President, Birds Canada
David Love has had a profound influence on my career in conservation, first with WWF-Canada and later with Birds Canada. Hard at work for over five decades, his passion to propel conservation forward by recruiting supporters to volunteer for and donate to charitable causes is nearly unmatched in Canada. David and his wife, Ann, have been steadfast Birds Canada supporters through board positions, Project FeederWatch participation and raising over $100,000 for bird conservation since 2007 with their “Lovebirds” annual Birdathon.
Ann and David Love
“From experience, I know that fundraising education makes a difference. The annual grant from the Love Family and Friends Fundraising Education Fund will help raise more money for the conservation of Canada’s wild birds.”
David’s years of experience have now been distilled in his first book Green Green – Reflections on 51 Years of Raising Money for Nature. And how appropriate that it will be officially released on the 51st anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2021! Further, in true David Love unmatched style and legacy, David and Ann have recently established the “Love Family and Friends Fundraising Education Fund”, now part of Birds Canada’s endowment funds. Seeding it with an outstanding $25,000 gift of securities, David and Ann invite others to join. To date, additional donors have boosted the fund to $35,000.
David and Birds Canada are working to grow it further. A generous start comes from David himself, who has committed all proceeds from the book to increase the fund and its good works even further!
The fund will support staff at Birds Canada in being more effective and successful in fundraising and donor care, which is key to growing our conservation efforts. Fundraising staff, who work on our membership and major donor teams, and program staff, who raise funds from government, foundations, corporations and individuals for conserving birds, will be eligible. For a charitable organization like Birds Canada, our supporters are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to create the best possible experience for our donors, and to use every dollar raised in the best way we can. Everyone on our staff is a part of the fundraising team, since every email, conversation or mailing is a vital opportunity for us to share ways our current or prospective supporters can help us help the birds they love.
“The Lovebirds” Birdathon Team
The Love Family and Friends Fundraising Education Fund is a wise and generous gesture for birds. We salute the Love Family for their lifelong dedication to birds and nature conservation. And we are enormously grateful.
Interested in contributing to the Love Family and Friends Fundraising Education Fund? Please contact Kyla Makela, VP for Public Support, at kmakela AT birdscanada.org.
Cedar Waxwing Photo: Mary Ott