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Aerial view of Pakin Atoll in Pohnpei in Federated States of Micronesia
© Jez O'Hare
Multiplying Your Investment
Organizations often develop shorthand terminology to distill broad ideas. One term we use at The Nature Conservancy is “leverage,” to describe how we magnify or multiply the consequences of our resources and efforts.
Leverage takes on different forms. Often it reflects how our donors’ contributions are used to inspire additional giving. No one personifies that kind of motivation more than Bob Wilson, whose extraordinary generosity has transformed The Nature Conservancy’s commitment to a global agenda.
Bob realized that as a decentralized organization with a strong presence in every state, we have been very successful at directing local donors to local conservation needs. As we confronted the global realities of our mission—90 percent of Earth’s natural diversity resides outside the United States—the challenge was how to inspire Americans, and citizens of other countries, to support conservation where need is great and resources scarce.
It was for this purpose that Bob challenged philanthropists to think, and act, more expansively. He dedicated $100 million to motivate donors to support conservation in places well beyond where they live. His gift has been a beacon to inspire others and an endorsement of the need to be global in our impact.
Here’s one example of Bob Wilson’s inspiration—and leverage: After years of supporting Nature Conservancy work in the United States, a Colorado donor saw an opportunity through the Wilson Challenge to expand his giving, especially in support of his interest in the nexus of conservation and human well-being in developing countries. Over four years, his nearly $1.5 million in donations to projects in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru were matched one-to-one by Wilson to support work in the donor’s home state. Additional matching funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development and other sources brought the total amount raised for conservation to nearly $10 million.
All told, the Wilson Challenge has generated a quarter of a billion dollars for conservation in some of the most important natural areas in the world.
Leverage also means expanding capacity. The Nature Conservancy has long recognized the importance of encouraging conservation support from all sectors of society—private and public. We have seen that a modest investment in educating voters about the benefits of state and local bond initiatives can unleash much-needed funding for conservation on a continuing basis. In my home state of California alone, Nature Conservancy-supported bond initiatives have generated an impressive $10 billion in public funding for land conservation.
But perhaps the best kind of leverage occurs when an action by The Nature Conservancy sets in motion a chain of events to create unstoppable momentum and ever-expanding results. Some years ago we employed a single person in Palau and another on the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia to explore what might be done to conserve these islands’ rich natural diversity. It was a rough start; there was doubt, uncertainty and even suspicion about our intentions. But within five years, conservation trust funds and local nonprofit conservation organizations were established with our assistance, and conservation projects blossomed. But the momentum didn’t stop there.
To expand that success to the scores of Micronesian islands that dot a seascape of terrestrial and marine habitats the size of the contiguous United States, we created the Micronesians in Island Conservation learning network. Grassroots conservationists share lessons learned, technical knowledge, leadership skills and moral support. And conservation results flourish. Already, the network has been a catalyst for establishing protected areas in the states of Yap, Chuuk and Kosrae and in the nation of Palau. Outreach now extends to the Mariana and Marshall Islands.
Continuing that momentum, the president of Palau recently issued the “Micronesia Challenge” to his neighboring Pacific islanders to conserve 30 percent of nearshore marine resources and 20 percent of forest resources by 2020—a challenge that is having a ripple effect in island nations worldwide. The Nature Conservancy has committed $3 million to help others realize this bold vision.
Leverage, then, is a lot more than jargon. It means a dollar can become thousands, a vote can release billions and investing wisely in a strategic dot in a vast ocean can beget a veritable continent of conservation.
Steven J. McCormick
President and CEO
The Nature Conservancy
Summer 2006
Read the previous message from Steve McCormick.
