Today was a particularly boring day, or at least the first half of it was for me. I'm not really a fan of talking about money or finances or anything and it was all about fundraising, four hours of talking about fundraising basically non-stop, and it almost killed me. I'm not complaining, but I just can't pay attention to something like that because it doesn't interest me. I know I need to know these things, I know I need to have money to be able to have a project, but I'd rather just procrastinate until it absolutely needs to be done, which is probably the worst idea I've ever had. So maybe I'll just get someone to do it for me! No, I have no idea, I'll figure it out.
But yeah, the Houston Zoo Development Team talked to us for four hours, they had an informal meeting with us and basically tried to give us a short history/dictionary of fundraising terms and guidelines, etc, but it wasn't all that short. They had an outline a page long and kept elaborating until we were numb in the face. Someone would occasionally ask a real-world question and it would get more interesting, then they'd go right back to the financial jargon and talking about grant's, etc. I think if they'd given a much more summarized over-view of what they do, and then given us an example and helped us work through our fundraising it would have been much better. But I do appreciate them coming and talking to us and trying to help us understand, even if it was boring for some.
It actually reminded me a lot of the work I did with the Waco Humane Society. I went to one of their events and helped run it with one of the bosses of the whole Humane Society. I really liked it and it was a great time just being where people needed you and helping things run smoothly. I like stuff like that, I like being the helping hand when someone needs it. And also I would enter in the gifts they would get into the computer, so I learned a lot about how they thank people for giving gifts, and what they do with the money that is handed to them. For me, I think experience with that stuff is what's going to help more than anything else. I can't really be talked to about financial stuff because I tune it out, no matter how necessary it is for me to hear.
So that was our long morning. The ladies we talked to were very nice, it was just that their topic wasn't really my cup of tea. So after lunch we got to hear from the Philippine Eagle Project and Pongos helping Pongos, both fundraising projects going on at the Zoo, started by keepers and proving to be successful!
The Philippine Eagle project was started by a bird keeper to help the largest eagle in the world escape extinction. She started "flocking" people's yards for their birthday, anniversaries, surprises, etc, by putting out flamingos in front lawns and surprising them. All the profit that she made would go to the Philippine Eagle Foundation, which had proved to be important because those eagles are gorgeous and smart and big. And while the project had it's difficulties, what she realized they needed more than money was awareness, so she received a puppet, Jeffery, the Philippine Eagle, who travels all across the country and globe to teach people about the value of conserving the Philippine Eagle and why it is important to our world environment. She started doing more events talking about the Philippine Eagle and telling people to tell people and raising money because of it. Her organization turned out to be more of a education program than she had expected, but it seemed to be working out, and the Eagles in the wild are increasing in number, so that's always inspiring.
The next presentation was from Pongos helping Pongos which was the Orangutan art project turned into a gallery that the keepers had started a few years ago. Part of the Orang enrichment is painting, and teaching them how to paint, of course, was quite the process, but it proved to be pleasing and fun for them, so the keepers kept at it. And they soon realized that these paintings were more than just paint splashed on a page, they were actually kindof cool, and the public seemed to like them. It was something that would not only connect you to that animal for life, but it would connect you to the ones out in the wild, which is why they started this project. They would raise money from these paintings, have a big event every two years where they sell them, and then give them to the Orangutan fund in the wild to help research and save the species in Borneo. And the Orangutans weren't the only ones who were painting anymore. The elephants and snow leopards had started too! So they had even more to sell with more animals to attach to. This project was particularly cool because it was something tangible and understandable, it was enrichment for the orangutans as well as conservation in the wild. It was a win/win. It was practically perfect.
So all in all, today turned out to not be such a bad day. I really do love fundraising events, I just don't like talking about the tax forms you'd have to fill out because of it. Fundraising can always be fun, especially when it's a cause you really care about. This really makes me want to start my own fundraising event! But I'd have no idea what to choose.
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