Knoxville, Tioga County – Instead of holding an annual banquet to raise funds, the National Deer Association’s Cowanesque Valley Branch in Knoxville, Tioga County held a chicken barbecue.
Pinched by the pandemic, the branch was left with few options to raise money and gain memberships in order to stay afloat financially.
The drive-through barbecue wasn’t a total loss. For every order, an NDA membership was also included. While the banquet typically generates 75 memberships, including renewals, the chicken barbecue event garnered the branch 65 members.
And it might not be the last time that an NDA branch has to opt for selling barbecue dinners rather than hosting a formal banquet as COVID-19 restrictions threaten to curtail activities into next year.
“We have to get smart in 2021 about alternatives that we can do to raise funds,” said Kip Adams, chief conservation officer for NDA and a Knoxville resident.
Adams has been with NDA, which used to be the Quality Deer Management Association until a merger in July, for 18 years. He said the pandemic has placed conservation groups, which traditionally relied on in-person events to raise money, under unprecedented hardship.
Adams said no NDA branches have been able to hold a banquet since March 20, and that impacted things on both the state and national levels.
Not only did the ability to gain memberships disappear, but the national organization also lost $1 million in fundraising revenue as a result of the pandemic, according to Adams. Subsequently, NDA had to cut eight of its 10 regional director positions in June, in addition to other office employees.
With more than 180 branches in 30 states, Adams said it was the biggest loss of staff in QDMA/NDA history.
“It’s been a big hit to us. We have two regional directors covering all our NDA branches throughout the country,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to operate at this level forever, and I expect us to add staff when the COVID situation clears.”
In Pennsylvania, where there are 10 NDA branches, the pandemic has put everything at a standstill in regards to banquets and habitat and educational events.
Rick Watts, who is on NDA’s Pennsylvania State Advisory Council, said branches that have money in reserve are just waiting to see what happens with the pandemic before they schedule anything. While it is possible to conduct online fundraisers, such as raffles, Watts said the Pennsylvania branches are holding off, letting the national organization conduct the events and raise money.
“It’s survival mode on the national level, let alone the local branches,” he said. “But you can only do so much online and we’re probably going to have to re-invent ourselves a little bit. Right now you’re just hesitant to do anything because you don’t want to break a COVID guideline have something turn into a spreading event.”
There isn’t much time to wait as most NDA branches hold banquets in March and April. With the possibility of pandemic restrictions stretching well into next year, Watts said NDA leaders will likely meet in January to formulate a plan going forward.
On the plus side, Adams said the merger between QDMA and NDA (which was actually created in 2015 as an advocacy arm of QDMA) allowed the organization to streamline and reduce duplicity of services.
“I’m very pleased the pandemic gave us the opportunity to assess the value of merging,” he said. “Now, we’re in a much better position and we’ve added alternative fundraising measures – online sweepstakes, gun raffles.
“We understand we probably can’t do banquets probably for the first quarter of 2021, but we’re on good footing financially heading into next year.”
The struggles have caught the attention of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which partners with conservation groups on a variety of habitat projects on game lands.
Executive Director Bryan Burhans said the groups also help raise money for habitat projects, are pivotal with conservation outreach efforts to the public and are involved in legislative issues.
“COVID has been devastating to our NGO (non-government organization) partners. These partners are very important to the PGC,” he said. “Many of our NGO partners are also focused on delivering R3 efforts (Retention, Recruitment, Reactivation of hunters and shooters) through their large network of volunteers. For a NGO to deliver these programs/services, staffing and funding is foundational to support these efforts.”
And there are still ways that conservation-minded individuals can help.
Watts stressed the importance on renewing existing memberships and enrolling new ones. Donations are always needed, he said, as are volunteers. In the end, the efforts on the local front benefit the national organization, an aspect Watts said is crucial for things like maintaining insurance for members to assist with habitat projects on game lands.
“If you ever thought about becoming a member of any conservation group, now is the time to do it,” he said. “Support those organizations that support what you love.”
- This story originally appeared in PA Outdoor News.
