Fundraising - My Frustration and Their Fails

I've been making notes about my irritation at the lack of fundraising for years.  The notes are mostly accompanied by my own ideas to raise funds, and the frustration of Why don't they...?

I started this post awhile ago, the catalyst was the all the missed opportunities during the pandemic shutdowns.  That was a crucial time for them to try everything to raise funds, and the San Francisco Zoo basically did nothing. 

This post was slated to publish at the end of October, but when I was almost done, I realized that I had left out at least half of what I was goimg to write. I was already exhausted by the subject and didn't have the energy to think about how to work in the parts I had left out.  Then, when I reorganized my draft posts, I found the post might flow better at the end, so I put it aside.  After writing my Orangutan post last night, it reignited my fury over the disregard for the needs of the Chimpanzees for so many years and for the Orangutans in the past two years.  So, I'm going to attempt to finish this irritation before moving on.  Whatever I get documented here, as lengthy as it will be, won't even paint the whole picture of the lack of effort, and years of missed opportunity, that has left our San Francisco Zoo in despair.

I don't have the time or energy to read through all my notes, for posts I've put off finishing for too long, so I'm winging alot of it from the ticker tape on loop in my mind.  It's not hard to have all my issue points boiling at the brim, as every time I hear something can't be done because there's no money, I'm flooded with outrage.

I've written abit before about fundraising and that I have a notebook of ideas that would better the Zoo (in every aspect).  Thoughts come to me at all times, so alot of my ideas are in various places, emails, messages to myself, computer docs, wherever I can make a note at the time.  All waiting to be entered in that notebook.  I've shared Enrichment ideas with certain Staff over the years, and seen some of those things come to fruition.  Other things I've kept to myself, because why should I share with this administration, who has done nothing but paint me as an enemy of the Zoo.  It's easy to condemn people who are critical, especially if the critism is valid, and illustrates fails.  

When I recently read an old quote from famed SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen, my mind easily tweaked it a bit, and it played a tune familiar to the vibe that flows through the Zoo. 

“The city is cruel to the weak, deaf to those who love it, and subservient only to those who are wrecking it. Like all neurotics, the city hates its friends, and loves its enemies.”   - Herb Caen

This topic wasn't going to be a post, and then starting in March 2020, it was clear it had to be.  As soon as Covid hit and the Zoo faced its first shutdown, I worried about how the Zoo would survive.  Our Zoo had been crying poor for as long as I could remember.  With no revenue, what was going to happen?

I immediately had a stream of no less than a dozen ideas at one time.  That number just kept expanding over that first week, the following weeks, months, and has never stopped.  The first thing I thought of were masks.  Almost within days, I saw that Cincinnati had done a Fiona mask, in addition to others.   

I waited, and waited, nothing from our Zoo.  The Zoo eventually got the Gift Shop online, something they should have done years ago.  Still there was nothing to capitalize on the Pandemic that had shut them down.  It wasn't til closer to reopening, once masks were being done by all the other facilities, as well as saturated by every retailer, that our Zoo did one. 

Time went on, and other Zoos were doing fundraising through shirt sales, as well as trying (like my mind was) anything to bring in funds.  I had the shirt idea as well, probably because I've had it for other things in the past.  I screencapped all the ones I saw, but this is the one I bought.  So, Yes!  I supported another Zoo, a Zoo who was trying to raise funds to "Hang On".  The Erie Zoo sold these shirts featuring our Ollie's little brother Otis.  I follow Ollie's Family, and Love this graphic!  

Another idea I had was a virtual Telethon.   My mind went as far as to completely work out the whole thing, even content.  Erie Zoo then ended up doing an actual Telethon and raising $200,000.   They have a relationship with a local News station where they do a weekly segment, and the station donated phone lines for the event.  ...  They also had two shirt fundraisers.  The one above that I bought, and one before that. Combined they made almost $34,000.  Pretty sure $234,000 could have bought the Orangutans some netting.

Admittedly, some of my ideas, do lend to the need for a caring Community to support them, for full fundraising potential.  As I've also said in many posts, our SFZoo has not created such a Community. Back in 2009 before Director Peterson became so threatened by my interest in the Zoo, we had an open communication.  In one correspondence I detailed the need for building a Community.  It was when there was a dark cloud over the Zoo, in the wake of the Tiger Tragedy and I wanted the Zoo to be seen in a better light and thought that would be helpful.  Director Peterson found no value in that, or much else, other than adopting my Winter Hours idea as her own.  I had suggested it after the 2009 Grizzly Bear tresspassing event, when I immediately emailed her and asked, Why people were allowed to roam the Zoo when it was getting dark. Was she waiting for another Tiger Tragedy? She never answered me, but at the next Joint Zoo Meeting asked for Winter Hours to be approved.

Let's talk about this Community related item.  This really bothered me, even though I knew it would not be available to me, it should have been to some Members I know.  As well, in my opinion, it was just plain shitty.  I had planned to write a post about it at the time, then just didn't.  It seems to fit right in here though.  When the Zoo was closed for four months during the 1st Shutdown, there was a time frame when they were allowing "invited guests" to come to the Zoo.   Those guests allegedly approved by Director Peterson, included Society Members families and random other chosen people.  That said, after reopening, I met a Member who had also gotten wind of this and complained.  They invited her.  The issue is, if they were allowing Small groups of people in and from that I hear it was 1-5 groups a day, Why were the people who actually donated to their "ask for money" fundraiser not invited?   I know 2 people who are Members who donated and they were never invited.  These people gave when the Zoo said they were in need, and yet the Zoo couldn't do them a solid by inviting them?  It says a lot to how the Zoo views the efforts by the public to help and it certainly does not lend to creating a caring Community.  Additionally, our SFZoo was one of the only places (Zoos and other facilities) that I could find, who did not automatically extend Memberships for the time they were in Shutdown.  Again, does not make for a caring Community.  I understand they needed funds, but come on, in my opinion, that is like stealing from people.  They don't know what people's financial situation is.  Maybe it's hard for some to even gather the funds for a Membership.  Members should have been given the choice whether to take extension or consider the dollar amount of four months as a donation.  Most people would have donated.  Not giving them the choice was wrong.  

I've talked about a few things other Zoo's were doing.  Let's talk about what did our Zoo did do. ... The first thing I saw was a Facebook post, that flat out asked for donations.  I got no problem with that, but if there are no other attempts at being creative with fundraising, then it kinda rubs me the wrong way.  What did bother me is that I saw some Keepers names as those who donated, and I thought, wow, these people care so much about the Zoo, that even though their pay had been cut during the Shutdown, they still donated.  I'm going to talk about that in a bit.  Let me first finish with the one other thing the Zoo did.  

The Zoo's annual fundraising event, ZooFest, is pretty exclusive to the deep pocket Zoological Society Members.  Tickets are pricey, and allegedly they even frown on non-VP staffers attending, it seems pretty clique-y, but I digress.  So, keeping with Covid guidelines, the ZooFest auction was held online.  My eyes rolled as I went through the auction items, many with starting bids out of most people's price range.  In my opinion, opening up this auction to the general public was offensive and useless.  It should have been exclusive as the event usually dictates and been open to the Society Members that are the regular attendees.  Then, my idea would have been to have another auction with reasonably priced auction items for the general public.  Unfortunately I don't think the Zoo gets that small donations add up.  They would rather hold their breath on someone paying $15,000 to rename the latest Gorilla, who already had a name.  When instead they could have had 15 items at $1,000 or 30 at $500 and made the same amount. I assume no one ponied up the 15 grand, because Kimani got lucky and kept her name! 

So, back to the flat out ask for money. Here's how my brain works.  

The top seven earners at the Zoo, have a combined payroll suck of over a million dollars.  That includes Director Tanya Peterson, who ironically, before becoming the Director in 2008, was an active fundraiser for the Zoological Society.  So, that begs the big question, Why hasn't she done everything she can to bring in funds for the Zoo during her fourteen year reign as Director?  She allegedly has not put forth any ideas for raising funds, or we'd see those bright ideas.  So, of these seven people, not one had a fundraising idea?   How is our Zoo going to thrive if it can't "afford" even small upgrade projects, under a Director that doesn't aggressively create fundraising ideas herself, as well expect them from her high paid Executives?  I'm disgusted by this. I don't even work there and I have ideas flowing constantly.  The difference is, I care.

Oh and then there's this.  I posted about this before, as I was so outraged.  

When our Lemur Maki was kidnapped, the Zoo created a plea for donations for "Maki's" new home.  This plea was not only on their various Social Media platforms, but picked up by media outlets.  This had me furious for several reasons.  First, and foremost,  I find turning Maki's traumatic experience into a fundraising op, sickening.  I know the Zoo suffered during the Shutdown a few months before, but come on, this was unconscionable.  Second, as far as I know, a new Lemur home is not part of the Madagascar Project.  Third, the Madagascar Project allegedly has a single donor lock of $7 million. If they need more than that, scale it back! Fourth, this all happened while Director Peterson made no attempt to fundraise for the Orangutans who she had living in caged tubes.  My ears and face are effing pulsating at this moment while I'm typing this.  The whole thing is disgusting and the validity questionable.

All Zoos were suffering during the Shutdowns, but so many seemed to do whatever they could to bring in even the smallest funds.  It's always seemed to me that SFZoo does not find value in small donations.  If they did, there are so many things that could be done.  Even raising $2000 would put netting over the Prairie Dogs so Predator Birds don't steal the babies again. 

This is probably not news to most, as it got alot of media attention, but one six year old girl raised over $80,000 for the Oakland Zoo, making and selling bracelets.  Yet, our top SFZoo earners came up with nothing.  They seemingly just kicked back and took their fat checks.  Disgraceful.

As I've mentioned, together with my own ideas, there were so many ideas out there, before during and after the shutdowns.  One that I had was a Drive-In Movie in the parking lot.  Not just the Movie but other Covid safe things to bring in funds for an event like that.  Food Trucks, Online Vendors, ect.  Only reason I'm putting this idea and a couple others out there and giving them away, is about a month after I thought of this, Fort Mason started doing a Drive-In.  CalAcademy did a take on several of my virtual based ideas, with a Pay Per View Facebook Live for $2.99, raising over $3000.  It's hard to watch so many of my ideas over the years eventually being done elsewhere, while SFZoo does nothing and Animal needs drown in the tears of the Director crying poor.

If only the Zoo had great minds, they could be innovators of fundraising ideas.  I had an original idea years ago.  I've held it close since no other Zoo is doing it.  I did finally pitch it, because I wanted to help the Animals.  It was well received, but then bypassed because the example space was going to be used in the Madagascar project.  That space has now been vacant for three years.  Three years that could have been generating funds for the Animals.  I won't share that idea again, unless there is new management.  Management who wants the Zoo to thrive, instead of standing by and watching it die.

The high-level person I pitched it to, is no longer there, but was successful in their goal to raise funds for more water filling stations.  This really irks me.  When I saw the Zoo's pleas for funds for this nonsense, I was outraged.  At an alleged cost of $10-15,000, this is a waste of money.  Yet a new one went up during this pandemic year of struggle.  Mind-blowing and mind-numbing at the same time.  Seriously, what is up with the minds there?

I have long been frustrated at the Zoo's lack of ambition. I'm sorry but it has to be one of two things, they are lazy or they are just uncreative.  Regardless of which one, and whether related to fundraising or too many other things, it's like they don't want to try to be the best they can be.  They seem to be content on doing as little as possible.  It's curious and disappointing, especially when there are needs that aren't being met.  Doing the bare minimum may have kept them hanging on pre-Covid, but once the Zoo shut down in March, they needed to wake-up.  

I'm sure they will try to discredit my accusations, and this of course, along with the previous post, is one that makes me vulnerable to retaliation.  Unfortunately for them, the dismissive attention to Animal needs is fact.  And if they are doing fundraising, Why do we not hear about the donating opportunities?  And What are they doing with the money?  There is certainly dollars currently going to pretty up the place before their AZA inspection this week, but simple things can't even get done like finishing the flamingo netting, netting meerkats and the prairie dogs, and not to mention the whole Orangutan fiasco.  Whatever funds they do have, it goes to Wants over Needs.  And they can say what they want, there are No Fundraising ideas put forth to the public.

We just left the Holidays.   The Zoo let them go by without a full-scale fundraising menu.  It is severe mismanagement to miss another Giving Season.  I only remember seeing Facebook items for the usual Give A Membership and Adopt A Animal.  No further creativity = No further funds being generated. 

To wrap-up, in the coming posts, I will also touch on Fundraising, but in relation to specific projects.  So, keep in mind all that you've read here, as I hope to illustrate how the Zoo is selective when doling-out funds.  It seems they come up with money when its something they Want, but claim no money for Needs.

I may have missed some stuff, but I've put forth plenty.  This took alot out of me.  Time for a cocktail.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Blogger's Statement

"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."

For Full Statement see this post:

https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*