institutional strategic plan

introduction

We are at a tipping point and in the midst of a crisis, the greatest humanity has ever faced. Species are on the brink of extinction, habitats are shrinking and disappearing, the lack of appreciation for the value of individual animals and their contributions to conservation goals remains and, climate change is wreaking havoc on people and ecosystems across the globe. All this is happening in a time when our assault on nature has given rise to deadly zoonotic diseases, one of which has become a global pandemic.

In response to this crisis, IFAW is embarking on an audacious five-year strategic plan focused on improving the welfare of individual animals and the conservation status of wildlife populations in priority habitats through on-the-ground efforts and global advocacy. The plan prioritizes solutions and approaches to build resilience to climate change which poses an existential threat to livelihoods, people, specific species and ecosystems in the places we work with the potential to derail efforts underway to attain global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Animal welfare remains core to our mission. Our dual-emphasis on rescue and conservation promotes animal welfare, species population stability and secure habitats. To sustain the welfare of species and the places they call home, our work must be comprehensive.

Consistent with the previous strategic plan, we remain focused on addressing the core threats to animals we are best positioned to reduce, the critical geographic regions of those threats, and the approaches we believe will achieve results. This approach aligns with our commitment to deliver programs of impact to save the lives of animals around the world. We are fully committed to sustaining the successes achieved during the last five years, and to growing our impact in the next five.

We will continue to pursue opportunities to diversify revenue, build a staffing model that supports implementation of the strategic plan, push programmatic and operational management closer to the point of implementation, fully leverage our brand for program impact and fundraising effectiveness and align resources geographically for greater impact. The new plan pays attention to the need to grow the restricted funding portfolio (major donors, foundations, governments), to support programmatic growth.

The plan reflects a rebuild of our communications and marketing department to help us connect with, and grow, our network of people who care about animals and their habitats as much as we do. We will continue to focus on rescuing animals and preserving their habitats, knowing that as this work is recognized, our name recognition will grow. These major changes include a revitalized brand with a new vision, mission, logo and new website that positions us for the work ahead. We will use these tools to generate greater awareness, increased revenue and support for on-the-ground programmatic growth in Africa and Asia, and global advocacy.

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