Sponsorship
Birds in Backyards is mostly funded by private donations and sponsorships. As a program focusing on community involvement there are many opportunities for sponsors and donors to become involved.
Opportunities for sponsorship
There is much work yet to be done for the program and prospective sponsors or donors are encouraged to discuss which aspects of the program they would most like to support.
Research: more research is needed into many aspects of urban habitat, particularly relating to the needs of smaller birds which would allow them to live successfully in our rapidly expanding urban landscapes.
Education: State and Local government planners and environmental officers need to know how to educate their constituents and have access to the latest research results. Individual gardeners need to learn more about how and why they should change their habits and need support and encouragement in that process.
Website: There is much more information that needs to be included on this site.
A national program: The Birds in Backyards program has already been developed as a national program - but to date there is no funding to facilitate this process. It could be done on a state by state basis, region by region or as one big Australia-wide program.
Individual donations: Donations to the Birds in Backyards program are tax deductible. Donations can be sent directly to Birds Australia NSW and ACT Group, specifying the program. Enquiries regarding donations or corporate sponsorships can be made directly to Birds Australia.
History of individual donations
From its inception, Birds in Backyards has been almost entirely funded by individual donations. Seeding funds were raised through the New South Wales Twitchathon (a bird race that raises money for bird conservation and research),which allowed the concept of Birds in Backyards to be fully designed and developed. Initial research funding was donated by Mr Peter Crossing, enabling Birds in Backyards to become fully functional and to begin its research program. Since then several donors have contributed significant amounts for specific projects within the program, including a very significant donation that has facilitated the development of this website. Without the support of these generous and far-sighted individuals, Birds in Backyards, would not be operational today.
Corporate sponsorship
Birds in Backyards wishes to thank the following sponsors for their very important contribution to the program:
Boral and Landcare Australia assisted in the initial development of a national program during 2003.
In 2006, the program received printing sponsorship from Planet Press. An article was also published free-of-charge in the Teachers' Toolkit magazine; this was sponsored by Marloo Media.
Government support
In kind support for the Birds in Backyards program has been provided by the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts via a partnership between Birds Australia and the Australian Museum.
In 2006, the program received a New South Wales Environmental Trust Education grant to develop Guidelines for Enhancing Urban Bird Habitat.
More information on sponsorship opportunities
Contact the Chair of the Steering Committee for more information about sponsorship:
Kate Ravich
Birds Australia (Sydney Office)
Phone: 02 9436 0388