Ducks Unlimited's 2009 Annual Report

2009 Annual Report

Editorial Financials The links above require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Efficiency: $.86 of every dollar raised went directly to our habitat conservation mission. In FY 2009, DU raised more than $200 million for habitat conservation. In FY 2009, DU conserved nearly 197,000 acres across the United States alone. Major Sponsors receive a printed copy and are listed in the report.

Solid ground.

Every organization looks for stability during tough times, and it's reassuring for a nonprofit organization to remain strong through tremulous economic times. While these economic conditions were felt by everyone, including Ducks Unlimited, our science-based decisions have steered the course, and our conservation mission has continued. The organization was founded during tough economic conditions, and today, as we look across the horizon for what the future may bring—we know we are standing on solid ground.

The 2009 Annual Report provides insight into the organization's heartbeat: our people. Their stories share with us the importance of building relationships with partners, talking conservation in a duck blind, and leaving a legacy for future generations of outdoorsmen and women.

The chant "we are making a difference" could be heard across the country at DU events. Our strongest supporters continue to be those who give freely of their time and treasure to DU. In 2009 DU supporters contributed more than $200 million for our conservation mission and helped us maintain our 80-percent efficiency rating. In fact, DU saw 86 percent of every dollar invested in our conservation work and added another 197,000 acres to those we have protected and restored over the years. With nearly 13 million acres conserved to date, DU supporters are improving the landscape for wetlands, waterfowl, and people.

Our Wetlands for Tomorrow (WFT) campaign continues to provide solid results for our continental work. WFT reached a milestone of $1.5 billion this year. For instance, we saw great success under WFT with a specialized campaign called "Rescue the Duck Factory" that has helped conserve 67,000 acres in the U.S. prairies. While we celebrate our accomplishments, we understand there is still more to do.

To remain on solid ground, we must continue to focus on three basic principles:

• We must conserve key priority habitats critical to waterfowl.
• We must expand our commitment to science to guide efficient, effective conservation.
• We must increase our capacity to influence policy, because policy is increasingly influencing conservation.

In addition we must continue to recruit outdoorsmen and women—those who have historically and consistently funded conservation through the years. Whether it's a handshake in a duck blind or a meeting in a board room, our passion for waterfowl and conserving the habitat should be shared with as many people as possible.

We thank everyone for their work in making DU the world's leader in wetland conservation. While we are confident in the science directing us, we understand that it's the passion from the people within DU that makes everything work.

Passion puts us on solid ground.