Nature Conservancy Faces Flap Over Deal to Promote Swimsuit Issue
By Raymund Flandez
Seventy million readers eagerly awaited last month’s release of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, which
attracts more than twice the
number of readers of a typical
issue.
But for many of the staff
members at the Nature Conservancy, the issue’s publication
set off rounds of soul searching
and criticism after news got out
that the charity had embarked
on a partnership to promote the
swimsuit issue alongside Gilt
“How did this
come about
without upper
management
knowing about it?”
Groupe, a Web site that sells
luxury goods, travel, and specially arranged events.
With the deal, the charity,
America’s wealthiest conservation group, gets all the money from the sales of goods and
events Gilt produced to promote
the swimsuit issue.
One such offer gives members
the opportunity to mix and min-
gle with the swimsuit models at
the issue’s launch in a posh New
York nightclub. A $1,000 VIP
ticket ensured up to 12 drinks,
all to benefit “the Nature Con-
servancy’s beaches and oceans
conservation work.”
The partnership set off alarm
bells among some people in and
out of the Nature Conservancy
who feel the swimsuit issue de-
means women and that associ-
ating with it was unwise for a
charitable cause.
After Mark Tercek, chief executive of the Nature Conservancy, learned about the arrangement, he sent a message to staff
and board members apologiz-
The Nature Conservancy
is getting donations from a
deal to promote the Sports
Illustrated swimsuit issue,
as part of a joint marketing
agreement with a Web site
that sells luxury goods and
events.
ing for any offense it had caused
people who work and volunteer
for the organization.
Mr. Tercek said he had not
been informed of the deal in
the early stages and that by
the time he learned about the
agreement, it was impossible to
pull out without risking an expensive legal challenge and potential financial penalties.
But he did tell the organiza-
tion’s marketing staff not to pro-
ceed with promotions for the ar-
rangement that went above and
beyond those that were neces-
sary to fulfill the deal. He has
also revamped how the group
vets such agreements.
Seeking Young Donors
The controversy the organization faced internally, including
from board members and female
staff members, shows the risks
that nonprofits can encounter
when they seek catchy ways to
reach young people.
Most readers of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue are age
30 to 45, a younger set than the
typical Nature Conservancy
supporter who is, on average,
62.
“The initial reason why it was
attractive is that one of our core
strategies as an organization
right now is to broaden the basis of support for conservation
and the environment,” says Jim
Petterson, a spokesman for the
group.
The Nature Conservancy is
not alone among charities in
facing controversy over a marketing decision.
Many groups have run into
trouble with deals that offended
some of their constituents. For
example, when Susan G. Komen
for the Cure entered a market-
ing agreement with KFC, sup-
porters balked because of con-
cern that the fried-chicken
chain’s meals were not healthy
and went against the organiza-
tion’s mission.
As the Top Fundraising Job Gets Harder, New Training Efforts Are in the Works
Timothy Higdon
Girl Scouts of the USA
Background that helps him succeed: His 18-year
career in the Army
Why it matters: It taught him how to shift from being a
specialist to a generalist. “If I were director of planned
giving, I would know it in and out,” he says. “But when
you become a generalist, you don’t have the same level
of specificity. You have to know how everything fits together across the organization.”
How he sees his role: He gives guidance to people in
the fundraising office, clears obstacles, helps them get
resources, and is the “evangelist” for the organization’s
needs.
is now an executive recruiter
at Lois L. Lindauer Searches.
Last year, Mr. Schiller left NPR
after activists who falsely portrayed themselves as would-be
donors released a videotape that
showed him making disparaging comments about the Tea
Party.
While the videotape was taken without his knowledge, and
even his detractors say it was
unfairly edited to make Mr.
Schiller look bad, the controversy underscores how visible chief
fundraisers have become and
the kinds of skills they need to
navigate the nation’s increasingly divided political culture.
Mr. Schiller is now talking to
senior fundraisers and other experts about the best way to provide workshops, and other resources that would improve the
skills and credentials of new
Continued from Page 10
and aspiring chief development
officers. Already his company
has held several gatherings for
about 30 chief fundraisers in
Boston to give them the support
they need to succeed.
Such resources, Mr. Schiller
says, can give newly appointed
Last year’s scandal
at NPR underscores
the need for leaders
to be skilled political
navigators.
chief fundraisers “a chance to
step back with a president and
some other really experienced
chief development officers and
say, ‘Here are the kind of issues
you will be grappling with.’ This
is about creating an environment for success.”
