Nonprofit has seen success by building community of donors and supporters
The Nature Foundation’s first decade of existence has been a fruitful one, and you can see proof of it in the forest preserves across Will County.
Through August 2024, The Nature Foundation has secured more than $1.85 million in support of Forest Preserve programs and initiatives. The support has been expansive, bolstering every aspect of the Forest Preserve’s mission to protect and enhance Will County’s natural and cultural resources for the benefit of current and future generations.
“Whatever it is that you love about the Forest Preserve District, we support it,” said Tara Neff, the Foundation’s executive director.
In its first 10 years, the Foundation has donated funds to support natural resources management, preserve and trail amenities, visitor center exhibitions and educational supplies and initiatives. The Foundation also worked with the Forest Preserve District to develop two grant programs — Restore Will County and Serve Will County — to help volunteer stewards, scouting and other youth organizations purchase materials and supplies for their work to improve and enhance the forest preserves.
The Nature Foundation was formally established in 2009-2010, but it initially remained inactive because of the economic conditions in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, said Cindy Harn, who was the Foundation’s first executive director after transitioning from her role as director of Public Affairs and Education for the Forest Preserve District. The
Foundation became operational in 2014, growing and gaining steam over the ensuing decade.
The Nature Foundation’s next era comes with new leadership, with Neff having taken the helm at the end of 2023 when Harn stepped down from her director role.
“The foundation has been laid, and now we can grow,” Neff said.
Neff credits her ability to hit the ground running when she took the reins to Harn’s dedication and hard work over the past decade.
“She breathed life into this organization’s existence,” she said, adding Harn gave her “heart and soul” to the Foundation. “She was never afraid to take on new and different things.”
The Foundation established two main goals at its outset, and the goals are still valid today, Harn said. The first is to take action to ensure it becomes and remains operational, and the second is to take action to create organizational sustainability.
With those goals providing the framework, Harn and now Neff have been able to direct money raised by The Nature Foundation to Forest Preserve programs and initiatives that support the Foundation’s three tenets: protecting nature, inspiring discovery and bringing people and nature together.
“I think the biggest success is that we really have built a community of donors and supporters who value the Forest Preserve, and we’ve given them a way to engage with nature and the Forest Preserve on a deeper, meaningful level,” Harn said.
Forest Preserve District Executive Director Ralph Schultz said he likes to think of The Nature Foundation’s contributions as “the icing on the cake” because they add value to what the Forest Preserve offers the people of Will County and its natural areas.
The Forest Preserve levies taxes and has other revenue to fully fund the operation of the forest preserves and the obligation to meet its mission, and the Foundation enhances those offerings in many ways. For example, when the Forest Preserve builds a trail, the Foundation may secure a donation for or fund the installation of a bike repair station, and when the
Forest Preserve identifies areas for natural resource management, the foundation secures grants or donors to defray the cost of the work.
“They always focus on adding additional value to our visitors or providing funding for something that we would not normally do,” he said.
Harn said the success of The Nature Foundation in its first 10 years is the result of the hard work of many people, including Forest Preserve staff and board members, volunteers and, of course, donors.
“I’m just one of so many that have invested in its growth, making it what it is today,” she said, adding that she appreciates that she had an opportunity that allowed her to get out of her comfort zone and expand her knowledge and skillset. “I’m proud that I had the courage to take this on, and I hope my work with the Foundation has set it on a path to success
and long-term sustainability.”
In the next few years, Neff would like to work to make more people aware of The Nature Foundation and all it does to support Forest Preserve initiatives.
“I’m looking to build relationships, open doors,” Neff said. “I’d like to elevate The Nature Foundation’s profile to help broaden our community of donors and supporters.”
It’s also important to keep the Foundation nimble and flexible so it can capitalize on new opportunities.
“That’s really important as far as how we grow support and our ability to adapt to changing times, the changing environment, and changing donor engagement,” she said.
Schultz said that through the years the Forest Preserve and the Foundation have developed a process to identify projects and initiatives during the budgeting process that the Foundation can support. The Foundation may also present a donation or bequest to the Forest Preserve for consideration to determine whether certain donor conditions can be met.
Both Neff and Schultz hope to grow the relationship between the Foundation and the Forest Preserve to allow both organizations to achieve their respective missions.
“My desire is for the Foundation to continue to expand and provide an avenue for individual donors, other foundations and corporations to enhance, nurture and expand the Forest Preserve,” Schultz said.
Neff plans to spend time in the next few years developing and implementing a growth plan and increasing efficiency in the Foundation’s operations. The goal is for her to spend more time fundraising and building relationships in the community.
She wants people to see The Nature Foundation as a valued partner of the Forest Preserve District that is committed to supporting its priorities. She said the Foundation exists for one reason — to support the Forest Preserve District — and she takes that mission seriously.
“We are supporting everything that you love about the Forest Preserve District,” she said. “That’s why we’re here. That’s all we do.”
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