#OpenForGood Profile: Stonerose Interpretive Center & Eocene Fossil Site
One might think that an organization with such an outdoor presence like The Stonerose Interpretive Center & Eocene Fossil Site in Republic, Washington might not have been hit so hard by the pandemic. And though delayed openings and cancelled community events may have posed a challenge to the Stonerose team, the pandemic also served to reveal just how innovative they could be when it comes to engaging donors.
Though the fossils on the Stonerose site may be almost 50 million years old, their modes of engaging donors throughout the pandemic have been anything but old fashioned. After a successful Giving Tuesday appeal, they formulated a fundraising calendar that has allowed them to remain in contact with donors throughout the year. It was incorporating video into their campaigns that made the difference – in giving donors some faces to associate with the organization, they were able to drive interest in the organization and share their own infectious enthusiasm.
Video will continue to play a role as Stonerose reopens to visitors and amateur fossil hunters that come to dig on the property. With the construction of a new video studio on-site, they are hoping to continue offering innovative video programming to the community. With a fresh focus on fundraising best practices, the Network for Good platform to help them, and history to dig into, they are more ready than ever to welcome back the community and get back to spreading the world about the nature and history in their backyards.
Photo courtesy of Stonerose Interpretive Center & Eocene Fossil Site