The Council of Ohio Audubon Chapters (COAC) Platform-Capacity Building for 21st Century Conservation Projects by Betsey Merkel, digital strategist consultant, and presented at the COAC Quarterly Workshop June 3, 2018 at Miami University Regionals-Hamilton, Ohio.

1. The COAC Platform
Capacity Building for 21st Century Conservation Projects

2. This presentation is by Betsey Merkel, Consultant,
and is shared under a Creative Commons license,
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC
BY-NC-SA which means you can share and adapt
materials with attribution, for non-commercial
purposes, and distribute under share-alike
licensing.
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3. History

4. History as of January 25, 1969
● A small group of people came
together
● No contact existed between
chapters unless accidental
● A statewide organization was
“wanted and needed”
● The Ohio Audubon Council was
formed

5. History as of 2002 (33 years later)
Updated COAC By-Laws and Mission
Statement
● A new name was adopted: Council of Ohio
Audubon Chapters (COAC)
● COAC is to “aid chapter development in
strength, growth, and leadership through
dialogue and networking between the
Chapters, Audubon Ohio, and the National
Audubon Society; and to provide an
independent, collective voice of Ohio
chapters and affiliates in all Audubon
affairs.”
● National Audubon representation
● At least two inter-chapter forums/meetings
per year

6. History as of 2006 (4 years later)
“COAC Strategic Plan of 2006”
1. Updated mission, vision, values.
2. Summary of core strategies, goals &
objectives:
a. Communicate and collaborate
with Audubon Ohio and other
entities.
b. Review proposals COAC receives
to see if they are within our
mission to fulfill.
c. Work with chapters that want our
help.
Audubon flourishes
in 60% of Ohio

7. History as of 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009,
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016...

8. History as of 2017 (11 years later)
● Audubon activity has declined 50% in
the State of Ohio.
● The COAC chapters meet Oct 2017 to
reconnect.
● In March 2018 COAC chapters voted to fund
the construction of an Internet platform to
connect all chapters in a network.
● Provided we can identify funding for the
maintenance of the platform in years 2 & 3

9. How do we keep
COAC moving
forward?

10. Build a hub of Internet-based
tools called a “platform”
“Platforms deliver hosted services over the
Internet.” - Wikipedia
● Library
● Operations
● Collaboration
● Publishing
● Marketing
● Ecommerce
Copyright © Betsey Merkel
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11. In 1969, COAC was a small council of people who would meet in person, talk on the phone, and
send letters USPS.
In 2018, COAC will become an
Internet-based platform for
everyone.

12. To connect
next gen
Audubonners

13. Could COAC function without a
platform?
● Yes, but not as well as it could.
● All of the chapters have their own website
but they are probably static.
● A COAC platform will be dynamic.
● If a chapter does not publish new material
to its website and social media every day,
it will be only be found by those who know
it’s there - that’s static.
● By publishing and posting every day to a
platform, search engines elevate content
so everyone on a computer or device will
see it - that’s dynamic.

14. What will the COAC Platform do?
● Connect the chapters in a network.
● Develop relationships.
● Foster communications.
● Enable chapters to interact with each
other.
● Recruit volunteers
● Grow memberships
● Raise funds.
● Connect people to policy issues.
● Deepen member involvement.
● Grow conservation projects.
● Expedite network learning.
● Share ideas and practices.
● Connect next gen Audubonners
Copyright © Betsey Merkel
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15. How will the COAC Platform do these
things?
● Market each chapter’s activities to anyone
who wants to see them online and on their
devices.
● Recognize every chapter’s brand.
● Track what readers like about other
chapters.
● Enable chapters to sell their merchandise
on the platform so anyone can buy it.
● Enable all chapters to keep up with each
other’s social media posts.

16. Who - Project Manager and Developer
Betsey Merkel is an experienced professional
platform developer who builds and manages
platforms and the services they offer. A website
doesn’t have these services.
What I do:
● Produce creative digital media
● Analyze content metrics to understand
audiences and identify opportunities
● Advise leadership informed by content
metrics results
● Orchestrate events and campaigns
● Publish and market content on social
media
● Manage contributed chapter stories,
media, activities, events, articles, reports
● Build relationships online and face to face
● Guide collaborations
● Coach, mentor, and train users
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17. What are we trying to accomplish?
● COAC chapters voted in March 2018
to fund the construction of a platform.
● The construction is occurring this
year provided, we can identify
funding for maintenance of the
platform in years 2 & 3.
● We need to raise between $10,000
to $20,000 to fund the platform
costs in years 2 & 3.

18. Ways to Fund the COAC Platform
● Memberships
● Small contributions to
‘Big Asks’
● Programs and services
● Sponsors
● Store ticketing, sales,
coupons
● Campaigns
● Collaborations
● Grants
● Chapter fees, sliding
scale
Copyright © Betsey Merkel
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19. The COAC
Platform
Capacity Building for 21st
Century Conservation
Projects
Thank you!
Betsey Merkel, Consultant
Platforms, Digital Strategy, Multimedia
Producer, Social Network Developer
Email: betseymerkel@gmail.com
Phone: 216-246-2447
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20. Thank You Photographs: Tom Fishburn
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