Wild Birds Unlimited Teams Up with the National Audubon Society to Help Underserved Children Better Connect with Nature

With more than 300 locations across the country, Wild Birds Unlimited* is known as the leading retail franchise that’s connecting people with nature. Through its focus on exceptional customer service, top of the line products and extensive knowledge of birds and the trends that follow the backyard bird feeding and watching hobbies, the brand has positioned itself as the one to beat when it comes to bringing consumers closer to nature. However, Wild Birds Unlimited’s commitment to bridging the gap between people and nature doesn’t end with a retail transaction. The brand is also actively committed to inspiring the next generation of bird watching enthusiasts.

Through a longstanding partnership with the National Audubon Society, Wild Birds Unlimited’s Pathway to Nature for Kids program helps send more than 250 kids to nature-centric summer camps every year. And according to the brand’s advertising and PR manager, Margaret Collins, the program is only becoming more popular.

She said, “This program evolved through our desire to give back. We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the National Audubon Society, now in our eleventh year. We created our Pathways to Nature for Kids initiative as a way for young people to connect with nature, learn to respect it and gain a desire to preserve it for future generations. By launching this initiative, we’re able to help kids who may not otherwise have the opportunity in urban settings to connect with nature. By sending them to camp, we’re finding another way to fulfill our mission.”

The goal behind Wild Birds Unlimited’s partnership with the National Audubon Society is simple: they want to work together in order to send as many children to nature summer camps as possible. And over the course of the past 11 summers, the brand and organization have done just that. Through Wild Birds Unlimited’s scholarship program—which is funded in part by proceeds from every one of the brand’s stores—children across the country are able to attend camp at one of the 31 Audubon centers across the country.

“Our passion for nature is what distinguishes Wild Birds Unlimited from other retail brands and franchises. We’re all drawn to this business for reasons far greater than financials—every member of our team genuinely wants to help share the joy that comes with backyard bird feeding and watching,” said Paul Pickett, Chief Development Officer for Wild Birds Unlimited. “It’s an honor to help children discover all that nature has to offer, and we’re grateful that we’re able to give back to and support the next generation of nature enthusiasts.”

To date, Wild Birds Unlimited has sent 2,449 kids to an Audubon summer camp through its scholarship program. And in 2018, the brand is aiming to raise that number by another 250 children.

“The longevity of our partnership with Audubon is something that we’re truly proud of, and we’re looking forward to continuing to build on it in the years ahead. By funding scholarships for children to experience nature, we’re further living out our mission and ensuring that the passion at the core of Wild Birds Unlimited stays at the forefront of everything that we do.”

To learn more about Audubon’s summer camp programs and Wild Birds Unlimited scholarship opportunities in your area, please visit http://www.audubon.org/conservation/audubon-camps.

With more than 300 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores. Recently ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 in the Retail category on Franchise Business Review’s prestigious 2018 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards, there's no better time to join the Wild Birds Unlimited team. Click here to learn more.