By Brad Cundiff, Green Living Communications

Apple had just unveiled its first iPhone when Elizabeth (Biz) Agnew heard about a conservation organization just getting its feet on the ground in Canada.

Biz had never heard of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and had never met its co-founder, Justina Ray.  But it didn’t take Justina long to convince Biz that working for WCS Canada was going to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

With fewer than half a dozen staff and a modest annual budget, WCS Canada looked like the kind of place Biz could really sink her teeth into.  Not having any particular experience as a fundraiser didn’t stop her either: She knew her passion for the work WCS Canada was doing would more than make up for that. 

Seventeen years later and Biz is finally bowing out of her role as our Director of Philanthropy.  WCS Canada now has more than 60 staff and a budget exceeding $10 Million.  But that growth didn’t happen by chance, Biz notes.  In fact she says it largely comes down to one word: “integrity.”

WCS Canada made it a habit to not over promise while always delivering important conservation outcomes.  “We stuck to our knitting and that worked for us,” she says.

The part about working with WCS Canada that sticks with Biz is that “the people are so bloody smart, but also so much fun.”  That made long hours slogging away on funding proposals worthwhile she notes, although she admits that she never hesitated to jump on any chance to get out of the office and join staff in the field.

As someone who has always loved being in nature and is an avid birder, Biz found these field visits inspiring and energizing.  “Seeing the work up close allowed me to look funders in the eye and tell them how important it is,” she explains. 

“It doesn’t matter if it is some place in the 416 or the tip of a glacier on Baffin Island, seeing it for yourself is essential to remind yourself what we could lose if we don’t act now,” Biz adds.

What inspired Biz about the WCS Canada approach was that the organization never shied away from putting conservation objectives first.  It didn’t matter if a place or species was “sexy” from a fundraising perspective. What mattered was that it fit within the conservation action plan that the organization had used its scientific expertise to develop.

“A lot of organizations will go for the low hanging fruit – the easy stuff to fund,” she points out. But WCS Canada turned that approach on its head by drawing funding to often overlooked – but highly critical – conservation priorities.  “We were determined to make this happen,” she says.  And determination is something Biz has in large quantities.  “My Scots-Irish rock breaking roots,” she laughs.

Of course, not everything has been trending the right way for climate or biodiversity over the last 17 years and Biz admits that there were times when she would get discouraged.  To counter any sense of despair, she would try to focus on small victories: A recovering whale population or a new Indigenous protected area.

Caribou were also a touchstone for Biz over her long career.  “I have seen caribou in a number of different places in Canada and they are so indicative of the places we work.  I always felt that if we could help them, that was saying a lot.”

Retirement will definitely mean more trips to find birds, but Biz says she is also looking forward to changing the focus of her days. “I’m excited to see how that goes.”

That said, she acknowledges that she will miss being part of “an amazing collection of people making a difference.”  Looking back at the difference she made for this organization will hopefully help with that.