State of the ECOWICE Foundation 

Dear Board Members,

Ahead of our upcoming meeting, I would like to provide a concise overview of ECOWICE Foundation’s current position. The goal is to ensure we enter the meeting aligned on facts and ready to make strategic decisions about priorities and direction.

1. Legal & Administrative Status

  • ECOWICE Foundation is fully registered as a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
  • Bank account setup is complete.
  • The only remaining administrative step is submitting a voided check to PayPal to finalize charity verification and fully activate online donation processing.
  • Since its establishment, ECOWICE Foundation has not yet financially transferred funds to ECOWICE Tanzania.

This means the Foundation is structurally established but has not yet entered active grantmaking or program funding mode.

2. Digital & Visibility Progress

Since registration:

  • The website has been migrated under the official ECOWICE domain (moved from Weebly).
  • Social media pages have been created: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
  • One outreach engagement has been conducted at Solid Ground School.
  • Miranda has initiated a connection with the OU GIVE organization for a potential presentation.

This reflects early momentum in public visibility, though systems and consistency are still developing.

3. Program Portfolio 

ECOWICE Foundation currently intends to support three program areas in partnership with ECOWICE Tanzania:

Early Warning & Coexistence

  • Community-based Elephant Monitoring Groups (EMGs)
  • Performance-based incentive model
  • AI-driven early warning pilot (design + budget completed)
  • Deployment is still pending required due to funding and travel constraints

Environmental Education (Tanzania – Core Program)

  • School-based environmental learning
  • Human–elephant conflict curriculum
  • Youth engagement in conservation
  • Teacher engagement

Alternative Livelihoods

  • Sesame farming support
  • Passion fruit production
  • Basket production and U.S. sales exploration

These programs are connected but represent different strategic pathways for the Foundation.

4. Fundraising Reality

(Please read this fundrasing report for more information)

Current fundraising characteristics:

  • Relationship-based giving
  • Donor concentration among a small core group
  • No recurring giving program yet
  • No formal quarterly donor communication system
  • No funded flagship initiative under the Foundation to date

The Foundation is now in a transition phase: from legal establishment to structured fundraising and deployment.

5. Key Strategic Question for the Board

Given our limited capacity and early-stage status, which of the three program areas should serve as ECOWICE Foundation’s flagship focus for the next 12–18 months?

Options:

  • Early Warning & AI Pilot
  • Environmental Education
  • Alternative Livelihood Development
  • A clearly defined integrated model

Clarifying this will shape:

  • Fundraising messaging
  • Donor targeting
  • Board responsibilities
  • Outreach strategy
  • Budget allocation

6. Immediate Structural Priorities

To ensure the Foundation stands stronger, we need to align on:

  • Flagship program focus
  • 12-month fundraising target
  • Board role expectations
  • Pilot deployment feasibility 
  • Donor communication structure
  • Timeline for first financial support transfer to ECOWICE Tanzania

7. Meeting Objective

The objective of the upcoming meeting is not simply to update one another, but to:

  • Confirm strategic focus
  • Establish action plan
  • Strengthen governance discipline

I look forward to your thoughts and to building a focused, resilient next phase together.

With appreciation,

Felician