by Nancy Bedan

– by Nancy Bedan, CAS CoMoGives Committee

The Columbia Audubon Society received $9,405 in donations during the 2018 CoMoGives online fundraiser for community nonprofit organizations. Columbia Audubon will use the funds to maintain and expand its education and conservation programs in 2019. The CAS board plans to continue converting pasture land on the west side of the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary to prairie and is looking for ways to expand its scholarship program, which helps send students and teachers to bird and nature-education camps and workshops.

This is the fourth year CAS has participated in CoMoGives. The amount received by Columbia Audubon in 2018 represents a 42% increase over donations received in 2017 ($6,630). The number of people who contributed to CAS also increased to 80 in 2018, up from 76 in 2017 and 66 in 2015. (Note: Two of the CAS 2018 donors contributed by check rather than online, so were not counted in the “official” results.) Fourteen of the gifts Columbia Audubon received in 2018 were made in honor or memory of someone.

CoMoGives is conducted during the month of December by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri. Donations for the 122 local nonprofit organizations that participated in the 2018 CoMoGives drive totaled more than $800,000. Columbia Audubon ranked 30th in terms of funds raised. Columbia Audubon’s CoMoGives drive was coordinated by a committee of Doug Miller, Bill Mees, Lori Hagglund, Eric Seaman, and Nancy Bedan. The group developed e-mail messages, Facebook posts, and a postcard mailer to inform members and friends of the organization and to encourage donations. Columbia Audubon acknowledged gifts by e-mail messages and by cards.

Columbia Audubon is very grateful for donations received during the 2018 CoMoGives drive.