Hawks Aloft

What Hawks Aloft does

Hawks Aloft, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1994 and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The organization conserves indigenous wild birds and their habitats through four program areas: avian research (decades-long raptor driving surveys across the Rio Grande and Estancia Valleys, plus the Valles Caldera Owl Community Study initiated in 2020), conservation education delivered to schools, corporations, and community groups (Reading with Raptors for pre-K through first grade, Bird of Prey for grades 1–12, and the year-long Living with the Landscape program for Title I schools), statewide raptor rescue via a 24/7 hotline (added to the mission in 2013), and a network of partner rehabilitation centers and approximately 10 volunteer veterinarians across New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Operations rely on a small staff of approximately 18 employees plus extensive volunteer involvement, with 28 permanently injured non-releasable education birds functioning as program assets and 50,000+ people reached annually through outreach.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue mix: donations and recurring memberships (Student/Senior $25 through Golden Eagle $1,000; corporate tiers scaled by employee count), corporate and foundation grants (Avangrid Foundation, PNM Resources Foundation, Albuquerque Community Foundation, Intel, Peabody Energy, Golder Associates), fee-based school and corporate education programs ($375–$600 per event plus travel), an e-commerce shop (apparel $30–$40, books $16–$28, plush toys $15), symbolic adopt-a-raptor sponsorships ($35–$125), and a recurring annual quilt raffle ($1 per ticket). International birding expeditions with Holbrook Travel to Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Ecuador/Galapagos, and Iceland — priced $2,675 to $11,095 per person — generate higher-ticket revenue and donor cultivation opportunities.

The organization holds USFWS authorization to conduct avian mitigation activities under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and works under USFWS protocols for Mexican Spotted Owl surveys, with additional research partnerships with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Reclamation. Governance is provided by an independent Board of Directors led by Chairman Claudette Horn, with Gail Garber as founder and Executive Director. There is no proprietary technology platform; the underlying infrastructure is operational — a hotline call dispatch system, a volunteer and veterinarian network, and a field survey program supported by GIS analysis.

Name

Hawks Aloft

Legal name

Hawks Aloft, Inc.

Website

https://hawksaloft.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hawks Aloft is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1994 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, that conserves wild birds through avian research, conservation education, raptor rescue (including a statewide hotline), and partnerships with federal agencies and volunteer veterinarians across New Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Zoos and Botanical Gardens (712130)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAEAB

Wildlife Viewing & Birdwatching Tours

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Ecotourism Operators & Nature-Based Tours

SECONDARYTHAAAFAE

Wildlife Viewing Hides, Observation Towers & Birding Sites (Managed Access)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Parks & Reserves (Visitor Operations)

Keywords

• Wildlife rehabilitation
• Avian conservation
• Raptor rescue
• Conservation education
• Bird research

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from $25 (student/senior) to $1,000 (Golden Eagle corporate), providing supporters with magazine subscription, newsletter, event invitations, and merchandise discounts.
2. Donations: One-time and recurring donations at various levels ($10-$1000+) supporting the organization's avian conservation, research, education, and rescue programs.
3. Adopt-a-Raptor Program: Symbolic adoption of education birds priced $35-$125, includes photograph, story, and one-year membership.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of apparel (t-shirts $30-$40), books ($16-$28), plush toys ($15), and other merchandise through the online shop.
5. International Trips and Tours: Fee-based international birding expeditions to destinations including Brazil ($11,095), Panama ($6,850), Mexico ($3,225), and Belize ($2,675), operated in partnership with Holbrook Travel.
6. Raffle Sales: Quilt raffle tickets sold at $1 each or 6 for $5, with proceeds supporting operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hawks Aloft operates a 501(c)(3) nonprofit program suite built around three pillars: (1) Raptor Rescue & Rehabilitation, which runs a statewide New Mexico hotline for injured raptors, corvids, and roadrunners with dispatch, transport, clinical rehabilitation, and release; (2) Avian Research, including 26+ years of standardized driving surveys of raptors along the Rio Grande and Estancia Valleys, the Valles Caldera Owl Community Study, Mexican Spotted Owl surveys conducted under USFWS protocol, and threatened/endangered species monitoring; and (3) Conservation Education, offering curriculum-aligned programs (Reading with Raptors, Bird of Prey Program, Living with the Landscape for Title I schools) delivered with live non-releasable education raptors. Supporting offerings are the Adopt-a-Raptor symbolic sponsorship, tiered annual memberships, an online merchandise shop, fee-based international birding trips operated with Holbrook Travel, and an annual quilt raffle.

Product overview

Hawks Aloft is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in 1994 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, focused on avian conservation. The organization offers a unified suite of programs comprising four core service areas: Raptor Rescue & Rehabilitation (statewide hotline, rescue dispatch, and wildlife rehabilitation); Education Programs (Reading with Raptors, Bird of Prey Program, and Living with the Landscape for Title I schools); Avian Research (raptor surveys, owl studies, and threatened species monitoring); and an Adopt-a-Raptor symbolic sponsorship program. Supporting programs include International Trips & Tours (birding expeditions to Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, and other destinations), a Shop selling bird-themed merchandise and books, Membership tiers ranging from Student ($25) to Golden Eagle ($1000), and an annual Quilt Raffle fundraiser. The organization reaches over 50,000 people annually through outreach and education programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Raptor Rescue & Rehabilitation Statewide New Mexico hotline-driven service for injured raptors, corvids, and roadrunners, including rescue dispatch, transport coordination, clinical veterinary rehabilitation, and release back into the wild. Operated by Hawks Aloft licensed staff alongside a network of 10 volunteer veterinarians and partner rehabilitation centers across New Mexico and El Paso, TX.
• Conservation Education Programs Curriculum-aligned education programs featuring 28 permanently injured, non-releasable raptors as live ambassadors. Includes Reading with Raptors (PreK-1st grade), Bird of Prey Program (grades 1-12), Living with the Landscape (year-long Title I school program), and adult/corporate raptor identification and wildlife regulation training. Priced at $375 per visit within 60 miles and $550 beyond, plus $1.00/mile travel.
• Avian Research Scientific research and monitoring of avian species, including 26+ years of standardized raptor driving surveys in the Rio Grande and Estancia Valleys, the Valles Caldera Owl Community Study (begun 2020), Mexican Spotted Owl surveys conducted under USFWS protocol, and threatened/endangered species monitoring on federal lands.
• Adopt-a-Raptor Program Symbolic adoption program for permanently injured education raptors, priced from $35 to $125. Adoption packages include a personal letter, photograph, biological description of the adopted bird, and a one-year Hawks Aloft membership.
• International Trips & Tours Fee-based guided international birding expeditions operated in partnership with Holbrook Travel to destinations including Brazil (Pantanal, $11,095/person), Panama ($6,850/person), Mexico Monarch Butterflies ($3,225/person), Belize ($2,675/person), Costa Rica, Ecuador/Galapagos, and Iceland. Trip packages include Hawks Aloft membership.
• Online Shop Online storefront selling apparel (t-shirts $30-$40), books such as National Geographic Field Guide and Sibley's Birding Basics ($16-$28), Wild Republic plush toys ($15), and themed merchandise featuring Ferruginous Hawks, Prairie Falcons, Turkey Vultures, and Owls of New Mexico.
• Annual Membership Annual membership program supporting avian conservation. Individual tiers include Student/Senior ($25), Individual ($45), Family ($75), Cooper's Hawk ($100), Red-tailed Hawk ($150), Spotted Owl ($250), Ferruginous Hawk ($500), and Golden Eagle ($1,000). Corporate memberships are priced from $150 (1-49 employees) to $1,000 (500+ employees). Benefits include subscription to the annual Aloft magazine, monthly HAI Flier e-newsletter, event invitations, and merchandise discounts.
• Annual Quilt Raffle Annual handcrafted bird-themed raffle quilt fundraiser. The 2026-27 raffle quilt features a Barn Owl design created by Gail Garber and Cynthia Figueroa-McInteer, with sections contributed by additional quilters and machine quilting by Tisha Cavanaugh. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5, with the drawing on December 4, 2027.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17,248 people reached through education programs in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Holbrook TravelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner organizing international birding expeditions including trips to Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Mexico.
• Bureau of Land ManagementmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for raptor research projects and conservation surveys on BLM lands.
• National Park ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for research at Valles Caldera National Preserve including owl community studies.
• U.S. Forest ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for avian research and conservation on national forest lands.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthorized by USFWS to perform avian mitigations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; conducts surveys following USFWS protocol for Mexican Spotted Owl.
• Local VeterinarianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 10 volunteer veterinarians providing medical care for injured raptors in partnership with Hawks Aloft's rehabilitation program.
• Other Rehabilitation CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with rehabilitation centers throughout New Mexico and El Paso, TX to ensure birds receive care at the nearest qualified facility.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Audubon Southwest / National Audubon Society: National avian conservation NGO with regional Southwest chapters running bird education, sanctuaries, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable in mission and education programming; broader geographic scope and member scale.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Major academic-affiliated ornithology research and citizen-science institution running eBird and Lab of Ornithology platforms. Sets the research methodology Hawks Aloft follows and competes for federal avian research funding.
• International Bird Rescue: Global wildlife response organization specializing in oiled-bird response and rehabilitation. Comparable nonprofit operating model with hotline-driven wildlife response at greater scale.

Direct peers

• The Peregrine Fund: Raptor-focused nonprofit conducting conservation research, captive breeding, and recovery programs globally. Hawks Aloft's GIS specialist previously volunteered with the Peregrine Fund's California Condor reintroduction project, demonstrating direct mission and operational overlap.
• Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Pennsylvania-based raptor conservation and education nonprofit famous for its long-term migration count and training programs. Operates sanctuary, education, and research arms closely parallel to Hawks Aloft's three-pillar model.
• New Mexico Wildlife Center: New Mexico-based wildlife rehabilitation and education facility accepting injured wildlife from Hawks Aloft's rescue hotline. Shares mission, geography, and rehabilitation workflows with Hawks Aloft.
• Liberty Wildlife: Arizona nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation, education, and conservation organization. Comparable in providing raptor rescue, ambassador-bird education programs, and conservation advocacy in the Southwest.
• Raptor Education Foundation: Colorado-based raptor rehabilitation and education nonprofit. Operates similar hotline, education visit, and live-bird ambassador programming targeting schools and communities.
• Wildlife Rescue Inc. New Mexico wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit. Staff like Liz Roberts have taught there, demonstrating direct operational and geographic overlap with Hawks Aloft's rescue and education programs.
• Bird Conservancy of the Rockies: Regional bird conservation nonprofit operating long-term monitoring programs (like MAPS) across the Rockies and Southwest. Hawks Aloft leadership including Trevor Fetz has worked at similarly structured federal-grant-funded bird research programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/hawksaloft
• Xx.com/hawksaloftinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/hawksaloft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aloft-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawks Aloft