Southeastern Bat Diversity Network

What Southeastern Bat Diversity Network does

The Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1995 at the North American Symposium on Bat Research (NASBR) to facilitate bat research, education, and management across the southeastern United States. It serves bat biologists, federal and state wildlife agencies, land managers, university researchers, students, and environmental consultants through a community-led model anchored by annual meetings, intensive multi-day Bat Blitz survey events (50-100+ participants, 25-50 sites per event), and regional coordination of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) monitoring.

SBDN's core "products" are programmatic rather than commercial: annual memberships ($11 student, $21 regular), event registrations ($50-$100 for Blitzes), a regional SBDN/NEBWG Bat Database holding field records across the eastern US, the standardized Wing Damage Index protocol for WNS monitoring, the Nightwing News newsletter, a theses and dissertations repository, student travel and research awards (including the Krusac-Belwood Award established in 2006), and formal affiliation with 11 state and regional Bat Working Groups. Field operations rely on mist netting, harp trapping, and acoustic monitoring equipment supplied in part by sponsor Wildlife Acoustics.

The business model is membership- and donation-based: recurring annual memberships (February-February cycle), pay-as-you-go event fees and sponsorship tiers ($100-$400), and tax-deductible donations (including pass-through funds for affiliated state working groups). Distribution is primarily through the sbdn.org e-commerce storefront for memberships, registrations, and donations, supplemented by quarterly newsletter, Google Groups email list, Facebook, and Instagram. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the organization operates with 1-10 employees and an elected Executive Committee.

Name

Southeastern Bat Diversity Network

Legal name

Southeastern Bat Diversity Network

Website

https://sbdn.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southeastern Bat Diversity Network is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1995 that facilitates bat conservation across the southeastern US through annual meetings, Bat Blitz survey events, a regional bat database, student research awards, and affiliation with 11 state Bat Working Groups, serving biologists, land managers, and agency personnel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Muncie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Tax-deductible donations to SBDN and specific funds like the Krusac-Belwood Student Research Award and NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz. SBDN is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
2. State Bat Working Group Memberships: SBDN processes memberships and donations for affiliated state Bat Working Groups including Florida Bat Working Group ($10 annual membership).
3. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from student ($11) and regular ($21) members. Memberships run from February to February and entitle members to voting rights and participation in board elections.
4. Event Registration Fees: Registration fees for Bat Blitz events and annual meetings. Bat Blitz registration typically ranges from $50 (students) to $100 (regular), plus additional fees for t-shirts and other event materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that coordinates bat conservation, education, research, and management across the southeastern United States. It sells annual memberships, registers participants for Bat Blitz survey events and annual meetings, and provides educational resources including the Nightwing News newsletter, theses/dissertation repository, bat videos, and White-Nose Syndrome monitoring guidance. It also administers student travel awards and the Krusac-Belwood Student Research Award.

Product overview

The Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN) is a nonprofit conservation organization operating a membership-based platform rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include annual memberships (Student at $11 and Regular at $21), event registrations for Bat Blitzes (coordinated intensive bat surveys) and annual meetings with the Colloquium on Conservation of Mammals. SBDN provides educational resources including the Nightwing Newsletter, bat videos archive, theses/dissertations repository, White-Nose Syndrome resources, and the CORA/MYAU Conservation Strategy. Student support programs include Travel Awards and the Krusac-Belwood Student Research Award. The network facilitates regional collaboration through state Bat Working Groups and publishes research resources including rabies safety information for researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SBDN Annual Student Membership Annual student membership at $11 providing access to SBDN announcements, newsletters, and networking opportunities with bat biologists and researchers across the southeastern US.
• SBDN Annual Regular Membership Annual regular membership at $21 providing voting rights, eligibility for board positions, and full participation in SBDN activities.
• Bat Blitz Survey Events Coordinated intensive 3-night bat survey events held across the southeastern US where 50-100+ biologists, students, and volunteers sample 25-50 sites to document bat species diversity and abundance, including pre/post White-Nose Syndrome comparisons.
• Annual Meeting Joint annual meeting with the Colloquium on the Conservation of Mammals in the Southeastern United States, providing a forum for bat researchers, land managers, and conservationists to present findings and network.
• 2026 NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz Registration Registration for the NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz event scheduled for August 24-28, 2026 in Coastal North Carolina, with tiered pricing for students and professionals.
• Florida Bat Working Group Membership Annual $10 membership in the Florida Bat Working Group processed by SBDN, supporting bat conservation, education, and research in Florida (April to April membership year).
• Student Travel Awards Program Financial assistance program for students attending the North American Symposium on Bat Research (NASBR), including the Krusac-Belwood Student Research Award, established in 2006.
• 2026 NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz Sponsorship Sponsorship opportunities for the 2026 NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz at tiered levels from Basic ($100) to Dinner ($400), covering meals, snacks, and event recognition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2022 Blitz captured 189 bats documenting WNS impact - compared to 385 bats of 7 species in 2008 pre-WNS baseline
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North American Society for Bat Research (NASBR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual symposium where SBDN was founded in 1995; SBDN sends Student Travel Award winners.
• American Society of MammalogistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization promoting study of mammals including bats.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand conservation partner; Bat Blitz surveys conducted on TNC preserves.
• USGS National Wildlife Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner providing WNS disease information and surveillance data.
• Bat Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal bat conservation organization; provides educational resources and presentations at SBDN events.
• Copperhead Environmental ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor sponsor of SBDN annual meetings and Bat Blitzes. Provides environmental consulting services and supports bat research initiatives across the southeast.
• TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of SBDN events supporting bat conservation efforts in the Tennessee Valley region.
• Wildlife AcousticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcoustic bat monitoring equipment manufacturer and sponsor providing technology for bat surveys.
• CEC Inc. (Civil Environmental Consultants)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental consulting firm sponsor of SBDN events.
• SWCA Environmental ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental consulting firm sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• StantecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering and environmental consulting firm sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• VHBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering and environmental firm sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• WEST Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlife and environmental consulting firm sponsor.
• AvinetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of SBDN annual meeting; provides bat netting equipment.
• Davey Resource GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental consulting firm sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• Three Oaks EngineeringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering firm sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• Vesper BatsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBat monitoring equipment company sponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• EDGE (Environmental and GIS Services)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• LAWFF (Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Federation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• TTL Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of SBDN annual meeting.
• Alabama Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group focused on bat conservation in Alabama; co-hosts Bat Blitz events.
• Georgia Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group focused on bat conservation in Georgia.
• Kentucky Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group focused on bat conservation in Kentucky.
• Mississippi Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group co-founded by SBDN member Chester O. Martin in 2002.
• North Carolina Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group; co-host of 2026 NCBWG Bay Lakes Bat Blitz.
• South Carolina Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group focused on bat conservation in South Carolina.
• Tennessee Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group focused on bat conservation in Tennessee.
• Florida Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated state working group; SBDN processes membership and donations on their behalf.
• Northeast Bat Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner; shares bat database for regional WNS assessment.
• Eastern Small-Footed Bat Working GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional working group focused on small-footed bat conservation.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency partner providing protocols, advisories, and funding for bat conservation and WNS response.
• National Speleological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization dedicated to cave study, conservation, and WNS information dissemination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bat Conservation International: Global bat conservation non-profit that focuses on protecting bat habitats, conducting research, and providing educational resources — directly comparable as a bat conservation organization with educational programming and resource publication, though operating at a global rather than regional scale.
• Northeast Bat Working Group: Regional bat working group that already partners with SBDN on the shared NEBWG Bat Database; operates a comparable regional coordination model focused on bat research and WNS monitoring but covering the northeastern rather than southeastern US.
• Organization for Bat Conservation: Bat-focused conservation non-profit that conducts research, education, and habitat protection programs — comparable mission and bat-specific scope, though smaller and more regionally concentrated in the Midwest.

Regional players

• Pacific Southwest Bat Working Group: Regional bat working group in the western US modeled similarly to SBDN, coordinating bat research, surveys, and WNS response at a state and regional level — comparable in mission and structure but serving a different geographic territory.

Emerging players

• Bat World Sanctuary: Non-profit sanctuary and conservation organization dedicated to bat rescue, rehabilitation, and education — overlaps with SBDN's education and conservation mission but with a different operational model focused on captive care rather than field surveys.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: Global land and species conservation non-profit that partners with SBDN by hosting Bat Blitz surveys on TNC preserves — a broad incumbent whose bat conservation work intersects with but is not specialized to bats.
• National Wildlife Federation: Large US wildlife conservation non-profit addressing many species including bats — overlaps thematically with SBDN but at a much broader mandate covering general wildlife policy, habitat conservation, and education across the full US.
• Defenders of Wildlife: National wildlife conservation non-profit that advocates for endangered species including bats — operates at a broader national advocacy scale with bat conservation as one of many priorities rather than a core specialization.

Others

• The Wildlife Society: Professional association for wildlife biologists and managers that awarded SBDN the 2012 Outstanding Group Achievement Award — thematically related ecosystem participant that convenes the broader wildlife professional community SBDN members belong to.
• National Speleological Society: Cave-focused conservation and scientific organization partnered with SBDN on cave-dwelling bat and WNS work — comparable in being a volunteer-driven scientific non-profit but focused on cave/karst ecosystems rather than bats specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Southeastern-Bat-Diversity-Network-140445222788652
• Instagraminstagram.com/sbdnbats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southeastern-bat-diversity-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Southeastern Bat Diversity Network