Nature Abounds, Mcdonald's

What Nature Abounds, Mcdonald's does

Nature Abounds is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Melinda Hughes and Jim Wert, operating as a national environmental volunteer and citizen science platform headquartered in Dubois, Pennsylvania with a second office in Olympia, Washington. The organization engages more than 13,000 volunteers across all 50 US states, Puerto Rico, and internationally through a portfolio of branded programs including IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild (citizen science observation), Turtle Ambassador, Climate Ambassador, Watershed Ambassador, Bear Ambassador, and Frog Ambassador (volunteer certification tracks), Senior Environment Corps (adults 55+), Natural Biodiversity (conservation education with the BioBullies curriculum for grades 4-8), Keepers of the Forest, Bags to Beds, and Knitters for Nature's Critters. Observation data from IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild is shared with the National Phenology Network and IceWatch Canada for integration into climate and phenology research.

The business is operated by a tiny core staff of 1-10 paid employees supplemented by unpaid virtual interns and volunteers; there is no public API, no proprietary software platform, and no AI/ML components, with data collection conducted via downloadable Word and PDF forms. Revenue is generated through a tiered donation platform (Nature Lover through Nature Hero, ranging from $10/month to $200+/month or $120-$2,400+/year) processed via Network for Good and Mightycause, supplemented by vehicle donations, an online shop, and eBay charity listings. The organization has executed two program acquisitions (Natural Biodiversity and Senior Environment Corps, both revitalized in 2017) and maintains a broad coalition-based advocacy footprint across more than a dozen national and Pennsylvania state environmental alliances.

Name

Nature Abounds, Mcdonald's

Legal name

Nature Abounds

Website

https://natureabounds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nature Abounds is a 501c3 nonprofit that engages over 13,000 volunteers across all 50 US states in citizen science observation, conservation education, and environmental stewardship programs funded primarily through tiered individual donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Nonprofit & Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Citizen science programs
• Environmental conservation
• Volunteer engagement
• Habitat restoration
• Environmental education

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations: Nature Abounds generates revenue through one-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual donations. Donation tiers are titled Nature Lover ($10-$49.99/month or $120-$599.99/year), Nature Keeper ($50-$99.99/month or $600-$1199.99/year), Nature Champion ($100-$199.99/month or $1200-$2399.99/year), and Nature Hero ($200+/month or $2400+/year). Donations are accepted via check, Network for Good, and Mightycause platforms.
2. Vehicle Donations: Nature Abounds accepts vehicle donations as an alternate giving method, processed through a third-party platform.
3. Shop Sales: Nature Abounds operates an online store selling nature-related merchandise. Revenue generated from the shop supports the organization's environmental programs.
4. Ebay Sales: Nature Abounds sells items on eBay as an additional revenue channel, leveraging the platform's charity listing program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nature Abounds is a national 501c3 nonprofit that operates volunteer-driven citizen science, environmental education, and conservation programs across the United States. Its core offerings include trademarked programs such as IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild (citizen observation), Turtle Ambassador and Climate Ambassador (volunteer certification), Senior Environment Corps (senior volunteer engagement), and Natural Biodiversity (habitat restoration and invasive species education), supported by donations, an online merchandise shop, and eBay charity sales.

Product overview

Nature Abounds is a national 501c3 non-profit environmental organization that operates multiple interconnected volunteer and citizen science programs rather than a traditional software product. The core programs include IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild (citizen science observation programs), Turtle Ambassador and Climate Ambassador (volunteer certification programs), Natural Biodiversity (conservation education), and Senior Environment Corps (senior volunteer engagement). Supporting programs include Bags to Beds, Knitters for Nature's Critters, Keepers of the Forest, and educational resources like the BioBullies curriculum. The organization also operates donation processing and an online store. All programs are volunteer-driven with no AI or advanced technology components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IceWatch USA: A citizen science program modeled after and in partnership with Ice Watch Canada that engages volunteers across the United States in recording ice and snow sightings as well as wildlife activity near local waterways.
• Watch the Wild
• Turtle Ambassadors
• Senior Environment Corps (SEC)
• Natural Biodiversity
• Knitters for Nature's Critters
• Bags to Beds
• Keepers of the Forest

Products and services

• IceWatch USA A citizen science program engaging volunteers across the United States in recording ice and snow sightings and wildlife activity near local waterways to help scientists study climate change.
• Watch the Wild A citizen science program engaging volunteers in observing and reporting on wild weather, wildlife, and wildflowers in their communities to track how ecosystems are changing in response to climate change.
• Turtle Ambassador A volunteer certification program where trained ambassadors serve as representatives of Nature Abounds, reaching out to new audiences about turtles and tortoises, the dangers they face, and ways people can help them.
• Climate Ambassador A volunteer training program that certifies individuals to reach out to community leaders, media, and the general public about climate change effects happening in their region.
• Watershed Ambassador A volunteer program training representatives to reach out about watershed health, currently available only for Pennsylvania volunteers.
• Natural Biodiversity A conservation education program focused on habitat restoration and invasive species control, with educational resources including the BioBullies curriculum for grades 4-8 and Cosmo's World video series for grades 6-8.
• Senior Environment Corps (SEC) A volunteer program engaging adults aged 55 and older in water quality monitoring, stream habitat assessment, storm-drain stenciling, environmental education, community gardening, wildlife surveying, marking abandoned oil and gas wells, and environmental cleanup activities.
• Keepers of the Forest A Pennsylvania-piloted volunteer program that trains citizens to identify and report environmental issues such as illegal dumping, suspicious activity near waterways, injured wildlife, and unhealthy timber stands.
• Bags to Beds A volunteer opportunity launched on Earth Day 2017 that engages volunteers in converting plastic bags into mat beds for homeless individuals or those displaced by natural disasters.
• Knitters for Nature's Critters A program combining arts with environmental needs, creating penguin jumpers for Little Blue Penguins affected by oil spills to raise awareness about oil spill impacts on wildlife.
• BioBullies Educational Supplement An invasive species education curriculum for grades 4-8, including indoor/outdoor lesson plans, comic book stories, flashcards, worksheets, and the Cosmo's World video series.
• Donations Platform A donation processing system accepting one-time, monthly, quarterly, or annual donations with donor recognition tiers (Nature Lover, Nature Keeper, Nature Champion, Nature Hero) and multiple giving options.
• Nature Abounds Online Store An online storefront selling nature-related merchandise, with proceeds supporting the organization's environmental programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000,000 volunteer hours contributed by SEC volunteers in Pennsylvania since 1997, valued at over $3 million per year to the state.
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Alaska CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds works with the Alaska Coalition to achieve broader environmental goals, particularly related to Arctic and Alaska-specific conservation issues.
• The Endangered Species CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds partners with the Endangered Species Coalition to support efforts to protect endangered species and their habitats through advocacy and public awareness.
• Our Arctic Ocean CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds collaborates with Our Arctic Ocean Coalition on issues affecting the Arctic Ocean and its ecosystems.
• Choose Clean Water CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds is a member of the Choose Clean Water Coalition, working to protect and restore waterways across the United States.
• Healing Our Waters CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds partners with Healing Our Waters Coalition to support healthy lakes and water resources, complementing its watershed and water quality monitoring programs.
• Land and Water Conservation Fund CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds participates in the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition to advocate for conservation funding and land preservation.
• National Phenology NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds is a partner of the National Phenology Network, which brings together scientists and others to monitor the effects of climate change on plants and animals. IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild observation data is shared with the Network to contribute to climate research.
• Teaming with WildlifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds works with Teaming with Wildlife on wildlife conservation initiatives and advocacy.
• West Branch Susquehanna Restoration CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds partners with the West Branch Susquehanna Restoration Coalition to support watershed restoration efforts in Pennsylvania.
• Clean Power Plan Coalition - PennsylvaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds participates in the Clean Power Plan Coalition in Pennsylvania to advocate for clean energy policies.
• Growing Greener (PA) CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNature Abounds partners with the Growing Greener Coalition in Pennsylvania to support environmental funding and conservation programs in the state.
• IceWatch CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIceWatch USA is modeled after and is a proud partner of IceWatch Canada. Data from U.S. volunteers living in states bordering Canada may be shared with IceWatch Canada. The partnership provides a cross-border framework for citizen science ice phenology data collection.
• Freshwater FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreshwater Future supports Nature Abounds' work on climate change and other important environmental issues in the Great Lakes region, providing partial funding for Climate Change Ambassador programming.
• National Wildlife Federation (NWF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNatural Biodiversity served as a local National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Habitat Stewards Ambassador host, extending NWF's habitat education programs within the local community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Xerces Society focuses on invertebrate and pollinator conservation through citizen science and habitat programs, comparable to Nature Abounds' wildlife ambassador programs (e.g., Turtle, Frog, Bear Ambassadors). Both operate at small nonprofit scale with volunteer-driven programs.
• IceWatch Canada: IceWatch Canada is the direct parent model for Nature Abounds' IceWatch USA program, with a formal mutual partnership for cross-border data sharing. Both run citizen science ice phenology observation networks with comparable volunteer-driven methodologies.
• National Phenology Network: National Phenology Network is a Core-tier strategic partner that receives IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild observation data. It operates a comparable citizen science phenology observation network across the US, making it a directly comparable scientific peer.
• SciStarter: SciStarter is a citizen science platform that aggregates and promotes volunteer science projects including phenology and wildlife observation. It competes directly with Nature Abounds for citizen science volunteer engagement and researcher partnerships.
• Earthwatch Institute: Earthwatch Institute engages volunteers in citizen science field research and conservation expeditions, directly comparable to Nature Abounds' IceWatch USA and Watch the Wild citizen science observation model.
• iNaturalist: iNaturalist is a mobile-first citizen science platform for wildlife observation that competes directly with Nature Abounds' Watch the Wild program. It offers significantly greater scale, technology infrastructure, and a richer observation dataset.

Broad incumbents

• Audubon Society: National Audubon Society is a large incumbent wildlife and bird conservation organization that overlaps with Nature Abounds' wildlife observation and habitat conservation mission. It offers a membership model and citizen science (e.g., Christmas Bird Count) similar in spirit but at vastly larger scale.
• Defenders of Wildlife: Defenders of Wildlife is a national wildlife advocacy and conservation nonprofit that overlaps with Nature Abounds' wildlife protection mission through citizen-driven advocacy and endangered species work. It operates at significantly larger scale with institutional funding.
• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit addressing habitat conservation, biodiversity, and climate change — all areas Nature Abounds touches. It operates at vastly larger scale with institutional funding, paid staff, and science-led programs.
• National Wildlife Federation: National Wildlife Federation is a major US conservation nonprofit with which Nature Abounds' Natural Biodiversity program served as a Habitat Stewards Ambassador host. NWF operates overlapping conservation education and habitat programs at significantly larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MaxTerrepene
• Facebookfacebook.com/MaxTerrepene
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nature-abounds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Nature Abounds, Mcdonald's