What Chicago Bird Alliance does

Chicago Bird Alliance (CBA) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit bird conservation and education organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1972 (originally as the Chicago Audubon Society) and rebranded to Chicago Bird Alliance in 2025, the organization connects people with birds and nature through educational programming, field trips, advocacy, stewardship, and research. Its core programs include weekly guided bird walks at Jackson Park (running for over 50 years), the Illinois Spring Bird Count covering all 102 counties, the annual Urban Birding Festival, volunteer habitat restoration workdays, conservation advocacy (Bird Friendly Chicago ordinance, Lights Out Chicago), and the Rat Contraceptive Pilot Program. The organization also offers structured travel trips (e.g., the 2026 Costa Rica Birding Trip) and birding leader training in partnership with the EcoWomanist Institute.

CBA operates with a lean staff of 1–10 employees and is supported by an extensive network of volunteers and partner organizations. Its primary revenue streams are membership dues, donations and legacy gifts (notably a transformative 2019 bequest from Pamela Vawter), trip and event fees, and merchandise sales through the CBA Store. Membership, donations, and event registration are managed through the NeonCRM platform. The organization maintains formal partnerships with the Chicago Park District, Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Chicago Ornithological Society, Audubon Great Lakes, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, The Nature Conservancy Illinois Chapter, and the EcoWomanist Institute.

Its business model is a community-led nonprofit model: free or low-cost public programming drives awareness and volunteer engagement, which converts into memberships, donations, and merchandise revenue. CBA's constituency spans individual birders of all experience levels, citizen-science volunteers, urban conservation advocates, and historically underrepresented communities reached through targeted DEIJ programming. Its primary competitive advantages are the 50-year continuity of its community programming, its institutional partnerships with municipal and conservation entities, and its role as the primary local voice for urban bird conservation in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Name

Chicago Bird Alliance

Legal name

Chicago Bird Alliance

Website

https://chicagobirdalliance.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago Bird Alliance is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit (founded 1972, rebranded 2025) that delivers bird conservation education, guided walks, citizen-science programs, advocacy, and habitat stewardship to individuals and communities across the Chicago metropolitan area and Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide core operational support, offering members benefits such as renewals, access to member-only content, and the ability to manage their membership online through the NeonCRM platform.
2. Trip and Event Fees: The organization charges fees for organized trips such as the Costa Rica Birding Trip ($4,735 per person for members, $4,835 for non-members, plus single supplement), generating revenue from travel experiences while promoting birding and conservation.
3. Donations and Fundraising: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, including legacy/planned gifts (such as the significant 2019 gift from Pamela Vawter), crowd-funding campaigns, and general fundraising drives support the organization's programs.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sales through the CBA Store of birding-related merchandise, bird seed, native plants, and related items, generating revenue while supporting bird-friendly practices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chicago Bird Alliance is a nonprofit organization that connects people with birds and nature through guided bird walks, citizen-science bird counts, educational workshops, and habitat stewardship programs across the Chicago metropolitan area. It also delivers conservation advocacy campaigns (Bird Friendly Chicago ordinance, Lights Out Chicago), hosts the annual Urban Birding Festival, organizes birding travel trips, and runs a membership program supported by donations and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Chicago Bird Alliance (CBA), formerly Chicago Audubon Society, is a non-profit birding and conservation organization offering a diverse portfolio of programs and services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include regular guided bird walks (weekly at Jackson Park and North Park Nature Center), citizen science programs (Illinois Spring Bird Count), the annual Urban Birding Festival, volunteer habitat restoration work days, educational workshops (including bird collision prevention and native plant gardening), and organized travel trips. CBA also provides membership, conservation advocacy (Bird Friendly Chicago ordinance, Lights Out Chicago), community challenges, and legacy giving programs. The organization connects people with birds and nature through educational programming, field trips, advocacy, stewardship and research, serving birders of all experience levels in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bird Walks and Guided Outings Weekly guided birding walks at Jackson Park, North Park Nature Center, and various Chicago locations. Walks are free, open to all experience levels, and led by experienced volunteer leaders. For individual birders and community members.
• Annual Bird Counts and Citizen Science Programs Organized bird monitoring programs including the Illinois Spring Bird Count covering all 102 Illinois counties, with CBA compiling Cook County data. Engages volunteers in collecting ornithological data for climate change and population trend research.
• Urban Birding Festival Annual festival featuring guided tours, keynote speakers, presentations, workshops, and social gatherings for birders from within and outside the Chicagoland area.
• Volunteer Habitat Restoration Organized volunteer work days to restore and maintain important bird habitats throughout the Chicago area, open to all participants.
• Educational Workshops and Presentations Workshops including Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene, documentary screenings, and educational presentations on topics such as bird-friendly building design and native plant gardening.
• Birding Travel Trips Organized birding excursions including The Best of Costa Rica Birding Trip (November 22 - December 2, 2026, 11 days/10 nights, $4,735 per person for CBA members) covering rainforests, cloud forests, wetlands, and mangroves.
• Membership Program Annual membership supporting CBA's mission to connect people with birds and nature through educational programming, field trips, advocacy, stewardship and research.
• Conservation Advocacy Campaigns Advocacy efforts including the Bird Friendly Chicago campaign for mandatory bird-friendly building design ordinance, Lights Out Chicago initiative to reduce window collisions, and the Rat Contraceptive Pilot Program.
• Help A Bird Out Challenge Community challenge encouraging participants to track and report actions beneficial for birds such as planting native plants, placing stickers on windows, and putting out bird feeders.
• Legacy Giving Program Planned giving opportunities allowing donors to leave bequests or beneficiary designations to support long-term bird conservation efforts in Illinois.
• Merchandise Sales (CBA Store) Sales through the CBA Store of birding-related merchandise, bird seed, native plants, and related items, supporting bird-friendly practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 years of weekly bird walks conducted every Saturday at Jackson Park, making it one of the longest-running community birding programs in the region.
• +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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, significant and supporting.

• EcoWomanist InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA partners with the EcoWomanist Institute (EWI) to deliver the annual Bird Outing Leader Training program. In 2025, 34 birding leaders completed the training across two cohorts meeting at Rainbow Beach in South Chicago. EWI's mission focuses on women of African descent and underserved communities, aligning with CBA's DEIJ goals.
• Chicago Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA collaborates with the Chicago Park District on the annual Chicago Bird Photography Contest (jointly with Chicago Ornithological Society), conducts weekly bird walks at Jackson Park, and partners on conservation programs at park sites including Montrose Beach, Rainbow Beach, and Douglaston Park.
• Chicago Ornithological SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA co-hosts the annual Chicago Bird Photography Contest with the Chicago Ornithological Society and Chicago Park District. The contest runs from March to August and features six categories, with impressive submissions from bird photographers across the region.
• Forest Preserve District of Cook CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA has an established relationship with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPCC), which manages 70,000+ acres of diverse habitats. CBA interviews FPCC leadership, conducts birding programs in preserves, and advocates jointly for bird conservation policies in Cook County.
• Illinois Department of Natural ResourcesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA plays a key role in the Illinois Spring Bird Count, which was organized in partnership with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The count covers all 102 counties in Illinois annually, with data used to understand climate change impacts on birds statewide. CBA's Alan Anderson compiles results for Cook County.
• Audubon Great LakessignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA maintains connections with Audubon Great Lakes, including hosting Audubon Leadership Conference attendees, habitat restoration internships, and sharing conservation resources. CBA board member Tarik Shahzad previously held a habitat restoration internship with Audubon Great Lakes.
• Peggy Notebaert Nature MuseumsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA partners with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for events including Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene workshops and the screening of the documentary 'Hawk Watch' about Hawk Watch in Borrego Springs, California. The museum provides a venue for conservation education events.
• The Nature Conservancy Illinois ChaptersignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBA board member Tarik Shahzad works as an Environmental Government Affairs Associate for The Nature Conservancy Illinois Chapter, where he advocates for state-level wetlands policy and works in coalition with environmental partners including CBA on conservation issues.
• Gene Siskel Film CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCBA partners with the Gene Siskel Film Center to introduce the documentary 'Wild Inside' about Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl. CBA board members and staff introduce the film before each screening, bringing a conservation perspective to the event.
• Lifer Nature TourssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCBA partners with Lifer Nature Tours for the Costa Rica Birding Trip 2026. Lifer provides expert local guiding services for the 11-day trip across Costa Rica's diverse ecosystems including rainforests, cloud forests, wetlands, and mangroves.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Forest Preserves of Cook County: Government entity managing 70,000+ acres of preserves with which CBA collaborates on programming and advocacy. Not a peer in the competitive sense, but a close ecosystem partner and infrastructure provider for CBA's field activities.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Premier academic-affiliated bird research and citizen science institution operating eBird and Merlin, which CBA's volunteers actively use. Comparable in bird education and citizen science but vastly larger and research-led.
• Ducks Unlimited: Large national waterfowl and wetland conservation nonprofit with a comparable fundraising and habitat stewardship model, though focused on waterfowl hunting heritage and operating at a vastly larger scale.
• National Audubon Society: National umbrella bird conservation organization that historically encompassed CBA (when it was Chicago Audubon Society). Operates overlapping programs including bird-friendly building initiatives, though at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Audubon Great Lakes: Regional Audubon affiliate serving Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin with similar bird conservation, habitat restoration, and policy advocacy programs — the most direct comparable organization operating in CBA's geography.
• Chicago Ornithological Society: Local Chicago-area birding organization with overlapping mission of bird observation, field trips, education, and conservation. CBA and COS already co-host the Chicago Bird Photography Contest, confirming tight mission overlap.
• Birds Canada: Canada's national bird conservation nonprofit with a directly comparable portfolio: citizen science (e.g., Christmas Bird Count-style programs), habitat stewardship, advocacy, and education. Similar organizational size and mission.
• American Birding Association: National membership organization for recreational birders focused on community, education, and bird identification resources. Closely comparable business model (membership + content) and target audience (enthusiast birders).

Emerging players

• The Nature Conservancy – Illinois: Illinois chapter of a major global conservation nonprofit. Overlaps with CBA on habitat advocacy and policy (e.g., wetlands), though TNC operates at much larger scale and broader biodiversity remit.

Regional players

• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: Chicago-based nature education institution partnering with CBA on workshops and documentary screenings. Overlapping mission in connecting urban audiences to nature, though the museum is exhibit-based rather than field-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagobirdalliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagobirdalliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Chicago Bird Alliance