International, Foreign Affairs, and National Security
FRIENDS OF MINDO CLOUD FOREST INC
Working for birds and nature, empowering people.
Mission
Mindo Cloudforest Foundation´s Mission is the conservation of nature and the landscapes of northwest Pichincha province and the Choco-Andes Corridor, with special emphasis in forest habitats and birds through the adoption of alternative and efficient economic development models, especially avitourism, that involve and benefit the local population and its leaders.
Ruling year
2014
President
Hugo Arnal
Executive Director
Brian Douglas Krohnke
Main address
103 Chestnut Hl
Brattleboro, VT 05301 USA
EIN
46-3870277
Cause area (NTEE code)
(International Relief) (Q33)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Choco-Andes Corredor of Northwest Ecuador is one of earth´s most biodiverse and threatened spaces. Habitat fragmentation, climate instability, growing populations and both underemployment and unemployment create vicious cycles of subsistence farming and the expansion of the agricultural frontier, land exhaustion, and further forest destruction and fragmentation. While there are many initiatives both public and private to improve management and conservation initiatives, the reality is that the last two decades have seen continued habitat loss and now potable water shortages on an annual basis, ironic in one of the highest rainfall regions in the world. Although it is improving and in some cases rapidly, women´s rights and access to equal justice, educational and professional opportunities in Ecuador generally and in rural areas specifically, have traditionally lagged those of men. This intensely biodiverse area is understudied and in many cases poorly understood.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Conservation
Megadiversity in all its guises, birds abound: Choco endemics, threatened species, boreal and austral migrants. This is one of earth´s most diverse regions, period.
Restoration & Silviculture
Native tree nurseries, forest connectivity restoration and emissions compensation programs, because stunning cloud forest habitat is what makes our region what it is.
Environmental Education Community Outreach & Scientific Research
We work with universities from Ecuador and around the world, and also communities and neighbors from our region.
Birding & Ecotourism
MCF authored Ecuador´s national avitourism strategy and we live it every day. Our bird sanctuaries are world renown hotspots with great visitor facilities.
Where we work
External reviews
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Charting impact
Five powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We see Northwest Pichincha province and the Choco-Andes Corridor as a model of harmonious living with the birds, the forests and an integrated landscape that´s resilient to climate change, where deforestation and the degradation of native forests has diminished significantly and at least 75% of current forests are conserved. Where the trend of shrinking bird populations and the loss of other regional biodiversity has been reversed through the restoration of habitat to guarantee their viability, where the larger fragments of natural ecosystems are connected by biological corridors that allow for the movement of wildlife and where the local population is recognized for its strong conservation ethic and its institutions are solid, transparent and committed to sustainable development.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Web based fundraising, direct donor contacts, outreach to birds clubs, associations, Audubon chapters, scientific contributions from research performed at MCF forest reserve sites. Thus our four main programs are mutually reinforcing and are achieving ever greater impacts by ever greater international project grant support for our Forest Restoration & Silviculture program where we monitor, study and grow native species trees in three nurseries at three altitudinal levels in our bird sanctuaries. These trees are then supplied to neighbors and communities through various models to both contribute to climate change mitigation and forest connectivity restoration.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Friends of Mindo Cloud Forest is a coordinating body and meant to have a small overhead and institutional footprint. Mindo Cloudforest Foundation on the other hand brings together experts and leaders in Ecuadorian bird conservation and birding tourism promotion. Birding tourism often functions as a driver for new conservation efforts and is an ongoing, decentralized environmental education program. Our Forest Restoration & Silviculture program has local and US staff and interns working to become a world-class innovator in our field. In the USA all support for Friends of Mindo Cloud Forest is volunteer, and in Ecuador we have 11 full-time staff, a full-time intern and several consultants working on various contracts from web implementation and communications to forestry program support and GIS capability development.
How will they know if they are making progress?
Mindo Cloud Forest Foundation without annual operations deficits. Increasing web and on the ground visits to MCF sites.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the last six months we have performed an in-depth organizational analysis restructuring administrative and operational procedures in a new manual, new strategic planning and now an unfolding communications strategy. In spite of the current pandemic and associated crisis, in some regards our organization is stronger than ever and readying itself for a new period of strong growth and ever greater impacts in pro of our programmatic objectives.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FRIENDS OF MINDO CLOUD FOREST INC
Board of directorsas of 5/18/2020
Hugo Arnal
UNESCO
Term: 2020 - 2022
Markus Tellkamp
Yachay Tech
Juan Veintimilla
Independent lawyer
Brian Krohnke
Mindo Cloudforest Foundation
Hugo Arnal
UNESCO
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Keywords
Cloud Forest Biodiversity Ecuador Birds Migratory Species Forest Restoration Climate Change
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- Letter of Determination
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