Interest Group Report 2 of Government in America; People, Politics, and Policy, Edwards, Wattenburg, & Lineberry, Pearson, 2014 Elections and Updates 16th Edition

Outline:

National Wildlife Federation known only to author through brief news coverage of work in endangered species and habitats.

In fact does far more political work than hands-on work, including political lobbying as well as generating revenue to be pumped into volunteer programs as well as entertainment and educational work.

Primarily consists of volunteers, a few paid workers, and a board of trustees (which consists of an eclectic group of politicians, wildlife conservationists, and businessmen)

Membership can be achieved merely through donation or through volunteering.

National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation, known to many as the NWF, and accessible at their respective url of NWF.com, was a group I knew only vaguely through cursory News coverage on their efforts at protecting endangered plant and animal species. Beyond this, however, my prior knowledge proved to consist of only the slightest scratch on the surface of their true proceedings.

That is to say, I had little to no idea that the NWF combined both hands-on and political policy work in their efforts to achieve their goal of “[being] a voice for wildlife, dedicated to protecting wildlife and habitat and inspiring the future generation of conservationists.” In explanation, the NWF funds not only physical conservation efforts that manifest in the form of park ranger work, wildlife restoration, and programs directed at elementary schools, but in fact seems to primarily serve as a political force that urges action not only on conservation in the United States but on global climate change. This is achieved, as a nonprofit, by generating revenue through television programs, magazines, and movie partnerships, as well as gathering labor resources primarily through volunteer recruiting. Whereas much of the on-the-ground work is conducted by volunteers, the revenue that is not recycled back into its programs is dedicated to lobbying for particular political issues that will further their goal stated above.

Again, this group consists primarily of volunteers, aside from a few paid workers and an assumedly well-paid board of trustees that act as guides and gurus for the nonprofit’s proceedings. Unfortunately, the volunteers list is not readily available to a common visitor of the website, though the board of trustees, upon further examination, appears to consist of an eclectic group ranging from ex-entrepreneurs to retired park rangers to political lobbyists, all of whom combine their accrued skills in united ulterior motive.

Membership is limited to just about anybody who pledges to donate monthly. Of course, this membership appears de facto and does not, in actuality, grant members any exclusive voting rights or opportunities, though it does guarantee small gifts and updates to each member. Other tiers of membership include volunteer-work (which can be achieved by various means of past experience, including educational to wilderness work), political lobbyist (appearing to have no necessary prior knowledge), or actual application to the board of trustees, likely requiring reticulate connections to the group. Overall, the basic level of membership appears to be a worthy cause, as most money is put towards a philanthropic and civilly-necessary cause: the protection of our dwindling natural resources and habitats.

Works Cited

“Home: Goals and How to Help." NWF. National Wildlife Federation, n.d. Web. 09 June 2016.