Campaign Planning for the Catalina Island Conservancy
Catalina Island Conservancy (CIC) protects 88% of Catalina Island’s approximately 48,000 acres, including the region’s largest publicly accessible undeveloped coastline. The Conservancy is a research and conservation leader, helping to preserve the more than 60 endemic species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Catalina Island has over 1.2 million annual visitors, and approximately 300,000 of those visitors take advantage of CIC’s services to visit and learn about the Island’s interior.
Fissinger Fundraising was retained by CIC to conduct a campaign planning study (CPS) for the Conservancy’s anticipated comprehensive campaign. The CPS included partnering with communications firm Parisleaf on case development, reviewing comprehensive analytics of the fundraising program, meeting individually with each CIC board member, visiting Catalina Island’s interior to experience CIC directly, meeting with each CIC staff leader and each member of the development team, and conducting approximately 35 external interviews with key stakeholders. The CPS report was delivered to CIC in 2025, and it resulted in CIC increasing its initial campaign goal by 50%.