There is no magic wand! There are no easy solutions. Little remains constant. With that said, I learned two lesson for low cost or no-cost marketing for nonprofits. Along with these there are a few other tried and true ways to market a nonprofit on a shoestring. Here’s what’s we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong over the past 12 years. The Right and Wrong Ways for Low Cost Marketing a Nonprofit When I first explored starting a nonprofit in 2009 I was totally naive. I had absolutely no idea how to market online… well, not much idea about marketing in general. Prior to launching our nonpr ..read more

GWe get many Guest Blogger requests. Most I turn away, but this one about becoming and ecopreneur to help preserve nature… This one was different… Thanks Dean Burgess for sending it on over. Discover a fulfilling ride! Become an Ecopreneur! If you want to join forces with many other entrepreneurs worldwide and convert into an ecopreneur, you’re in for a fulfilling journey that can make a lasting impact on our planet! The most significant difference between entrepreneurs and ecopreneurs is that the latter focuses more time, energy, and money on combating environmental issues and preserving natu ..read more

It’s that time again for making New Years Resolutions and Goal setting. For many of us the Coronavirus pandemic put a huge damper on this. After all, during the past 24 months of COVID so much has changed, especially when it comes to what we can control. Keeping resolutions and achieving goals is all about control… or is it? Don’t you dream of the time when you could make plans to attend a gathering, be at a work conference, a family reunion or a best friend’s wedding? What about plans to travel abroad to that exotic bucket list place, or even across country to visit grandparents? A Different ..read more

Nikela is cutting back and narrowing our focus of helping people saving wildlife. Many changes going into 2022 are already being put in place. It’s going on 12 years since we launched Nikela to do our small part to help people saving wildlife in Africa. Thanks so much for being part of the ride. It’s been a grand journey, but as we’re not getting any younger and as COVID has significantly decreased donations it’s time to make some uncomfortable changes. Major Changes By the end of 2021 we will wrap up all projects except Moses Ryakitimbo’s human wildlife conflict mitigation efforts. Since 2019 ..read more

The release enclosure gate is opened and they scamper out into the bush. Living free isn’t that what we want for all wild animals? This month the MKela Troop of 30 adult and 5 baby vervet monkeys are the lucky ones. It was back in mid 2017 when our family came to visit us in South Africa. On the agenda was introducing them to Silke and give them a taste of the magic she works at her wildlife rescue center. Silke’s specialty is rehabilitating surrendered and confiscated monkeys (monkeys that misguided people thought would make lovely house pets) and rescued orphaned baby monkeys whose mothers ..read more

Moses Arineitwe lives in Uganda. Moses trades shovels for spears. Life in this part of south eastern Uganda isn’t easy. Poaching is pretty much a way of life. Poachers hunt elephants and pangolin, hippo and bush pig. If it moves and has meat it’s pretty much fair game. Moses made a bold move. What if he provided alternative livelihoods… would it make a difference? The ‘proof is in the pudding’ they say To date Moses engages 38 former poachers in a variety of alternative livelihood options. Enjoy the videos in this playlist and you too might be amazed. Now enjoy the Video Playlist: How One Man ..read more

Photo by Marnus Roodbol Isn’t the Lion the King of the Jungle? So, why is protecting lions in Southern Africa even an issue. For decades lion populations have been dwindling. According to Dereck Joubert (of National Geographic fame) the number of lions on the continent of Africa have dropped from around 450,000 to less than 20,000. And that’s in about 60 years! What can be done to stop the decline? Protecting Lions in Southern Africa With the reduction of wild places (lions’ living space) and human wildlife conflict (lions preying on livestock) there are no easy answers or quick fixes. However ..read more

It all started quite small… Moses Ryakitimbo saving elephants with bees. Now after 100 plus beehives sponsored by Nikela the crops are growing and the farmers are happy. A farmer… Mr. Baraka said, “I have seen miracles I never thought could happen. Staying in peace with elephants and bees helping out the process. It’s a miracle.” Enjoy the video playlist. There are clips of elephants, the entire beehive construction and installation process, and how you can put your name on a beehive.  It all started back in early 2019. Moses reached out to us at Nikela. He had a plan to curb elephant conflic ..read more

We never advertise or promote the services or products of others. So why share this unique Wildlife Conservation and Travel Adventure Club offer from Africa Geographic? Because this is different in every way you could imagine. For years now I’ve subscribed to the online Newsletter. Even communicated with Africa Geographic’s dedicated owner, Simon Espley on occasion. He is about wildlife conservation through and through. He loves the African bush and thrills at giving others a taste of it and the iconic animals who call it home. Marrying Wildlife Conservation and Adventure Travel Simon and hi ..read more

Our first ever sighting of rare black rhinos in the bush. What a treat to sit and watch them browse. It’s a hot summer’s day in the Kruger National Park. We’re driving along a dusty road and it’s been a while without spotting anything besides the occasional impala herd. Then we see a stopped vehicle. This usually means there’s something to see. We slow down and approach slowly. The woman in the SUV waves us in and points towards our right. “Oh my!” There not more than a about 50 meters away are two rare black rhinos. (The location is purposely not disclosed for their safety.) Both are browsin ..read more