A Friend of Friends

By Safina Center Conservationist-in-Residence Hob Osterlund

Thomas Daubert holds Wedge-Tailed Shearwater, Kilauea Point NWR. Photo courtesy of Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges

Thomas Daubert is the Executive Director of Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges. During his time working on behalf of Hawaii’s wildlife, Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges was hit by a pandemic related shutdown, but Thomas’s hard work helped the organization stay afloat. Since then, the not-for-profit has grown, better protecting threatened and endangered native Hawaiian wildlife that are not found anywhere else in the world.

Hob Osterlund: Aloha Thomas, and congratulations on the successes of Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges during your tenure.

Thomas Daubert: Mahalo for the opportunity to chat with you. I have had the honor of serving as Executive Director of Friends of Kauaʻi Wildlife Refuges, the nonprofit Friends Group that supports the work of the three national wildlife refuges located on Kauaʻi, for the past four years. I’m very pleased about a number of achievements that my team and I have been able to accomplish. First, we survived the extensive closure that the pandemic caused. I worked with my Board of Directors to rebrand our organization to better feature our core mission. It was part of a strategic effort that helped us increase awareness about the needs of our wildlife refuges and our collective impact. We are now receiving nearly four times the amount of fundraising revenue than in 2019, which was pre-COVID. On behalf of the wildlife that depend upon us, I am so grateful.

Thomas Daubert, Tlelle Wolf, Yuka Green count albatross nests, Kilauea Point NWR. Photo courtesy of Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges

HO: How did you manage to stay afloat when the Nature Store was closed?

TD:  We had to get really creative and make difficult decisions. Like many organizations, our Board, staff and supporters rallied during those months. Because Kīlauea Point NWR and our Nature Store were temporarily closed to public visitation, resulting in a significant loss of our primary source of income, one of our Board Members offered us space for a pop-up Nature Store at a shopping center not far from the Refuge. We were able to safely continue limited sales and continue to engage with our community. We also launched online sales. I’m fortunate to work with a talented store manager who is just as committed to our mission as I am.

Thomas Daubert at Kukui Grove Mall. Photo courtesy of Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges

During the closure, I spent a lot of time developing a clearer definition of what our programs are and what operational and strategic outcomes we want. This allowed me to more clearly share how donations are being put to use and how our wildlife can benefit from each gift. A deeper relationship with our refuge partners allowed me to better inform major donor relationships that quickly brought us out of survival mode and into a more creative mode.

We were fortunate that Kīlauea Point NWR was among the first of the wildlife refuges to reopen—at least outdoors—due to our low COVID numbers and our open-air environment. This enabled us to get back on the road to recovery more quickly than many of our peer refuges. Also, I directly supported all aspects of our mission, in particular, the Nature Store and Visitor Education program. Through hands-on participation, I learned to understand much more deeply than before COVID.

Thomas Daubert and Lindsay Lloyd on KKCR Radio. Photo courtesy of Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges

HO: Who do you see as the key partnerships among other individuals, agencies and organizations on Kauaʻi and in the state of Hawaiʻi? 

TD: We are grateful for our founding partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. We regularly ask them, “What do you need and how can we help?” We work closely with Save Our Shearwaters by supporting the cost of care of all of the sick and injured wildlife transferred from our Refuges and into their expert care. We provide funding for Conservation Dogs of Hawaiʻi in service of the endangered native Hawaiian wildlife of Hanalei NWR. We also partner with the Kauaʻi Wildlife Coalition to work on a comprehensive outreach effort to educate our community about the threats to our endangered wildlife and how we can each help. As you know, it truly takes a village of dedicated people to support the needs of protected and endangered species, several of which have a very small population of individuals.

HO: You have worked in the non-profit sector for years.  What were a few of the organizations and what talents did you learn from working there that help your work now?

TD: I worked for 19 years worked at a number of nonprofit organizations in New York City and New Jerseywhere I developed a whole list of skills, including fundraising, organizational leadership and advocacy skills. At God’s Love We Deliver I learned a variety of fundraising and communications skills and, at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, I managed a $32M fundraising campaign.

A leader needs to be willing to learn all aspects of an organization’s mission. It is great to be able to lead and develop a team, but when times are tough itʻs equally important to jump in and directly assist.  As a fundraiser, you have to be able to tell the organization’s story, build relationships with supporters and take the time to connect with donors. Real magic happens when I share our needs and outcomes with supporters, when they share what gets them excited, and together we find a gift scenario that brings these together. It is conservation kismet! 

Thomas Daubert at WeedNFeed at Kilauea Point NWR. Photo courtesy of Friends of Kauai Wildlife Refuges

 HO: With all the threats they face, protecting native birds on Kauaʻi is no easy job. What gives you the stamina, courage and creativity it takes to be successful? 

TD:  I really love this mission. Throughout my career Iʻve supported education, arts, and social services missions.  Now Iʻm in service of threatened and endangered native Hawaiian wildlife that live nowhere else in the world. There is really nothing more urgent than protecting wildlife and their habitats, and we work in partnership with conservation organizations across the world to protect our delicate global ecosystem. And nothing feeds my soul more than experiencing a wild animal. It touches my soul and gets me out of bed in the morning.

Plus, I get to know and work with amazing people like you, Hob. I continue to learn so much from you and our fellow wildlife conservationists. Mahalo for all that you do! We get to work really hard and have a lot of fun, while – I hope – continuing to make a difference for the wildlife life that truly needs us.