Building a Sustainable Digital Fundraising Program: How the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Grew 10x in Eight Years

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s mission is to interpret and conserve the Earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and participatory science focused on birds and nature.

In 2012, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology—one of the most respected voices in bird science and conservation—came to Media Cause to help build a sustainable, scalable digital fundraising program that could evolve with their organization and deepen support for bird conservation over time. With digital giving still nascent at that time, the Lab sought a strategic partner to help grow online revenue, establish a strong monthly giving foundation, and create a digital culture rooted in experimentation and data.

Cornell’s long-term goal wasn’t just to raise more money, but to develop a resilient infrastructure for donor engagement—one that could adapt to shifting behaviors and expand the Lab’s capacity to fund critical research and conservation initiatives. This vision guided an eight-year digital transformation, powered by insights, iteration, and mission-driven innovation.

Together, over the span of an 8-year partnership, Media Cause helped the Lab build a modern, scalable fundraising program rooted in audience insights, data-driven decisions, and a deep understanding of what inspires donors to support conservation. Email programs evolved from basic outreach into highly segmented, story-driven journeys. Donation forms were restructured for mobile responsiveness and conversion, while campaign pacing and performance tracking were overhauled with real-time dashboards and strategic projections. We strived to not only optimize tactics, but help the Lab shape a new culture of testing, experimentation, and sustained growth. 

Among the most transformative advancements in the program was the creation and scaling of a branded monthly giving program. Launched under the name “Discovery Partners,” this effort was conceived not just as a revenue tactic, but as a long-term relationship strategy. Media Cause designed every element of the program — from messaging and user flows to premiums and naming — to encourage donor loyalty, reduce churn, and create meaningful touchpoints throughout the year.

Behind every campaign was a rigorous approach to data. Media Cause implemented a system of continuous analysis, testing, and optimization that allowed us to adapt quickly and scale smartly. Fundraising campaigns were no longer driven by gut instinct or static calendars. Instead, they responded to donor behavior, testing insights, and performance pacing models that evolved in real-time.

Over the course of the partnership, we introduced A/B testing to everything from subject lines to donation form layouts. Campaigns were segmented by engagement history, donor type, and giving behavior. Mobile performance was closely monitored, and call-to-action placements were regularly refined.

The growth in digital fundraising had an impact far beyond the balance sheet. Every dollar raised online helped CLO expand its scientific work, protect more habitats, and deepen public engagement with bird conservation. Through increased donor support, the Lab launched and expanded critical initiatives like the Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative, which has awarded over $1.2 million to 85+ habitat restoration projects across the United States. These projects directly benefit threatened species such as the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark — grassland birds that have declined by over 50% since 1970.

Donor investment also enabled CLO to make bold strides in conservation research. One of the most notable milestones was the launch of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, a $24 million effort to track and protect wildlife through sound. This cutting-edge work would not have been possible without the trust and generosity of donors cultivated through the digital program Media Cause helped build. In addition to research, CLO’s outreach campaigns — from live Bird Cams to interactive maps and migration trackers — now engage millions of birders around the world, turning casual nature lovers into informed, active conservationists.

Media Cause’s role in this transformation extended far beyond campaign support. As a strategic partner over eight years, we helped the Cornell Lab not just grow its digital program, but rethink how it approached fundraising altogether. We introduced pacing models that helped forecast and course-correct in real time. We built recurring giving infrastructure, deployed advanced segmentation and analytics, and cultivated a culture of strategic experimentation. Most importantly, we never lost sight of the mission. Every message, every form, every campaign was rooted in the Lab’s commitment to birds and biodiversity.

This long-term collaboration stands as a model of what’s possible when an agency becomes a true partner — when strategy is integrated with execution, and data is matched with creativity.

Over the course of our eight-year partnership, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s digital fundraising program experienced consistent, double-digit year-over-year revenue growth, along with significant gains in donor acquisition and conversion performance. By Year 7, online revenue had grown to $3.57 million—a record at the time—and by Year 8, it surpassed $4 million, representing a 10x increase from the program’s early benchmarks. Each milestone became a springboard for the next, with every campaign and optimization reinforcing a culture of continuous growth and long-term impact.

The first campaign set a modest initial goal of 200 monthly donors. Midway through the effort, that goal was revised upward to 350 based on early results. By the end, the campaign had exceeded expectations by over three times. This momentum catalyzed an entirely new revenue stream. By year 8, the monthly giving program was generating more than $312,000 annually and had become one of the fastest-growing and most resilient components of CLO’s digital portfolio. Recurring revenue increased by 70% year-over-year, and monthly giving became a cornerstone of fundraising strategy moving forward.