Financials

2024 Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2024 was marked by exceptional financial growth and heightened mission delivery from all aspects of the National Wild Turkey Federation — increasing healthy ecosystems across the country, sharing the life-changing power of the outdoors with others, building support for our hunting heritage, working with legislators to pass/oppose critical legislation and so much more. Thanks to our volunteers, staff, partners and members, we have raised the bar yet again this year. Our 2024 Annual Report illustrates how the NWTF is positioned for the future and is expanding its impact on a landscape scale.

2024 saw the announcement of the NWTF’s bold vision statement: “A nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.”

The NWTF is a national federation comprised of state and local chapters from coast to coast delivering our mission: the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. Our vision unites us as a federation while also opening the door and welcoming others who share our love and passion for our nation’s natural treasures.

Whether it is someone whose water is cleaner and more abundant because of our forest stewardship work, outdoorsmen and women who have more access to public land, or veterans who overcome their PTSD through our Education and Outreach programs … one thing we have learned is that our mission enhances all of our nation’s wildlife and wild places and advocates for the outdoorsmen and women who benefit from those resources. Our mission does the heavy lifting to unite us all, and the vision clearly defines why we work hard to achieve it. As we set our sights on 2025 and the subsequent decade, we will continue increasing our impact on our nation’s natural resources through the wild turkey. We ask that you join us in sharing why we treasure the bird and that for which it stands.

This past fiscal year also saw the NWTF step into completely new territory for the wild turkey, establishing the first-ever wild turkey professorship. Increasing the importance of wild turkey ecology and management in academia has been a priority of the NWTF. Thanks to our National Board of Directors, state chapter leaders, and talented staff, the NWTF and the University of Georgia solidified a first-of-its-kind endowed professorship at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. What’s more, we are thrilled that renowned wild turkey researcher Dr. Mike Chamberlain is the first to chair this position. For decades, his teaching tree has grown with trained researchers and wildlife professionals branching out across the country, spreading the passion for the wild turkey.

Fiscal year 2023-24 marked the largest single-year investment in wild turkey research in the history of the NWTF – a $655,447 contribution from our national headquarters through the National Wild Turkey Research Request for Proposals program. This funding will go to nine critical wild turkey research projects, and, with partner support and matching funds, we were able to leverage that total to nearly $6 million for wild turkey research. In just three years, the NWTF has contributed almost $2 million to wild turkey research, and has turned that into more than $18 million through a network of partners nationwide.

2024 for the NWTF was also characterized by a continuation in growing our landscape-scale conservation initiatives. In August, the NWTF announced the kickoff of the Forests and Flocks Initiative, a Northeastern conservation initiative that will create 100,000 acres of improved annual-cycle wild turkey habitat, ensuring birds survive the brutal winters and enter the spring season in good condition. In addition, Forests and Flocks will also work to increase hunters’ voices and fight back against policies that hinder our mission delivery and threaten our lifestyle. The Forests and Flocks Initiative will work in concert with other NWTF initiatives in different regions of the country – and rest assured, there are more laser-focused initiatives and projects that we will unveil in the coming years to blanket the nation with conservation delivery that will unify and connect our work.

In FY24 alone, the NWTF positively impacted 894,747 acres of wildlife habitat, and we couldn’t have done it without every member of the flock. For every dollar received, 90 cents goes to mission-related work, and we are proud of our 5-to-1 match rate, on average, for most projects.

Our 2024 Annual Report dives deep into our regional, landscape-scale conservation initiatives, wild turkey research investments, education and outreach, policy and legislative efforts, and more. The NWTF has just begun to execute a comprehensive 10-year strategic plan that touches every aspect of the organization, ultimately aimed at doubling the size of our membership and chapters, while focusing on attracting and retaining quality staff and volunteers who can inject new energy over the next decade.