The One Team Approach

How We Handle Donations and Earned Revenue

Longneck Manor – Our One Team Approach for Donations and Earned Revenue 

When it comes to supporting wildlife conservation most donors do a lot of research to find the organizations that provide the maximum impact for the causes that are most dear to them. I support the philosophy of a well-known philanthropist, Miss Ellen Browning Scripps, who claimed never to have “donated” money to a worthy cause. Instead she invested in them. The return on investment was not financial and the dividends were measured in improving the quality of life for people and animals. 

The One Team Approach 

While most good zoos incorporate the word conservation in their mission statements, some practice it better than others. Longneck Manor is truly a conservation park whose ultimate purpose is to save animals in the wild. While the welfare of all our animal ambassadors is always top priority, Longneck Manor is a conservation organization and will be an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) accredited zoological park. We consider wildlife conservation to be akin to animal welfare in the wild, and support organizations that are committed to saving wild animals and their habitats while working proactively with local communities. 

Our philosophy and culture are based on a concept we presented a few years ago at a zoo conference in San Diego. It’s called the One Team Approach.

We are all on the same team… our guests, our staff, our resident animal ambassadors, our zoo partners, and our courageous field conservationists who make positive things happen and give us hope. Ethics, integrity and transparency are core values and an integral part of the culture of Longneck Manor. 

Mission of Longneck Manor 

To create memorable guest experiences which promote actions that help save species, habitats, and the communities who share those same landscapes. 

Longneck Manor Promise 

We promise that every visit will touch your heart as well as your head and you will leave with a renewed sense of caring and hope for the future. That’s a big promise but one that we take very seriously. Furthermore, if you decide to make a conservation “investment” we will make sure you know where every cent of your money is going and how it will make a difference both at Longneck Manor and overseas. It all comes together in what we call the Three H’s: Heart, Head and Hand. First get people to care, then they will want to learn… and then will lend a hand. 

We intend to deliver funds rapidly to the best people we know, people who are working on the front lines of conservation. This is not management by estranged committee members checking off the boxes. Decisions are based on track records 

and long-term partnerships and friendships. We treat all our field conservation partners as family and don’t require long and complicated donor application forms. Longneck Manor will always be a work in progress as we improve our facility, animal care practices and the guest experience and continually refine our methods to deliver support to the most critical programs and people that need help. It is designed to be a sustainable resource for conservation so it does not just rely on philanthropic support. Hence the reason we have both a for-profit LLC and a nonprofit 501c (3). 

Longneck Manor Conservation Foundation and Longneck Manor, LLC 

Longneck Manor has two separate entities, a non-profit conservation foundation and a for-profit, LLC.  When you make a donation to Longneck Manor it goes to the 501 © (3) tax exempt Longneck Manor Conservation Foundation.  If you book an overnight or day tour those funds go to a separate for-profit account.  The non-profit donations are restricted and will be applied to conservation projects in the field.  They can also be used for the care of the animals at Longneck Manor, if so designated.  The earned revenue from overnights, tours and merchandise goes into the for -profit account and is used to sustain and grow Longneck Manor.  The surplus revenue from the for-profit can be transferred to the non-profit to further supplement our conservation mission.

Conservation Heroes and Organizations that Longneck Manor Conservation Foundation Will Support in the Future Are: 

Rhinos: 

  • International Rhino Foundation (IRF).  Zimbabwe, Lowveld Rhino Trust.  Rick is Vice Chair of African Programs on the IRF board. 
  • African rhinos (specific projects and emergency funding). 
  • Save The Rhino International – African and Asian rhinos (specific projects). 

Giraffes: 

  • Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Namibia (Longneck Manor made a $5,000 donation to the GCF in 2019). 
  • Save Giraffes Now, East Africa giraffe conservation programs.
  • Wild Nature Institute, Tanzania
  • Ruaha National Park, Tanzania – Giraffe translocations and skin disease studies (through North Carolina Zoo).

Cheetahs: 

  • Cheetah Conservation Fund, Namibia
  • Cheetah Conservation Botswana.

Rick has been to Botswana several times, as well as to Namibia and has supported cheetah conservation over many years.  In many cases donations for saving cheetahs will be directed to WCN (Wildlife Conservation Network) who has a close relationship with many of these cheetah field biologists

Okapi: 

  • Okapi Conservation Project in Epulu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Rick serves on this board and has a long history with okapis and Epulu, DRC.  He and John Lukas (Founder of the OCP) have been friends and colleagues for many years.

Gorillas: 

  • GRACE – Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center in DRC. 

This facility is much more than just a sanctuary for Grauer gorilla orphans, but proactively works to ensure their safety in the adjacent Tayna Nature Reserve.  Rick serves on the Advisory board and visited GRACE in 2015. 

Chimpanzees: 

  • Jane Goodall Institute.  Chimpanzee numbers are rapidly declining in Africa. 

Jane is a longtime friend of Rick’s. 

Elephants: 

  • Save the Elephants (through Wildlife Conservation Network), Kenya and Tanzania.

Founder Iain Douglas Hamilton and David Daballen are longtime friends of Rick. 

Lions: 

  • Niassa Lion Project, Mozambique.

Rick visited this project in 2015.  Colleen and Keith Begg are incredible life-long conservationists.

Tapirs: 

  • IUCN Tapir Specialist Group, Projects in the Pantanal, Brazil.

Rick is a longtime member of this tapir conservation program and good friends with the Chair, Pati Medici. 

Giant Anteaters and Giant Armadillos: 

  • Pantanal, Brazil.

Rick has visited Arnaud Desbiez and Pati (Arnaud’s wife) on two occasions in the Pantanal and considers them dear friends. 


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