Choose New Name

How We Will Choose a New Name

Double-crested Cormorants with Common Terns at Jamaica Bay. Photo: Don Riepe
Updated February 28, 2024

In Spring 2023, NYC Audubon’s board of directors voted to change the organization’s name by dropping “Audubon” and beginning the process of identifying a new name that better reflects our organizational values and our work.  

We have embarked on a collaborative and robust process to select a new name that encapsulates who we are and what we do, and that is inclusive and welcoming to all New Yorkers. We plan to announce a new name in Spring 2024. 

TOP FIVE NAMES

Throughout 2023, we collected hundreds of name suggestions from stakeholders while also considering the new names of other chapters across the nation. After rigorous assessment including incorporating expertise from branding and marketing experts, our Name Change Task Force narrowed down the choices to these top five names:

  • Birds Connect NYC
  • Birds for All NYC (or NYC Birds for All)
  • Birds NYC (or NYC Birds)
  • NYC Bird Alliance (or Bird Alliance of NYC)
  • NYC Bird Conservancy (or Bird Conservancy of NYC)

CONSIDERATIONS FOR OUR NEW NAME

As we evaluate name suggestions and collect feedback, we will bear in mind key considerations so that our new name:

  • Reflects our mission of conservation research, engagement of all New Yorkers, and advocacy efforts for legislative and policy change that protects wild birds and habitat
  • Expresses our focus on birds
  • Is not in use by related organizations
  • Acronym (if we have one) should also not be in use by other related organizations, and should be both recognizable and benign
  • Signifies our geographic zone of work across the five boroughs of New York City
  • Feels welcoming and inviting, and avoids terms that may convey exclusion; for example, as many Audubon entities have done recently, we will likely no longer include a word like “Society”
  • Does not include honorifics or eponymous names (i.e., names that honor individual people)


OUR PROCESS AND TIMELINE

Collecting Ideas for a New Name (Summer/Fall 2023)

Throughout 2023, we solicited input and suggestions for a new name for our organization. We collected nearly 250 name suggestions via communications with members, our print and email newsletters, social media posts, surveys of public program participants, and a form on this webpage. We received suggestions and ideas from 140 different people including members, volunteers, organizational partners, bird guides, outing participants, board members, advisory council members, staff, and more.

Shortening the List of Name Suggestions (Fall 2023)

In Fall 2023, we formed a Name Change Task Force (see details below) to help curate the name suggestions, making sure they were appropriate for our work and that they follow the considerations laid out below. The Task Force also heard from marketing and branding experts who shared important elements of branding best practices to take into account. In December, the Task Force narrowed the list down to a shortlist (the five names listed above). 

Input from Members and Stakeholders (January/February 2024)

Over a period of two months, we collected input on our short list of names from nearly one thousand people through an online poll and a series of events for members, donors, funders, volunteers, bird guides, and partner organizations. We engaged both our existing supporters and stakeholders, and reached out to those affiliated with community partner organizations but not yet connected to NYC Audubon.

You are invited to watch our brief Name Change Zoom presentation for stakeholders (Jan 31, 2024) for more information about our process and considerations in choosing the five names. Our board of directors and staff weighed in at key points to provide input and receive the Task Force's recommendations. 

The Task Force is considering all of that input in its recommendations on the final name options. 

Other Chapters (Ongoing)

While we are collecting input and the Task Force is at work, we have been in close communication with the growing number of other Audubon chapters who are also changing their name, to learn from their process and identify possible names that might work for us, too. You can see the growing list of some other chapter names on the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia website here.

Getting to Two Final Options (Early March 2024)

After reviewing input from members, supporters, volunteers, partners, birders, and community members, the Name Change Task Force will narrow down the list of five names to two.  Our board and staff will also be completing due diligence for the new name, including review by legal counsel, obtaining any rights or permissions, setting up domains, registering trademarks, making required technical checks, and updating key government documents and filings. 
 

The Final Choice (Late March 2024) 

The board of directors will vote on their choice for the final name at its scheduled quarterly meeting in late March 2024.  

Becoming Official (Spring 2024)

Once the board decides the final name, NYC Audubon direct contributing members will ratify the changing of the organization's articles of incorporation with the new name, with a vote at our Annual Meeting of Members in early June. Current members will receive a proxy ballot by mail/email in early May. To be eligible to vote, please confirm your membership status


NAME CHANGE TASK FORCE

Our Name Change Task Force is composed of organizational leaders, community partners, members, supporters, and staff. The Task Force was designed to represent a diverse range of perspectives, backgrounds, and tenure with the organization.

Board of Directors
· Karen Benfield, President, NYC Audubon Board of Directors
· Angie Co, board member and chair, EDIA Committee
· Chris Cooper, Vice President board of directors
· Simon Keyes, board member and Young Conservationist Council
· Jeff Kimball, Immediate Past President and chair, Nominating Committee
· Kyu Lee, board member and chair, Engagement Committee
· Vivek Sriram, board member and member, Finance Committee
· Mike Yuan, Executive Vice President, board of directors

NYC Audubon Staff
· Jessica Wilson, Executive Director
· Roslyn Rivas, Manager of Public Programs
· Myles Davis, Senior Manager, Green Infrastructure
· Andrew Maas, Associate Director, Communications

Advisory Council
· Marcia Fowle, Advisory Council member (as well as past Board member, and past Executive Director)

Community Partners and Volunteers
· Melissa Breyer, Project Safe Flight volunteer, bird advocate, and member, Engagement Committee
· Jamie Johnson, Project Safe Flight volunteer
· Alex Zablocki, Executive Director, Public Housing Community Fund

CONTACT US

We value the input of everyone in our flock! If you have additional feedback about the new name or our process, we'd love to hear it. Please email us at feedback@nycaudubon.org.

We look forward to together creating a new name that reflects our mission to protect the wild birds and habitat of New York City, improving the quality of life for ALL New Yorkers! Please subscribe to our eGret eNewsletter, follow us on social media @nycaudubon, and keep an eye on this page for updates on our name selection process.