Michigan United Conservation Clubs, a longtime statewide nonprofit that advocates for hunting, fishing and trapping rights, warned it may have to shut down soon unless supporters help close a shortfall in time for a May deadline.
In an email sent to members and supporters Monday, President Stephen Dey said the organization faces a hard fundraising target: raise $100,000 by May 1, or be forced to close its doors. He described the financial situation as the result of sustained pressure on the group’s finances, telling Bridge Michigan that it has been “a long time coming.”
Dey said Michigan United Conservation Clubs has been selling “all of our major assets to operate on” for more than 20 years. The group, established in 1937, describes itself as the largest statewide conservation organization in the nation, made up of individual members and affiliate clubs that pay dues to support its work.
The organization has already begun cutting programming. In March, Michigan United Conservation Clubs announced it would pause producing two magazines and running a youth camp amid financial woes. The nonprofit also does policy work, including lobbying, producing a podcast and holding nature cleanups, and it has previously been involved in advocacy efforts tied to Michigan environmental regulation.
Bridge Michigan reported that Michigan United Conservation Clubs has highlighted its role in passing the state’s bottle bill in 1976, lobbying that helped lead to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund in 1984, and a 2024 lawsuit challenging a state wildlife-regulator decision about coyote hunting that the group said was not based on science. The group’s executive board said it is now actively fundraising in hopes of buying time to develop a new funding model.
Dey told members that, as of Tuesday, the executive board had raised almost $24,000 toward the $100,000 goal. He also said he did not know how much money the organization had left to run beyond that point, saying it “only takes us into May,” and he said he was “cautiously optimistic” before adding that seeing the financial numbers can be discouraging.
Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ most recent posted tax forms for 2024 show it had about $1 million in net assets. The filings state the group brought in $1.7 million in 2024 and spent $1.75 million, for a net loss of about $50,000. In 2023, the organization reported a net loss of around $390,492, following a net gain of $860,377 in 2022.
Dennis Eade, executive director of the Michigan Steelhead and Salmon Fishermen’s Association—an affiliate club of Michigan United Conservation Clubs since the 1970s—said he was “saddened” by the statewide group’s financial news. Eade said he believes Michigan United Conservation Clubs has played a “major role” in preserving the environment and hunting and fishing heritage, and he said he could relate to the group’s situation because recruiting new members can be difficult.
Dey said that if Michigan United Conservation Clubs does not reach its fundraising goal by May 1, the executive board would have to decide whether to begin the process of dissolution. In that case, the nonprofit would pay off any outstanding debts and distribute any remaining assets.