It has been a while since we wrote an update on what we have been up to. Since the conclusion of Frog Week 2022 and Conservation Week 2022, we have been working on getting an incorporation status and apply for the 501C3. We added/replaced board members, added more target species and target counties, and further evaluated the identity of PA Woods and Forests Inc. This update will fill you in on what has been happening post-Frog Week.
We have finally gotten our incorporation status which means we are currently a domestic non-profit in Pennsylvania. The incorporation status was our first step in legitimizing the name, mission, etc. We are hard at work to fill out the paperwork to become a 501C3 next. With the incorporation status after talking with our attorney, we have created a PayPal business account for donations. It will not count as a tax write-off because we are not yet a 501C3. We also have added a store to sell merchandise. We are very excited to offer different clothing, gadgets, and household items with our logos branded on them. By donating or purchasing merchandise, we will use that money to pay for the website, and any bills, basically putting it all back into the organization.
We have accomplished many tasks in the last few months: added and replaced critters, counties, and board members. We are still at six board members. We have added two new species to the target species list for conservation. Monarch butterflies and fireflies are very well-known and popular insects. They are also declining steadily. The board voted to add both species to the list to promote their conservation and hopefully host outreach events for these species. We have added three new counties to our target county list. Blair, Tioga, and Erie were all approved at the last board meeting then added to the target county list. We continue to grow and expand our range and advocate for overlooked species in even more backyards now.
We have been learning what the identity of PA Woods and Forests is. We will separate the YouTube channel and Instagram account from the non-profit because AAron hopes to monetize these two social media platforms to help provide and care for his pets. AAron will take sole ownership of both accounts. He has created a sister brand to PA Woods and Forests that will operate as a social media brand. It will be a media brand focused on conservation, pet care, and hiking. This separation will take place at the end of the year. We will still be working in step with the new media brand, but we are focused on establishing our identity. We are focused on conserving our target species in the target counties. We separated the assets of who owns what; PA Woods and Forests received both the Frog Week Series and Conservation Week series to use as fundraising opportunities. The conservation project started by AAron Capouellez fits better with us because we are actively promoting conservation through events and presentations. Frog Week will continue to release on the YouTube channel, but we have an agreement the videos will be fundraising opportunities to bring in much-needed revenue from donations. Conservation Week is part of the agreement between the asset split. Both parties will own the videos, but PA Woods and Forests will benefit from any profits.
We have more ideas for new outreach events other than Frog Walks, Millipede Roundups, and Critter Talks. We are hoping to implement a citizen science component this upcoming year. We will have more on that in a future update. Make sure to check the next post because it will explain more from the perspective of the new media brand AAron Capouellez is starting.