MAFWA Regional Small Game Diversity and Inclusion Marketing Toolkit
Strategic Priority
Recruitment, Retention, Reactivation (R3) - Engaging Participants
Project Documents
Project Description
The Nature of Americans, America’s Wildlife Values, and the Relevancy Roadmap identify that diversity and inclusion are critical in securing the future of conservation. However, even today, agencies are short on diverse images and bilingual resources to reach those broader constituent bases. To meet the tremendous need for diverse and inclusive marketing resources and to promote small game hunting, which is the cornerstone of Midwest Fish and Wildlife Agencies' financial security, this project will partner with a marketing firm, sportsmen and women groups, and diverse focus groups to create a small game marketing toolkit. That toolkit will comprise an inclusive image library, editable email and social media templates in Spanish and English, and an implementation guide that will be available for all agencies and partners. These resources will be rigorously tested using focus groups before toolkit finalization. The toolkit will represent regulations, species, and landscapes across the Midwest region to ensure the broadest possible relevancy and application. With successful resource creation, MAFWA will pursue an additional R3 MSCGP grant next year to evaluate region-wide toolkit implementation.
Project Facts
- Organization Name: Midwest Association of Fish And Wildlife Agencies
- Organization Status: NGO classified as 501(c)(6)
- State: Kansas
- Obligation: $179,200
- Start Date: 01-01-2020
- End Date: 12-31-2021
Results
Ninety percent of hunters 16 years and older are male, and 97% are white (according to the 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation). There are many reasons why this lack of diversity exists in the sport. One is a dramatic lack of representation and inclusion of women and people of color (POC) in marketing and communications materials about hunting.
To ensure the future of the sport and conservation itself, it is imperative to challenge this exclusion and find ways to support and grow a fully inclusive hunting community across the Midwest. Inclusion will strengthen the sport and ensure its longevity, create a stronger voice in voting booths, and bring more ideas and minds to the table to advocate for conservation issues.
State wildlife/conservation organizations, R3 groups, and other related agencies play an important role in ensuring the hunting community is welcoming and inclusive and that hunting is a sport where people of color and women of all ethnicities feel safe, welcome, and represented.
Plain and simple: Diversity and inclusion are critical in securing the future of conservation. However, state agencies, R3 organizations, and outdoor groups struggle to advance meaningful and impactful relationships with women and people of color, particularly with Black and Hispanic communities and individuals.
Building this rapport is no small task and is even more difficult without visually representing these audiences in outreach communications, program materials, or marketing efforts.
Through multistate conservation grant funding, MAFWA has brought together resources to develop a diversity and inclusion toolkit and assets for widespread usage among state wildlife/conservation organizations, R3 groups, and other related agencies. Specifically, this toolkit focuses on giving partners the tools to raise awareness and participation of women and POC in small game hunting. The ultimate goal is to engage individuals in the broader conservation efforts through participation and social support.
