Yellow Dog Community & Conservation Foundation
Lodge Partner Program
Since its inception in 2106, the Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation (YDCCF) has helped give back to angling communities throughout the world by funding numerous grassroots, locally driven projects. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $1.5 million to help preserve, protect, and enhance the fisheries and the fishing communities that matter to anglers.
The YDCCF Lodge Partner Program is designed to allow lodges and outfitters to join in contributing to projects in their community by donating directly to YDCCF. In many cases, these partnerships have already been generating results in angling communities for years: places like Punta Allen on the Yucatan Peninsula, the pristine flats of Belize, and the remote steppes of Mongolia. Each Lodge Partner is deeply invested in ensuring their community is responsible, resourceful, and dedicated to providing not only amazing experiences for traveling anglers, but also fulfilling existences and livelihoods for the residents of their community. Each of these places is special because of the people that live there, and working to constantly enhance the lives of the people in these communities is what YDCCF was created to do.
With every trip booked and every product sold, Yellow Dog Flyfishing donates a percentage back to YDCCF, a non-profit entity. The Lodge Partner Program is an opportunity for you to join us in this work. We have designed the program to add value and benefits for your business while feeling good about supporting vital conservation and community work.
More and more, traveling anglers desire to spend their money with businesses that have a philanthropic ethos: those that are committed to supporting local conservation and community efforts. When it comes to travel, many clients are choosing destinations that align with their values. Being able to market your program specifically to this growing segment is no doubt a competitive advantage – something that compliments your own personal take-away of knowing you are contributing to the health and wellbeing of your community and your fishery resources.
Many of the top programs that Yellow Dog Flyfishing represents have signed on as Lodge Partners and are already reaping the benefits of participating in the program. We’ve designed two levels as detailed below. This is a simple, easy, and compelling program, and we very much hope that we can count on you to participate. We welcome your questions and comments and look forward to working with you!
Please view the Lodge Partner page at YellowDogFlyfishing.com
Examples of existing partnerships that have yielded lasting community impacts include:
· Punta Allen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: In conjunction with several lodges in the community including Grand Slam Lodge and Ascension Bay Lodge, YDCCF helped spearhead fundraising for a number of projects for the youth of Punta Allen, including building new bathrooms for the schools, a covered palapa for outdoor education, a new playground, and a recently completed dormitory for the teachers who travel to the community to educate the children.
· Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas: Working with partner Swain’s Cay Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $80,000 in funding toward the construction of the Mangrove Cay Recreational Community Park, which is for all residents of middle Andros. The Park will feature basketball courts, tennis and volleyball, a children’s playground, clubhouses with bathrooms, and a lighted track for running.
· McLeans Town, Grand Bahama: Working with partner East End Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $50,000 toward the East End Dorian Relief project, which is helping residents of McLeans Town rebuild their homes after Hurricane Dorian.
· Xcalak, Chetumul Bay, Mexico: Working with our partners at The XFlats Lodge, we are in year three of the Xcalak English Project, which seeks to bring Bozeman area students and certified educators to Xcalak every summer to teach an ESL curriculum to residents in the Xcalak community. The classes are focused on everyday dialogue and include year-round support via virtual programming.
· Mongolia: With our partners at Fish Mongolia and Mongolia River Outfitters, YDCCF has supported the Healthy Taimen Festivals for over three years. Each year, doctors travel to Mongolia and perform 1-2 day clinics in remote villages focused on delivering critical preventative care to children in the region. Past clinics have focused on vision exams and dental care. In most cases, these festivals are the only preventative care children have access to. To date, the HTF program has provided care to over 1000 Mongolian children.
Premier Partner
· $5,000 and above annual pledge (fund restrictions to your region are negotiable)
· All of the regular Lodge Partner benefits below
· Exclusive placement in the YDCCF Lodge Partner menu on the main navigation section of the Yellow Dog Flyfishing website. Your lodge page will be two clicks away from anywhere on the Yellow Dog site. This is a new feature never before available.
· Exclusive Premier Lodge Partner badge/logo for your website and marketing materials
· Exclusive Premier Lodge Partner plaque and stickers for display in your place of business
Lodge Partner
· $1000 - $4999 annual pledge (unrestricted funds)
· Elevated placement on the regions page where your program appears on the Yellow Dog website
· Pledge payment timing is tailored to your individual business cycle
· Lodge Partner Badge for use on your website and placed on your lodge’s page on the Yellow Dog website
· Lodge Partner listing in the annual Yellow Dog Catalog
· Lodge Partner plaque and stickers for display in your place of business
· Lodge Partner listing in the YDCCF Annual Report
· Lodge inclusion on the YDCCF Partner Program page of the Yellow Dog Flyfishing website highlighting participating lodges and outfitters
· Exclusive twice annual ability to propose local grant/project opportunities for consideration to the YDCCF Board, facilitated through your YD Program Director
· Your donation is tax deductible (pursuant to your local tax laws).