A Thank You from the CEO
The Brief: As part of the Giving Tuesday campaign I directed for Heal the Bay, I wrote this year-end letter on behalf of the CEO. It was designed to thank existing donors and volunteers for their support during a challenging year and raise additional support for the upcoming fundraising campaign.
The letter — posted on the website and sent via email — was the top performer across five campaign emails. Meanwhile, the fundraiser itself brought in 4x the previous year’s revenue — a nearly $30K increase.
Excerpt:
As we head into the holiday season, I’ve been thinking back on 2025 — the challenges, the moments of hope, and the resilience this community showed.
The year started with a tragedy none of us will forget. Wildfires tore through our neighborhoods, destroyed homes, and left so many — including me — displaced.
As we tried to pick up the pieces, another wave of challenges emerged. Wildlife washed up on our shores, sickened by a toxic algal bloom. Environmental protections we fought so hard to win were rolled back. Funding for the work that protects our coast began drying up. And all of it amid mounting hardships on the people and communities that make Los Angeles home.
It would’ve been easy to give up. Accept defeat. No one would have blamed us. But time and time again, Angelenos showed us what strength and resilience look like.
And that’s why I want to say thank you to everyone who made a difference this year, not just for Heal the Bay, but also for our coast and the people and wildlife that call it home.
Thank you to our volunteers — nearly 20,000 of you — who cleared plastics and pollution from our beaches.
Thank you to the teachers across Los Angeles who joined our workshops and brought students to the Heal the Bay Aquarium for STEM field trips. With your help, we reminded thousands of young people that they have the power to rewrite the story of our oceans.
Thank you to our partners in advocacy and to the policymakers who continued fighting for the laws that safeguard our future.
And thank you to our donors. Your generosity, in every amount, made it possible for us to lead the science, education, and advocacy that our community relies on.
You are the reason I’m honored to lead this organization. You are why we do this work. And you are what has kept it going for the past 40 years.