Delta Waterfowl
Key Takeaways
- A full-scale research effort across six different audiences gave Delta Waterfowl its clearest picture yet of how people see the organization, what motivates them and where growth opportunities exist.
- We stepped in as a true partner, supporting an overloaded team with creative, content, analytics and strategic direction.
- Insights from surveys highlighted major opportunities to increase awareness, grow younger and more diverse membership and strengthen local chapter engagement.
- New dashboards, creative assets, videos and campaign tools now give Delta a stronger foundation for consistent communication and smarter marketing decisions.
Overview
Delta Waterfowl is a conservation nonprofit with a long history and a clear mission: produce more ducks and protect the future of waterfowl hunting. Founded at the historic Delta Marsh in Manitoba and headquartered in Bismarck, the organization focuses on duck production, habitat conservation, research, education and its HunteR3 initiatives.
When Delta reached out, their internal team was stretched thin. Big projects were waiting in the wings, important messaging work needed attention and the organization wanted deeper insight into how members, hunters, donors and the general public viewed their work. We stepped in to help steady the load, expand capacity and build a research-driven foundation for the campaigns and communications ahead.
Challenge
Delta Waterfowl’s team faced a few key barriers:
- Limited staff capacity left important projects stalled or waiting for attention
- A lack of reliable audience data made it difficult to fine-tune messaging or outreach strategies
- Performance reporting lived across multiple platforms, making it time consuming to get a clear read on what was working
Strategy & Approach
We began by working with Delta’s team to learn the brand, understand their communication style and clarify immediate and long-term needs.
From there, we built a research plan to answer Delta’s biggest questions. Six surveys targeted members, hunters, the general public, major donors, potential partners from their annual expo and farmers/landowners. Each survey was crafted to uncover awareness levels, satisfaction, motivations, demographic patterns and opportunities to strengthen messaging.
At the same time, we ramped up creative support with press releases, expo materials, email campaigns, presentations and videos. To help organize ongoing performance data, we also built dashboards that consolidated email, social, podcast and website metrics into one accessible view.
Execution
- Developed brand-aligned creative and content, including press releases, expo materials, email campaigns and presentations
- Produced and supported video work, including the Million Duck Campaign video and several in-progress storytelling pieces
- Conducted and analyzed research across six audiences, including surveys of the general public, hunters and members
- Built a centralized analytics dashboard for email, social, podcast and website performance
Results
- Strong survey participation across all audiences, with member response far exceeding goals
- Awareness lagged behind Ducks Unlimited, signaling a clear opportunity to elevate Delta’s visibility and reinforce its conservation-first positioning
- Major growth potential exists among younger hunters and women, who are underrepresented in current membership
- Events and camaraderie motivate younger and newer members, highlighting the value of expanding local chapter activities
- Chapters play a central role in member satisfaction, with opportunities to improve tools, directories and support for chapter leaders
- Most resonant messaging centered on habitat conservation, maintaining waterfowl numbers and responsible hunting
- Print remains important for current members, while social and streaming channels are key for expanding reach beyond the core audience
Summary
Delta Waterfowl’s mission is rooted in conservation, research and preserving the traditions of waterfowl hunting. By blending deep audience research with creative support and performance insights, we helped Delta understand their audiences more clearly, communicate more effectively and build a stronger path forward.
With new data, refreshed assets and streamlined reporting, Delta now has the tools and confidence to reach new audiences, strengthen member engagement and elevate awareness of their work while staying true to the mission that started at the Delta Marsh.
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