About Little brown birds
Why are we called ‘little brown birds’?
Small and brown and unspectacular, the King Island brown thornbill has just one claim to fame: it tops the list of Australian birds most likely to become extinct. Yet despite its critically endangered status, this little bird receives no significant funding or research.
Doomed by a collective lack of interest, this little brown bird may soon cease to exist.
The story of the little brown bird is not unique, or even unusual. There are so many companies and causes clamouring for our attention, one small bird is easily overlooked. But like all good stories, the tale of the little brown bird has its heroes; researchers and enthusiasts who know and love this little bird and are fighting to save her.
I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot of bird enthusiasts. But I’ll bet most of them are good people, just as concerned as the rest of us with big problems like climate change and imploding economies and the refugee crisis. Like us, they have room in their hearts and thoughts for small problems too. Because they know these are very big problems from the perspective of a little brown bird.
Your ‘little brown bird’ might be a neglected wetlands or a poorly funded school. It might be a village that needs water in a country far away, or a run-down community centre next door. It could be stray dogs in your street or cats in Nepal, or the kids sleeping in the park across the road. It could be one tiny part of great big problem, like planting a garden to help save the world’s bees.
In this era of unprecedented global awareness and connectivity, It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless and have no clue where to start. But being aware and connected are the necessary foundations for change; we just need to begin building, one small action at a time.
About me
Hello,
I’m Anne, the curator of Little brown birds. Pleased to meet you!
I’m based in South Australia, and have been involved in the not-for-profit sector for around 15 years. Although my training is mostly in marketing, journalism and volunteer management, like most of us in the sector I’ve done a bit of just about everything. Not-for-profit workers are nothing if not versatile! Although I enjoy marketing, grant writing and managing volunteers, my favourite NFP role is communications. I’m passionate about telling stories effectively, and ethically. I believe it ultimately harms the people we seek to help if we undermine their dignity and agency to shake a few more dollars from donors.
I’ll probably say stuff you disagree with. For example, I don’t agree that the prevailing wisdom of ‘donor-led’ communications is always the right choice (although sometimes it is). And I can get pretty antsy about our sector defining itself as ‘not-for-profit’ – why do we define ourselves by what we’re not, instead of all the fantastic work we do? But that’s a whole other post…
Before coming to the sector, I worked as an editor and journalist. I’ve also been a tour guide, managed restaurants, spent a few years in an outback motel – and lots of other stuff before and after and in between. I’m a perennial student, grateful to be living in a golden age of accessible information and opportunities to learn. I’m constantly amazed by the generosity of people who share answers and advice on the web.
I’m also a left-leaning, opinionated optimist who believes most people are basically pretty decent if they’re not battered by circumstances or manipulated by the self-interest of the powerful. If that sort of thing annoys you, skip past the rants and go straight to the resources.
And I no longer dress as a cake. (Well… hardly ever.)
Let’s stay in touch
If you’ve got questions, comments, or just want to say hello, I’d love to hear from you! New blog posts are published each week, and you’ll find Little brown birds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Your contributions are welcome – and encouraged. We’re all here to help each other, and Little brown birds is your safe space to ask for help, lend a hand, or just hang out with like-minded mates who believe things really can get better if we apply the best of ourselves to the causes we care most about.
Let’s each choose our bird, and get to work.
