By Ruby Mulcahy
The Great Bear Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1981 to advocate for bear conservation and their habitats worldwide, with offices in Haines, AK, and Missoula, MT. As human populations expand, bears have had to adapt to habitat changes, leading some species to the brink of extinction. The Foundation believes that coexistence is possible, emphasizing the need for humans to learn how to live alongside bears.
A key initiative is the foundation’s Bears and Apples program, which focuses on harvesting bear attractants, particularly ripe fruit from Missoula residents who can’t harvest it themselves. By removing these attractants from properties, the group hopes to not only save bear lives but also help keep Missoula neighborhoods safe. When bears venture into residential areas in search of food, it creates significant risks, often leading to tragic outcomes for these animals. Through education and proactive measures, the foundation’s aim to foster coexistence between bears and the community. Each summer and fall, the Great Bear Foundation coordinates volunteers to help local residents clean up the fruit on their trees and in their yards. This program is here to help glean as much fruit as possible so that bears aren’t drawn into conflict, and so that food resources don’t go to waste.
The organization utilizes social media to promote volunteer opportunities, provide access to free apples for personal or business use, educate the public, and share success stories. Tori Driscoll spearheads the social media outreach for the Great Bear Foundation’s Bears and Apples initiative. University of Montana student Ruby Mulcahy interviewed Driscoll over email and what follows is a transcript of their conversation.
Q: How do you ensure social media content aligns with goals and missions of the organization?
A: To ensure our social media aligns with the goals of the Bears and Apples program, we will define clear objectives, maintain consistent messaging, and share educational content about bear attractants and safe practices. We’ll regularly highlight volunteer opportunities and showcase success stories to demonstrate our impact, while also engaging with the community through responsive interactions. Using compelling visuals and monitoring our strategies through analytics help us refine our approach and foster greater involvement in our conservation efforts.
Q: How has the use of social media been beneficial to promoting the organization? Do you find there is more interaction with the foundation when using more social media (i.e volunteering, support for events, community engagement)?
A: We recently posted a call for volunteers and received over 50 enthusiastic responses to support this initiative. Before posting our volunteer opportunities online, we only had 13 volunteers, and NO sign-ups to use the fruit for personal use, meaning there was good fruit going to compost and being wasted.
Q: There is power to story telling on social media. How does the foundation share personal stories and experienced to inspire action? Is this something you aim to target in posts more frequently?
A: An example is when a large group of university students volunteered their time to harvest over 1,000lbs of apples. We expressed our gratitude through social media, which not only acknowledged their contribution but also encouraged further engagement and sign-ups from others.
There also is a large presence of bears in Montana. Using the stories of these bears and potential consequences that come with them roaming neighborhoods, inspires action from the community.
Q: How has engagement with other accounts contributed to the growth of your social medias?
A: An example of this is when we interact with Western Cider. Western Cider hosts, “The Great Bear Apple Drive,” where they encourage Missoulians to donate harvested apples for a large apple pressing party each year. This year, they hosted their 7th harvest party using apples from our volunteer efforts along with apples donated by other Missoula residents who support this cause. In past years, Western Cider creates a “Great Bear Apple Cider,” and donates a portion of the profits. Through communication with other business that has a strong social media presence, we can also see our own interactions increase. Engaging with other accounts also encourages people to get involved in new ways!
Q: How can supporters of the foundation be involved via social media?
A: By sharing our educational posts, signing up to use fruit so that it doesn’t go to waste, and signing up to volunteer their time to help us glean fruit trees.
This Q&A is part of a series created by students in Courtney Cowgill’s Social Media and Audience Engagement course at the University of Montana School of Journalism. Students sought out creatives who are doing social media for good to offer tips and insights into the ever-evolving landscape of social media.
Montana Journalism 