The story of what is happening to elephants in Africa is difficult to tell. Photos, video footage, interviews and other necessary components to traditional documentary storytelling are generally unavailable on this issue, and real-life images of the gruesome slaughter of elephants may be too graphic or unnerving for a U.S. audience.

Most Americans don’t realize that the U.S. is one of the world’s largest consumers of ivory, and the American market is driving the increased poaching in Africa. The U.S. is a major destination for illegal ivory that is brought in via souvenirs, smuggling operations, and the Internet, as well as raw ivory imported for domestic carving industries.

Achieving this goal will mean fewer elephants being killed in Africa and Asia to satisfy the demand for ivory in the United States–one of the world’s largest consumers of ivory.

We crafted a storytelling environment online that raised awareness and helped IFAW advocate for new U.S. policies against the global trade in elephant ivory.

We helped IFAW expand their traditional membership base to include younger, socially networked demos. And created sustainable fundraising and editorial structures that support a multi-tiered rollout for the 2-year campaign beginning in 2011.