Retail Partnership Program
Retail Partner Program
Join a growing movement to protect birds right in your community. By partnering with the Minnesota Bird Coalition’s Window by Window program, your store can inspire and empower customers while setting an example for bird safety.
Each year, over 1 billion birds die from window collisions (1). Forty four percent occur on residential windows (2).
Having a birdfeeder in your yard increases the risk of collisions six fold (3).
Bird lovers care deeply about the well-being of the birds they attract—retailers can help them take the next step: keeping birds safe
1. Kornreich A, Partridge D, Youngblood M, Parkins K (2024) Rehabilitation outcomes of bird-building collision victims in the Northeastern United States. PLoS ONE 19(8): e0306362. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306362
2. Sheppard, C., & Lenz, B. (2023). Birds Flying Into Windows? Truths About Birds & Glass Collisions from ABC Experts. American Bird Conservancy. https://abcbirds.org/blog/truth-about-birds-and-glass-collisions/
3. Kummer, J. A., and E. M. Bayne. 2015. Bird feeders and their effects on bird-window collisions at residential houses. Avian Conservation and Ecology 10(2):6. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00787-100206
Protect Birds. Strengthen Your Business.
Photo: flkr cc tcmurray74
Participating retailers protect birds, empower customers to take meaningful action at home, and distinguish themselves as providers of science-backed solutions. By joining the Retail Partnership Program, stores enhance their reputation as trusted community partners while raising awareness about window collisions.
The program not only advances bird conservation—it strengthens brand credibility, deepens customer loyalty, and positions your business as a leader in sustainability.
How it Works
The Retail Partnership Program is simple and supportive. Your store takes three visible actions that protect birds and inspire customers. In return, the Minnesota Bird Coalition provides resources, technical guidance, and recognition to make it easy. Together, we reduce window collisions while strengthening your brand as a trusted community leader.
Step 1: Stock and Promote Science-Backed Products
The heart of the program is simple: carry at least one window collision deterrent that has been scientifically tested and proven effective.
What Does “Science-Backed” Mean?
A science-backed window treatment has been tested in controlled studies — like the American Bird Conservancy’s tunnel test — to prove it prevents collisions.
Threat Factor (TF): A score measuring effectiveness.
TF ≤ 30: Proven to reduce collisions by at least 50%.
Higher scores = less effective.
Why it matters: Not all products work. Some look good on the shelf but fail to stop collisions, leaving birds at risk and customers misled.
What this means for your store
Customers can trust that your shelves feature solutions that truly work.
You avoid wasting space (and customer goodwill) on products that don’t deliver.
You position your store as a leader that prioritizes quality, credibility, and bird safety.
How MNBC Helps You
Curated product list: Guidance on proven, science-backed solutions you can stock with confidence.
Staff education: Your team gets references guides to explain options and answer customer questions.
Marketing poster: A professional, ready-to-display poster you can use in-store to highlight bird-safe solutions and spark customer interest.
Exclusive training perk: Invite MNBC for an optional workshop that that covers window collision basics, why science-backed solutions matter, and how to discuss products with customers.
Step 2: Educate and Inspire Customers
Most of your customers likely don’t realize the impact they can have. Many think window collisions are a skyscraper problem, but the reality is different: 44% happen on homes. Collisions are one of the top three threats to birds, killing over a billion birds each year. Customers need to know the scale of the problem — and that their own windows matter.
What this means for your store
You position your store as the go-to place for answers and solutions.
Customers learn not just what products exist, but also how to use them correctly (outside application, spacing, full coverage).
Education builds customer trust, increases product confidence, and even highlights simple DIY options using materials they can buy in-store.
Step 3 : Lead by Treating Your Store Front Windows
Taking action on your own storefront sets the example. Even if your store doesn’t experience collisions, treated windows start conversations, inspire customers, and demonstrate leadership. It’s a simple step that signals your commitment to bird safety and strengthens customer trust in your store.
Photo: Istock Pgiam
WindowAlert® Clings
UV-reflective decals that cling to glass.
Feather Friendly®
Adhesive markers applied to the outside of glass that create a visible pattern to prevent window collisions.
CollidEscape
Exterior film that covers glass with a patterned surface.
Sample in-store poster provided through the MNBC Retail Partner Program.
How MNBC Helps You
Educational tools: Posters, handouts and guides that explain the problem and spotlight homeowner solutions.
In-store presentations & demos: MNBC provides optional talks and hands-on workshops, including DIY solutions that use store materials.
Staff support: Optional workshop to give your team the confidence to discuss both the “why” and the “how.”
Your storefront is more than glass—it’s a powerful marketing tool. By treating your own windows, you create a visible demonstration that sparks conversations, builds trust, and shows customers how they can take action at home. Treated windows work as a living display of the products you carry.
How MNBC Helps You
Free product: Some suppliers, like Feather Friendly, provide deterrents for store windows free of charge.
Landlord approvals: MNBC offers technical specs and guidance to help with permissions.
Added impact: Featuring additional deterrents you carry connects customers directly to proven solutions.
Benefits to Retailers
Partnering with MNBC brings real advantages to your business. You’re not just putting products on the shelf, you’re positioning your store as a trusted source for answers, solutions, and community leadership. Customers see you as a place that cares about both their needs and birds, which builds loyalty and sets you apart from competitors. MNBC will highlight
Key benefits for your store:
Strengthen your reputation as a trusted, conservation-minded retailer
Build customer loyalty by offering science-backed guidance and support
Differentiate your store from big-box competitors with local expertise
Increase sales by helping customers feel confident in what they buy
Connect your brand to a visible community conservation effort
