Supporting Trail Organizations

[QHShowoman]

I've made it a habit in recent years to donate or become a member of the associations of most trails where I've hiked a significant amount of miles over the past year or couple of years. Usually I donate at the minimum level to become a member or toward the lower range of the suggested donation amount. However, I'm thinking that this is probably NOT a good approach. I think that it is much more efficient to aggregate all trail related giving and donate a larger sum to ONE organization.

I've worked in direct response fundraising pretty much all of my professional life and am responsible for raising anywhere between $9 million and $30 million for my clients annually, through direct mail, magazines, telemarketing, street canvassing, email, etc., so I just wanted to add a few thoughts into the mix:

1. If you are a donor that prefers to give 1x a year, you can contact most organizations and they will flag your record as such so that you will only receive a single appeal per year (usually in the year end cycle, since that's when most donors give).
2. Sustaining donors - donors who give a modest amount each month - are extremely valuable to organizations, especially if they give via direct debit/EFT. Sustainers provide a steady stream of revenue with the lowest amount of overhead in terms of management (EFT is preferable to credit card only because the organization doesn't have to pay merchant account fees on EFT debits). Usually sustainers are exempted from mailings, save 1-2 times a year and in emergency situations. Sustainers also have the best long term value because unless an organization "gives them a reason to cancel," most will continue giving for many years, without being prompted to.
3. Organizations love your big gifts, too, but the bigger the donor, the more expensive you are to cultivate and solicit. For a lot of organizations, the magic number is $100. Once a donor makes an outright gift of $100+, they usually get mailings with more personalization, first class postage, stamped reply envelopes, etc. Sometimes, if you're big enough, you even get assigned to a staff person's portfolio, which means they're paying someone to "manage" the relationship with you. So you may think you're saving organizations money by sending in one big gift, but you're probably not, in the long run.

So, if you're someone who gives <$500 annually to an individual org, the best deal for organizations, if they have such an option, is to be a monthly sustainer. Break that big gift down into monthly gifts of $20 - $50 or whatever you can afford. You'll cost the organization less money, your long term value as a donor will be excellent, and they'll know they can count on your gift, each month.

[Coffee]

How about donations only go to:

1) the organizations that have an accurate data book
2) the organizations that confine all the rah-rah parties for the administrators of the organization to a single party every five years


Datto

I have no problems with parties every week if the people participating cover the cost! Shouldn't come from general donations.

[Just Bill]

Coffee-
I began to feel the same way with my memberships, especially the sierra club where there was no way my $100 or so went anywhere after all the mailings and gifts (which you can opt out of).

That said- Something like the sierra club benefits simply from members when lobbying. So I do keep that active as I believe simply having "names" helps them.

Laurie did confirm that the ATC was better than most about not sending stuff if you didn't want. But in lieu of an active membership I've found myself just sending money/donations anonymously here and there.

Finally- I think it's a nice idea to institute a "trail tax" on yourself if possible. Especially as many backcountry trips or trails don't actually require any fees or costs.
If you impose what you can afford- (a few bucks night or $100 a trip or whatever works) then you can use that motivation to simply send money directly to trails you use. Even a simple check in a permit or parking envelope works.

[Offshore]

I've worked in direct response fundraising pretty much all of my professional life and am responsible for raising anywhere between $9 million and $30 million for my clients annually, through direct mail, magazines, telemarketing, street canvassing, email, etc., so I just wanted to add a few thoughts into the mix:

1. If you are a donor that prefers to give 1x a year, you can contact most organizations and they will flag your record as such so that you will only receive a single appeal per year (usually in the year end cycle, since that's when most donors give).
2. Sustaining donors - donors who give a modest amount each month - are extremely valuable to organizations, especially if they give via direct debit/EFT. Sustainers provide a steady stream of revenue with the lowest amount of overhead in terms of management (EFT is preferable to credit card only because the organization doesn't have to pay merchant account fees on EFT debits). Usually sustainers are exempted from mailings, save 1-2 times a year and in emergency situations. Sustainers also have the best long term value because unless an organization "gives them a reason to cancel," most will continue giving for many years, without being prompted to.
3. Organizations love your big gifts, too, but the bigger the donor, the more expensive you are to cultivate and solicit. For a lot of organizations, the magic number is $100. Once a donor makes an outright gift of $100+, they usually get mailings with more personalization, first class postage, stamped reply envelopes, etc. Sometimes, if you're big enough, you even get assigned to a staff person's portfolio, which means they're paying someone to "manage" the relationship with you. So you may think you're saving organizations money by sending in one big gift, but you're probably not, in the long run.

So, if you're someone who gives <$500 annually to an individual org, the best deal for organizations, if they have such an option, is to be a monthly sustainer. Break that big gift down into monthly gifts of $20 - $50 or whatever you can afford. You'll cost the organization less money, your long term value as a donor will be excellent, and they'll know they can count on your gift, each month.

That's a really interesting insight on fundraising. I found that moving to a sustaining membership helps manage my donations in a couple of ways. First, it stops the seemingly never ending solicitations that just become background noise after a while. (I missed an annual donation by accident once because I just stopped paying attention due to the volume of mail). Secondly, it helps in the budgeting aspect by smoothing out the charity budget over the year. I probably give more since I've adopted the sustaining model. I also skip the gifts, etc. Just sent the tax receipt!

[QHShowoman]

That's a really interesting insight on fundraising. I found that moving to a sustaining membership helps manage my donations in a couple of ways. First, it stops the seemingly never ending solicitations that just become background noise after a while. (I missed an annual donation by accident once because I just stopped paying attention due to the volume of mail). Secondly, it helps in the budgeting aspect by smoothing out the charity budget over the year. I probably give more since I've adopted the sustaining model. I also skip the gifts, etc. Just sent the tax receipt!

On behalf of whichever organizations you support, we love you and thank you! You have illustrated perfectly why a sustaining membership is of benefit to both the organization and the donor!

[Dogwood]

Thx QHS for the insight.

Sierra Club literature obviously became very biased politically in all they sent me.

[QHShowoman]

Thx QHS for the insight.

Sierra Club literature obviously became very biased politically in all they sent me.

Sierra Club is allowed to. They're a nonprofit advocacy organization - what's known as a 501 c(4) - which means that donations to Sierra Club are NOT tax-deductible and are used for lobbying and advocacy.
The Sierra Club's work is extremely important, but their job is not to protect and maintain a particular trail.

[Coffee]

Personally I wish that the Sierra Club focused on actual trail work rather than political advocacy. I am not a member. I prefer my trail organizations to be non-political and non-partisan. Trails are for everyone, of all political persuasions. Trail organizations should unite trail users, not divide them.

Thanks for the insights on automated monthly contributions. I'll have to consider that. I didn't realize that this was such a big deal in terms of donor efficiency.

[Another Kevin]

I tend to join the group that maintains wherever I happen to do most of my hiking. For me that's NY/NJ Trail Conference, Catskill Conservation Corps, ADK, and (in the recent past, but I've let them lapse) AMC Massachusetts and Berkshire Natural Resources Council. I hear what Coffee is saying about putting all the egg$ in one ba$ket, but my availability for maintenance outings is spotty, and I like to hear about the ones that all these orgs are doing so maybe I can make a few in a season.

At least the two ADK chapters that I'm affiliated with are pretty good about letting you opt for electronic delivery of the materials.

[handlebar]

I both give to trail organizations (ATC, CDTC, PCTA, NCTA, MWA, MATC, WVSTA, etc.) and join in trail crews. Working for trail crews is easier for me since I've been retired for nearly 10 years and have joined in more than 26 week long crew sessions. In addition, I participate in trail crew work with the Wampum PA chapter of the NCTA, work on Trail Care weekend crews with the Keystone Hiking Association (KTA=Keeping Trails Alive), and have adopted a 3-mile section of the NCNST near my home in eastern OH. Trails don't build themselves. I encourage everyone to join in a trail crew and to support the trail maintaining organizations. In most cases, the trail organizations can deliver their communications electronically and will limit their solicitions.

[ki0eh]

As life bureaucratizes staff-based (i.e. cash-based) non-profits are necessary. ATC can't survive without the volunteers in the maintaining clubs clearing trail, monitoring boundary, and the like.

Many of the groups mentioned in post #30, and similar organizations that might be closer to where you live or where your heart is, remain both volunteer-based and volunteer-directed. As trails DON'T blaze themselves, the "other trails" need maybe some money, but many more critically need your time.

Even one day a year from hikers and neighbors would greatly improve such routes as PA's Mid State Trail http://www.hike-mst.org - used by more bears than people, but the bears haven't yet been trained to lop briars. The all-volunteer MST Association isn't sufficiently well organized to send repeated solicitations, so no worries there.

If you're not able financially to support the trails, try coming out for a day to work on your lumbersexual solarpunk jugaad fantasies. You might like Keeping Trails Alive for you and for generations to come. http://www.kta-hike.org/index.php?op...d=19&Itemid=37

[mankind117]

As much as giving money to organizations like the ACT, PATC, KTA or whatever the local trail non profits are in your area can help, what is even better is actually getting out to work on the trails where ever you. As ki0eh trails don't blaze themselves and all the money doesn't help if people (aka volunteers) actually go out to help keep them open or create them. What is especially needed is people not on or close to being medicare eligible to step up and get their hands dirty doing trail work. That has been my experience with trail work and my worry about the future of hiking trails.

[ki0eh]

We'll also take the empty nesters and retirees, even if you backpacked in the early 1970's classic era, trail work could keep you young!

[Last Call]

Wholeheartedly agree with Datto, Post #9.
That mountain belongs to ALL U.S. citizens, not just people that live in Maine.

Just because some rich guy was fortunate enough to "purchase" it a million year ago is now a moot point.

Let the Gub'ment exercise their we of imminent domain!

[Last Call]

*power
of imminent domain.

[Lone Wolf]

*power
of imminent domain.

eminent domain

[4eyedbuzzard]

Wholeheartedly agree with Datto, Post #9.
That mountain belongs to ALL U.S. citizens, not just people that live in Maine.

Just because some rich guy was fortunate enough to "purchase" it a million year ago is now a moot point.

Let the Gub'ment exercise their we of imminent domain!

Yeah, Baxter's intent in the trust should be ignored. Let the Maine legislature or US Congress decide BSP's fate. Maybe they'll choose to open a casino and put up huge windmills on the knifes edge to boost revenues and offset the taxes of the 99+% who never use the park and couldn't care less about hiking or the AT. /sarc

[Traveler]

Wholeheartedly agree with Datto, Post #9.
That mountain belongs to ALL U.S. citizens, not just people that live in Maine.

Just because some rich guy was fortunate enough to "purchase" it a million year ago is now a moot point.

Let the Gub'ment exercise their we of imminent domain!

So by your definition, the land your home sits on belongs to all US citizens, just because you bought it a few years ago and all makes no difference as its now a moot point? Interesting philosophy.

Where do you get the impression the mountain is not open to all US citizens (or international citizens for that matter)? Is there a sign out front that says, "Only State Residents Allowed"? The Land Trust was set up by a past Governor (the rich guy), who set aside the area and protected it from development as a gift to the people of Maine. A wonderful gift, which is shared with the rest of the world, with some limitations on the number of people who can enter the park on a given day and behavioral issues by poorly raised children.

Baxter State Park is a misnomer, its not State owned or claimed land. The State provides rangers to run the park in accordance to stipulations in the Land Trust, however, the State does not own it. There has never been an eminent domain issue there or anything beyond a rather clearly laid out Land Trust document despite the confusion of those who do not understand how it works.

[Offshore]

I think the AT should be rerouted out of BSP just so every other thread on here doesn't keep going off on a BSP tangent...

[skater]

We'll also take the empty nesters and retirees, even if you backpacked in the early 1970's classic era, trail work could keep you young!

On my last work crew, we had 4 people. 3 of them were 72 years old, with me being the "kid" of the group. At least 3 AT through-hikes among the group, plus some PCT and others. All 3 worked hard all day long and could have whipped many a Gen X'er. Trail work is definitely good for the body as well as the soul.