Giving back

I've am a long time supporter of the PCTA.

My problem with fundraisers is that you are never sure where all the money goes. I like to support an organization that has a track record.

I often carry a lightweight folding saw. Spend a few hours cutting branches off the trail.

Or sometimes there'll be a tangle of branches on the trail and you can do a lot with your hands.

But sometimes you need something more major. That requires funding. Good on you!

How do I give back? In the National Forests around here, I generally bring out a lot more weight than I take in, simply because I pick up other people's trash and haul it out – up to and including an entire 2-man sled. Horse trails are the worst; as far as I can tell, all riders drink lousy beer and then toss the cans at the side of the trail.

Give to the organization and not to a person with a fundraising campaign…like Ken states.

I volunteer for a minimum of 2 trail work days a year (have done more in the past) with our local ultra group. we work on trails in our local mountains including PCT.

I generally give my cash to what I consider more important causes like ASPCA.

Two weekends ago for trails day I went out with a group to help maintain a local trail. We did some brushing and also hiked into one of the ranger cabins to carry out garbage. I put in 17 miles that day.

We're hoping to do another trail maintenance volunteering session in August.

I do try to pick up any garbage I see, any time.

I donate to the PCTA.

I maintain a website about local trails and on it I post Volunteer Wilderness Ranger reports. These reports are sent to me by a local ranger and feature volunteers who have gone out and done trail maintenance or evaluated the conditions of the trails. I got an award for doing this last spring although to me it seems like nothing, but I guess they didn't have a way to make these reports public so I provide that.

Sometimes I do volunteer wilderness ranger trips myself as a participant, not a leader.

I sometimes do unofficial volunteer trail maintenance on "non focus" trails, which are trails the Los Padres forest kind of turns a blind eye to, expecting that they'll just melt back into the forest.

I lead Sierra Club hikes and am a member.

I don't do a lot of trail maintenance. I don't really like doing it much. I also don't donate very much money. I find you get on too many mailing lists if you donate. It's super annoying. I think they make more money selling your name and contact info than they do from your donation so until they stop doing that, I only continue the memberships I already have and want to keep but not donate to every cause or join every organization.

"I also don't donate very much money. I find you get on too many mailing lists if you donate. It's super annoying."

That's for sure!

Oh wait… gotta go… Barack Obama just sent me an email…

Ken and John – My motivation for the fundraiser is to get people who wouldn't normally donate to chip in. I'm sorry you feel that way, what can I do to build trust? My campaign is brand new so the AZTA and CDTA will be running articles about it soon.

Jerry and Piper – that is annoying! Do you mean mailings from the organizations you're donating to or that they're selling you to spammers? I think I get more crap in the mail from my bank and credit cards than anything else.

Last month I hauled a gallon of gas and oil each and my 32"chain saw and cut and removed 34 trees from a local trail. I ran out of gas and there are thirteen trees left which I'll go back for. This trail is not in the wilderness and only gets minimal maintenance every ten years. The November thirteen wind storm wreaked havoc on all the trails around here.

"You're da man" Brian!

"Do you mean mailings from the organizations you're donating to or that they're selling you to spammers?"

I think when you donate to charitable organizations, they then hit you up for more.

That pool of people (past donors) is the most likely to donate in the future.

If I think the charitable organization is worthy, I figure the spam is worth it, albeit annoying. Better than sending me paper mail. If I had better email software than yahoo mail, it would automatically sort it and I wouldn't have to look at it.

I could imagine charitable organizations might make money be selling your email address to others. Or they might give it to like minded organization, but again, maybe if I thought it was a worthy organization I migth not be too annoyed.

It seems to me that if you donate to one organization you get put on a list that is then sold to other similar organizations. Because I joined the PCTA, I now get solicitations from the American Hiking Society and other similar groups. Since I joined the Sierra Club I get solicitations from every environmental organization that is similar such as Audubon and WWF. Plus every Democratic person running for office and every democratic party campaign. Once I donated to a local college and the phone calls for all kinds of donation seekers just would not stop. Every night. It drove me so nuts I started telling them I was deceased but the calls kept coming so eventually I would not answer the phone in the evening. I don't donate much anymore. It's too stressful.

I've thought about saying I was deceased but it seems like bad luck or something

Don't give them phone number, just email address

Get caller ID and voicemail and don't answer phone unless it's someone you know. And check voicemail later and call back if you feel like it.

Or I can just not donate and not have to live my life like that.

"Or I can just not donate and not have to live my life like that."

:-)

When I donate, I generally do so through the Combined Federal Campaign. What's nice about that is you can withhold your name from those groups to which you donate.

Is throwing out junk mail that big of a deal? If no one donated there wouldn't be much in the way of trails or conservation land. I think you're just cheap, which is fine but don't act like junk mail is the only reason.

"Is throwing out junk mail that big of a deal?"

If I donate to some organization, and they send me a lot of junk mail forever after, it seems like the costs of the junk mail exceeded my donation.

I don't mind junk email so much, cheaper.

“Ken and John – My motivation for the fundraiser is to get people who wouldn’t normally donate to chip in. I’m sorry you feel that way, what can I do to build trust? “

Hey, I think it is great that you are making people aware of these organizations. My point is that if I were to give them money I would, and could do so directly. Doing so would mean that they get 100% of my donation. Unlike missing 7.9% your way.

Donate direct

CDTC

AZTrail

TeAraroa

And my choice for my money

PCTA

"I think you're just cheap"

And I think you're a dick for calling a well respected member here cheap just because she doesn't want to give you money, but obviously gives plenty of time to things she believes in.

"God can't cash out of state checks." – Keith Green

I'de be proud if someone called me cheap : )

Donate direct

CDTC

AZTrail

TeAraroa

And my choice for my money

PCTA

I get it that you won’t be able to gloat and say ” I raised so and so amount of money” But that and 50 cents still won’t get you a cup of coffee.

Why be involved in the money aspect at all if your main goal is to promote support through awareness?

About 80% of the time I go for a hike, I take a garbage bag with me to fill with garbage I find along the trails.

I volunteer every Earth Day and spend the entire day picking up garbage and doing trail maintenance all over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park system. I day hike there a lot.

I regularly do the same at reclamation lands and wildlife refuges too.

I find it better to donate my time instead of my money.

I do donate money to WWF, Sierra Club, and many others though.

My mission is to get kids into the woods, and teach them backpacking skills, and an appreciation for being outdoors. I taught college classes for 12 years, and have been active in scouts for about 7 years. They may continue outdoor activities their whole life, and may become future scout leaders. At the very least, they have some adventures and experiences to remember. They will also vote in the future.

I was at a cafe one time and the waitress asked me if I used to teach backpacking at the local college. I said yes, and it turned out she went on her first backpack in my class, and has since backpacked all over the world. Nice.