Increase Your Impact During Giving Week

November 07, 2017
Staff
New York-New Jersey Trail Conference

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Increase Your Impact During Giving Week
Fall hike in the Catskills. Photo by Justin Ray.

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Your gift to the Trail Conference is doubled during Giving Week, Nov. 21-28.

The Trail Conference is once again participating in #GivingTuesday, the global day dedicated to giving, this year celebrated on Nov. 28. #GivingTuesday has inspired people around the world to bring about real change in our communities through greater donations and volunteerism.

We invite you to get outside and give thanks for the constant love and care that keeps our extraordinary network of trails open, free, and safe. Please consider supporting your trail builders, maintainers, and protectors with a tax-deductible gift to the Trail Conference this November.

We want to engage as many outdoor enthusiasts as we can, so our 2017 challenge will last for a full eight days, from Nov. 21 through 28—our Giving Week. 

During this time, your gift will be matched 1:1 (up to $17,675), thanks to a donation by two of our generous supporters. That means when you give $50 to support our work on trails and in parks during our Giving Week challenge, your gift will be matched with $50.

In addition to the match for our annual fund, we challenge our friends to support their local trails by making a contribution toward any of our other matching fund programs:

Ramapo Trails Fund

Thanks to a generous 2:1 matching grant from The William Froelich Foundation and the Bergen County Parks Department, your gift will be double-matched to support significant trail improve­ments in Ramapo Valley Reservation and adjoining trail lands in Bergen County, N.J.

Harriman/Sterling Forest Improvement Project

Thanks to a generous 1:1 matching grant from Michael Bruno and the Tuxedo Hudson Company, donations in 2017 will fund the construction of a sustainable network of interconnecting loop trails, including the new Munsee Eagle Trail in eastern Sterling Forest. In the future, the fund will allow us to reconstruct some of western Harriman’s most historic trails. Emphasis will be placed on the first Trail Conference trail, the Ramapo-Dunderberg, completed in 1921.

Catskills Summit Steward Fund

Thanks to generous matching grants from the Hunter Foundation, Catskill 3500 Club, and the Catskill Mountain Club, donations matched 1:1 (until the fund reaches $17,000) will support our growing Summit Steward program in the Catskills. After two successful seasons aiding and educating hikers, we are looking to expand the program to other locations to help even more people have a fun, safe, and responsible time on the trails.

Long Distance Trails Memorial Fund

The Long Distance Trails Memorial Fund was formed by the Trail Conference and our generous supporter and longtime volunteer Malcolm Spector to honor the memory of Jakob Franke, whose contributions to the Long Path and Shawangunk Ridge Trail were immeasurable. Gifts of $500 or more are matched 1:1, up to $7,000.

Invasives Strike Force

Thanks to a generous donor, gifts to the Invasives Strike Force will be matched 1:1, up to $5,000. Donations to the Invasives Strike Force are dedicated to control invasive species and protect our native plants.

Be sure to visit our Giving Tuesday page starting Tuesday, Nov. 21 to make your Giving Week donation. Use the hashtag #GivingWeek, and on Nov. 28, #GivingTuesday, on social media to let everyone know why you support the Trail Conference!