ShareTrails | Three Unconventional Ways to Support BlueRibbon Coalition

Running a 501c3 non-profit always includes the consistent challenge of making sure the organization has the funds it needs to operate and fulfill its mission. At BlueRibbon Coalition we have several big projects we are working on in addition to the standard day-to-day operations that position us to be effective fighters for your recreation access to public lands. While charitable fundraising is difficult work, we are always encouraged by the generous supporters who make it possible for us to do big things like fight to keep 10,000 miles of roads and trails open in Utah, change the direction of wildfire policy in the West, or track the numerous planning decisions coming out of federal agencies and enlist your help to comment publicly and make our voices heard. While there are many land-use advocacy groups that volunteer to maintain trails, engage in local planning, and organize outdoor rereationists through events, we’re one of the only national advocacy organizations that goes the entire distance in advocacy fights, which includes going toe-to-toe with anti-access wilderness groups through litigation.

Our financial support comes primarily from membership dues from individuals and organizations along with donations raised through fundraisers. Our substantial membership base increases clout with the agencies we work with, and it gives us a grassroots network we can use to get more people engaged. If you’re not already a member, you should join today!

We also want those who support our organization to know there are three other ways you can support BlueRibbon Coalition that you might not have considered.

Amazon Smile

If you shop on Amazon, it’s very easy to join the Amazon Smile program. You basically go to https://smile.amazon.com to make your Amazon purchases. It will have you select a non-profit to support. If you select BlueRibbon Coalition, Amazon will automatically donate a small percentage of each sale to us. Once the initial selection of th non-profit is complete, you simply use the smile.amazon.com link every time you shop at Amazon. Everything else is automatic, and it is a way to contribute on purchases you are already making anyway.

Pledge.to

We are also signed up on a platform called Pledge.to. This platform will allow users to fundraise for BlueRibbon Coalition in several ways:

Shopify Ecommerce Plugins – If you have an e-commerce store on Shopify, Pledge.to has a plugin you can install in your store that will allow you to offer a portion of purchases that will automatically be sent to BlueRibbon Coalition. This is like the Amazon Smile program, but for smaller webstore retailers. Virtual event fundraisers – This tool allows you to put a fundraising link on a Zoom meeting and other virtual events. If you want to host a Zoom fundraiser with your local club or organization, we would love to have members of our team present to your organization what we are working on.Evite integration – If you use Evite to invite people to events you can include a fundraiser in the invitation.Pledge.to also has tools to put a live fundraising link on any live-streamed broadcast.

If you want to explore ways to use pledge.to to help fundraise for BlueRibbon Coalition, simply reach out to us and we will help train you on how to use the tools.

Vehicles for Charity

Since 2008, BlueRibbon Coalition has had a strong partnership with Vehicles for Charity. If you have an unwanted car, truck, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, RV, camper, boat, or trailer, you can simply call 1-866-628-2277 and Vehicles for Charity will make arrangements to pick up the vehicle, sell the vehicle at auction, donate the proceeds to BlueRibbon Coalition, and give you a receipt you can use for a tax deduction. Vehicles for Charity also has a website where you can learn more. This has been a great partnership for us, because naturally our members accumulate vehicles over time. Over time they just start taking up room in the garage or driveway.

We appreciate all the support we receive from the public. It is a well-known fact that the groups trying to shut down recreation access to public lands often outmatch us in financial resources. This just means we have to fight smarter and stretch every resource, which is what we’ve always done. But none of it would be possible without your support.