'Tis the (giving) season
By Nicholle Gotham - Assistant Director of Development
Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024
This past spring, I spent a week backpacking through the Scottish Highlands with my best friend, Julia. The long hours melting into days spent putting one foot in front of the other, fueled by taking in the breathtaking terrain surrounding us, were filled with old jokes to deep, meaningful conversation to commiserating over sore joints and backs from carrying full packs to just, “Wow – I can’t believe how lucky we are to be experiencing this beautiful world on foot.”
But all in all, the topic we returned to most was how our shared love of the natural world is rooted in experiences we both had growing up in the North Country – Julia inside the Blue Line and myself just North of it.
The magic found in the Adirondack landscape has played a vital role in shaping who I am, and this holiday season, I hope you will join me in celebrating this special place by supporting our work as we strive to ensure that future generations can find the same inspiration and joy rooted in these peaks and valleys.
Here are a few different ways you can make (and also give!) a meaningful gift and foster some Adirondack holiday magic of your own.
A Gift to Support the Next 50 Years of the Council
We are pleased to let you know that a generous Adirondack advocate has offered a year-end matching gift challenge this giving season. All gifts will be matched 1:1 and any new or increased gifts will be match 2:1 up to $250,000 until December 31! We are counting on you to help meet and exceed our goal. Your gift will support our conservation, advocacy, and education efforts on behalf of the six-million-acre Adirondack Park.
Three popular options to contribute to the match include:
- Making a contribution using your commercial gift fund or Donor-Advised Fund (DAF), or
- Giving a gift of stock or appreciated securities, or
- Making a gift directly from your individual retirement account (IRA) to the Adirondack Council as a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)*
Give the Gift of the Council!
If you’re like me, you have at least one friend or family member that seems impossible to find a gift for. Instead of poking around shop after shop in search of the perfect gift, for the Adirondack lover in your life, gift them a membership to the Council! Through their membership, they’ll be able to stay up to date on all things Park-related from taking action to hearing about ongoing conservation work throughout the region.
By gifting someone a membership, they’ll receive:
- The State of the Park report: an annual update on what policy decisions and what initiatives elected officials have and are taking on to tackle issues impacting the Park
- Call of the Loon newsletters: publications featuring the issues, people, and trends in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park
- Emails including: In and About the Park Blogs, Action Alerts, and updates on Park-related issues
- Opportunities to take action and an invitation to our Annual Adirondack Lobby Day
- Joy in knowing they’re helping to protect the Adirondacks for all and for future generations!
Honor someone special
Looking to honor or remember a loved one who isn’t with you this holiday season? Consider making a gift to the Council in their name or memory. These gifts serve as a tribute to those you cherish, while also supporting our mission to preserve the air, water, and wildlands of our beloved Adirondack Park. Names of beloved friends and loved ones will also be included in the Council’s annual report, to be remembered going forward.
Plan on Forever
All estate gifts to the Adirondack Council continue to grow as part of the Forever Wild Fund, creating a lasting legacy and voice for Adirondack Park protection. This fund supports the Council’s annual budget to meet current demands, and allows flexibility, when necessary, for resources to address constitutional and unforeseen threats.
Here are two easy ways to leave a lasting Adirondack legacy:
- Join our Legacy Society. By naming the Adirondack Council as a beneficiary in your will, life insurance policy, retirement account, or other planned giving option, you will be joining a group of like-minded individuals who are dedicated to seeing the Adirondacks remain “forever wild,” and will inspire others to do the same.
- Roll over money from your IRA to the Council*. If you are age 70½ or older and have an Individual Retirement Account, you may be able to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly to the Adirondack Council tax-free.
*If you are 73, this gift can also serve as all or part of your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD).
Gift a Piece of the Adirondacks
If you’re in search of a great gift and want to support our work at the same time, we have great Council merch in our online store. A few things that I’ll be gifting this year are a classic or twist knit beanie for my partner who loves to hike, a special 50th anniversary mug for my grandmother who loves her Adirondack Mountain Coffee in the morning, and our new Adopt-An-Otter for the youngest members of my family.
Looking for more ways to get involved with the Council?
Take Action! Connect With Us! Support Our Work!
