The Challenges and Opportunities of Small Non-Profit Trail Orgs
This past weekend, we participated in a fundraiser for the 44 Trails Association, about two hours east of Portland. It was a day of free shuttle runs by Oregon Territory Outfitters and Fat Tire Farm and free coffee from Loam Coffee Roasters. Not only was I serving coffee out of Nacho the Van, but I was giving away free issues of Trail Builder Mag. Why? To help raise funds for 44 Trails.
Why is that important?
Not only are non-profit trail stewardship organizations reliant on donations, fundraisers, and grants, but it is also the economic model for growth. That's why this fundraiser was a great opportunity to support a local trail org. But for many small non-profits, it's an uphill climb (pun intended).
Over the past couple of years since starting Trail Builder Mag, I've interacted with countless volunteers who help out or lead trail stewardship non-profits. Many of these organizations are small and don't have any type of formal due-paying membership. Instead, they rely on donations and fundraisers to fund their work. Most funds are directed toward buying tools and equipment needed to build and maintain trails.
Another challenge is that with small orgs, since they are 100% volunteer-led and run, the challenge is always time and bandwidth for leaders. I've heard a lot about churn and burnout from leaders. They're working full-time in careers and yet, out of love and passion, dedicate so much time to stewarding their local trails. It is common for those who rotate off of boards to take a break from volunteering altogether due to burnout.
Also, the smaller the org the more everyone has to be a generalist. That's in stark contrast to larger organizations with paid staff that can dedicate their time solely to fundraising, leading volunteer groups, communications and marketing, or even working on trails full time. Not only that, but there's a multiplier effect when this is their career, and they can dedicate their lives to it.
Now, does this spell doom and gloom for small volunteer-led non-profits? Absolutely not. Smaller organizations have several advantages. The first is that they are nimble and can move quickly. It's easier to rally their people. Next, they tend to be more highly relational. As an example, Hoodland Trails Collective just started this past year. A couple of their leaders were at the fundraiser on Saturday, and we chatted about it. They get together each month over beers to talk trails. That is something that goes away the larger an organization gets (unfortunately) simply because hanging out with 1,000, 3,000, or 10,000 members isn't quite feasible. That's the reality of any non-profit or business that grows.
Funding is the primary challenge for every trail stewardship non-profit, whether you have 50 or 10,000 members. Donations, fundraising, and due-paying membership only go so far. What are some solutions for long-term financial sustainability?
Each fall I teach an undergrad course called Startups and Social Media. We spend a lot of talking about social enterprises. In particular, for-profit social enterprises. Why? Because while they often function like a non-profit, their business model is about profit. We talk about the double-bottom line in social enterprises. We all know what the bottom line in business is ... profitability. The double-bottom line is a social objective that is baked into the business model. In other words, the more profitable they are, the more money they direct toward their "do good" goals.
The classic example from recent history is TOM's Shoes. They popularized the "buy one, give one" model. If you buy a pair of their shoes, they donate a pair. They have sold tens of millions of pairs of shoes, which means they've given away that much. Today, their model differs as they give 1/3 of their profit to doing good.
In class, I always show the Ted Talk by Harvard business professor Micahel Porter called "The case for letting business solve social problems." In his talk, he contends that for-profit businesses are uniquely created to solve problems. Why or how? It's about scalability. For non-profits, there is often only so much you can fundraise or secure in grants. What if TOM's Shoes had chosen to go the non-profit route? They would've been severely limited in their impact. But because they had a product to sell, they could scale and thus put more money back into doing good.
What does this mean for trail stewardship non-profits? How can you creatively generate income? While I don't know the legal structure, I think of IMBA's Trail Solutions. It generates revenue. The point is that just because you're a non-profit doesn't mean you can’t generate revenue beyond fundraising, dues, and grants. Whether large or small, there are innumerable ways to get the funds you need for your local trails.
These are some of the thoughts I've been thinking through after the shuttle day fundraiser this past weekend. Most often, these kinds of events are the lifeblood of many orgs. I'm 100% behind them. It's more than raising funds, too, as it's about linking arms and working collaboratively. It's about community.
I asked Cedar Kyles, owner of Oregon Territory Outfitters and part of the Hoodland Trails Collective, to share his reflection from the weekend. Here's what he said:
"It takes a community to plan, design, build, and maintain local trails. From before the shovel ever hits the dirt, there is often a mountain of work to do with phone calls, emails, meetings, and fundraising events. All of this happens with the help of a small volunteer workforce and a strong commitment from a handful of dedicated people. It is this dedication, persistence, and teamwork that ultimately leads to tire treads on new trails. Consider joining your local trail organization and volunteering your time in whatever way you can. It makes a huge difference, and it is the most satisfying thing ever when you take a step back and see the work that you helped with."
Let's continue to get behind fundraising efforts for trails. At the same time, how can we get creative and generate more revenue for trails?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sean Benesh
Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.
