Current and New Members Grow the Leopold Community and Meet the $25,000 Challenge
Thank you for sharing A Sand County Almanac! Your generosity not only introduced dozens of new people to Aldo Leopold, his classic book, and the Leopold Foundation, but you also helped raise an incredible $57,000 to continue advancing a land ethic.
The Challenge Imagined
Earlier this summer, long time Leopold Foundation supporter and current board member Joe Arington raised a few questions: Could we energize our thinking community to celebrate and share Aldo Leopold’s classic, A Sand County Almanac, in order to extend its reach even further? Could we encourage members to be ambassadors for the foundation and its mission? Could we do all this and raise the critical funds needed to continue preserving the Leopold Shack, caring for the land, educating visitors and landowners, and training future conservation leaders? That’s a lot to ask – but, Joe, a very smart and generous guy, was willing to provide some motivation in the way of a $25,000 match.
Joe Arington, owner of Arington Tree Farm and 2013 National Tree Farmer of the Year.
To that end, donations from new or renewing members and donors were doubled. Supporters were encouraged to send gift memberships to friends or colleagues, and those were matched, too. Plus, gift recipients received a copy of A Sand County Almanac as an introduction to Aldo Leopold, creating inspiration to explore their own sense of the land ethic, thanks to Joe. He told us it’s that “little touch of inspiration” that helps move one along the spectrum from caring about the land to caring for the land. He has lived and seen the transformational impact the book has on readers and that’s why he’s been known to give them to friends, family, and colleagues.
Our Thinking Community Responds
From the start it was clear, sharing Aldo Leopold with friends and colleagues was something this community was excited about. And, thanks to you, the Leopold community grew – by nearly 50 new members – and Leopold’s classic landed in the hands of nearly as many new readers!
With hundreds of supporters responding to this challenge, you helped to raise nearly $60,000 that will support education, interpretation, and on-the-ground conservation practices of the Leopold Foundation. Through your generosity and efforts, the land ethic will continue to be advanced.
Nice work, Leopold community! You met this challenge head-on, and we are grateful for your continued support!
Has Leopold’s ‘A Sand County Almanac’ been an inspiration to you? Tell us your story!