Last week, we talked about the top five reasons for green fundraising and while we came up briefly with some ideas, we didn’t really explain any of them. We received a lot of emails asking us “ What is a Clean-Up-A-Thon? How does it work?” or “ Adopt-a-Tree? Can I truly raise money with this?”  We felt the enthusiasm and we think it’s time to give some more details about how to organize these kind of activities. This week we’ll talk about the Adopt-a-Tree fundraising.

First, what exactly is an Adopt-a-Tree? The idea really is quite simple: Supporters adopt a tree for a pre-determined price. Then, when all the sprouts are sold or whenever you are ready to, you hold a tree-planting event during the week-end and invite the supporters to attend.

Now to organize this is fairly easy. Go to your local Garden Center or flower shop and ask them about buying sprouts. They usually come cheap and if you tell them it’s for a group fundraising, they might even be inclined to give you a little discount… All you need to do now is to find a spot for the tree-planting event. Go to your Town Hall, ask them to sponsor you. Do they need more trees in a park? Even better, could your local school use some more trees to make the view even greener? Is someone in your group interested to have some trees in their yard? You’ll find a place in no time, you’ll be surprised!

On the day of the event, organize some games and let the supporters plant their own trees. Everybody enjoys a fun-filled afternoon. And just a little tip here, why not raise some more money by selling much-needed refreshments?

As you can see, it’s quite simple to organize an Adopt-a-Tree fundraiser. And it’s always a great way to improve your community, make your town greener and teach the kids about the role and importance of trees in our lives. Do something meaningful for the environment: Adopt a tree!