MEDIA RELEASE

9/3/2024

–For Immediate Release—

Contact: Louis Medina, Outreach Director, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, [email protected], Cell 323.788.7447

Local Nonprofit Set to Fundraise through ‘Earth Gives,’ a Nationwide Online Crowdfunding Effort for Conservation and Land Protection Nonprofits

Bishop-based Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association is gearing up to participate in a monthlong, nationwide online fundraiser to benefit conservation-focused nonprofit organizations.

Called Earth Gives (earthgives.org) the fundraiser launches Friday, Sept. 6, and will continue until it culminates in a frenzied finale of giving on October 1, the official Earth Gives Day.

“Online giving days have become a popular source of crowdfunding for nonprofits that often have to operate on a shoestring budget and are constantly looking for ways to diversify their funding sources,” ESIA’s Outreach Director Louis Medina said.

However, there are three things that make Earth Gives unique and especially appealing as a giving day, according to Medina. “One, Earth Gives opens up its online donation portal almost a whole month ahead of the giving day to make it possible for people to have a wider window to donate; two, it is focused on organizations that, like ESIA, are working hard to protect public lands, so it is targeted fundraising; and three, because the outreach effort is nationwide in scope, it has the potential of bringing new out-of-area dollars—and donors—to the Eastern Sierra,” he said.

“Organizations like ESIA add to the ecosystem that educates, protects, and inspires people to become environmental stewards,” said Rhonda Bannard, the Phoenix, Arizona-based Executive Director and Founder of Earth Gives. “We all play a role in protecting our public lands and leaving them for the next generation to appreciate, so investing in the work of this group and others makes that possible.”

According to Bannard, environmental or conservation-focused philanthropy currently represents only 2 percent of all charitable giving; but because individual donors make up 64 percent of all contributions to charity, she said, Earth Gives has the potential to harness their giving power and “expand the impact” on earth-centered philanthropy.

Some fun and informational activities on earthgives.org are the “Power Hours” that will be held on four different dates throughout the giving period. These virtual educational programs will be led by nonprofit experts focusing on different aspects of conservation and public lands protection, Bannard said, from plastics pollution to “fashion circularity,” which aims to maximize the lifespan of clothing and textiles to reduce waste. To learn about Power Hours, visit earthgives.org/key_dates.

More than 120 nonprofits are signed up to fundraise through Earth Gives, including such diverse efforts as the Evangelical Environmental Network, Arizona Trail Association, Snake River Fund, EcoFlight, Alabama

Coastal Foundation, Wolf Haven International, and Texas Tribal Buffalo Project. Earth Gives awards prizes to nonprofits for their efforts, generating a fun and friendly fundraising competition—as well as extra cash.

ESIA’s Executive Director, Jeff Gabriel, said ESIA is fundraising for several needs, including:
• Helping ESIA’s agency partners at the US Forest Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management with services they lack funding for, including trail and interpretive signage and general informational and stewardship activities;
• Climbing Rangers, who work seasonally from October through May in popular bouldering areas around Bishop to educate climbers on the importance of climbing and bouldering responsibly, as well as practicing Leave No Trace principles when parking and camping, and observing climbing etiquette; and
• Outdoor Education programs for the general public, such as Eastern Sierra guided hikes, or ESIA’s popular Campfire Programs at various campgrounds throughout Inyo and Mono counties, as well as youth programs delivered in partnership with local school districts and other organizations.

How to Engage with Earth Gives

Beginning on Sept. 6, and continuing till Oct. 1, visit www.earthgives.org. Use the search function in the middle of the home page to search for an organization you would like to donate to. “We hope you will search for ESIA,” Gabriel said, “then, when our profile comes up, click on ‘Learn More’ to go to our donation page. Alternatively, you can simply type the following on your browser: www.earthgives.org/organization/esia.”

You can then make a donation or click on the “Create a Fundraiser” button. This is something similar to the widely popular birthday fundraisers people create on social media, Medina said. “You get a unique url that you can then share with others to make it easy for them to give to a cause you care about. It’s a form of so-called ‘peer-to-peer fundraising,’ meaning you reach out to your peers, your network of friends and family, and they are more likely to give to a cause because you ask them to—in other words, because they trust your charitable judgment.” Donors are encouraged to share on social media about giving through Earth Gives using the hashtag #EarthGives, Bannard said, to incentivize others to give as well.

For more information about ESIA’s fundraising through Earth Gives, including the option to send in a check if you prefer that over online giving, please write to [email protected] or call 760-872-1220.

About the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association

Founded in 1970, ESIA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that partners with local, tribal, and federal governments and fellow nonprofits to provide interpretive education about the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin landscapes, in the hope of inspiring members of the public to develop a deeper appreciation for public lands, and thereby become better stewards. ESIA operates bookstores in visitor centers in collaboration with agency partners that include the Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyabe, Tahoe, and Klamath National Forests, Death Valley National Park, Devils Postpile National Monument, Manzanar National Historic Site, and the Bureau of Land Management’s Bishop Field Office. ESIA also hosts the Eastern Sierra History Conference annually each fall. For more information, please visit ESIA’s website, sierraforever.org.