Please visit our new website and blog!

Be sure to check out TreeTrust's recently redesigned website at www.TreeTrust.org! The new website features tons of helpful information about our job opportunities, who we partner with, what kind of work we do, and how you can get more involved.

The Tree Trust blog will continue to be updated frequently on the new website. Check it out today, and bookmark it for the future!

Is it the end of the charitable deduction?

You may have received a year-end appeal from Tree Trust or another nonprofit organization this year. You may have already given, and if you did, you likely received a thank-you note that included the following line or something similar:

"Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law."

Well, this quite possibly could be the last year that your thank-you letter will include that information, because it could be the last year that there is a tax deduction for charitable giving. The federal government is considering eliminating this and other tax deductions as a way to avoid the "fiscal cliff" and increase revenue from high income Americans in order to reduce our country's debt.

If this passes, it will discourage giving. See this article from the Philanthropy Potluck blog by the Minnesota Council on Foundations for more information including statistics on how much of a reduction in giving to expect. One major fact to note is that the vast majority of Minnesotans who give have incomes of under $200,000, and many of those are under $50,000.

Perhaps you don't donate to a nonprofit, but this change would likely still affect you or your loved ones. If charitable donations are decreased, many organizations who provide public services will be affected. Do you ever go to a farmer's market, a library, a church or your local YMCA? Museums, food shelves, health clinics and hospitals, colleges and universities, libraries, religious institutions, homeless shelters, theaters, sports programs, childcare programs, and community gardens could all be affected along with many other nonprofits. In sum, services provided by nonprofits that improve the quality of life for Minnesotans every day could be negatively impacted if the deduction for charitable giving is eliminated or reduced.

How can you help? Email or call your representative or senator and ask them to protect charitable giving. Ask your friends and family to do the same. Share this article on social media to help raise awareness.

Giving Tuesday

Have you heard of Giving Tuesday? We have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday to encourage shopping, shopping, and more shopping, but giving back during the holiday season often gets lost in the shuffle. There is nothing wrong with purchasing gifts during the holidays, but a new national movement is trying to remind us that the holidays are also a time to share time, money, and resources with those who are less fortunate.

Tree Trust encourages you to think about what you have to give. Do you have time to volunteer? Or do you prefer to share your financial resources? You can choose to do either of these things from the front page of the Tree Trust website. Select “Donate Now” or “Get Involved” to learn how you can be an active giver with Tree Trust.

You can also subscribe to the Tree Trust e-newsletter from the front page of our website to stay informed of volunteer opportunities and general Tree Trust happenings. We unfortunately will not have many volunteer opportunities until spring since we can't plant trees in frozen ground, but you’ll be “in the know” of others things going on with Tree Trust.

If you don't have time to volunteer, but are interested in supporting Tree Trust's work, please consider making a donation. Or, do you need a meaningful gift for someone who has everything? Or for someone who cares deeply about the environment? Consider making a contribution in their honor to our Green Futures fund.

Please join us tomorrow for Giving Tuesday. Learn more at givingtuesday.org or follow #GivingTuesday on Twitter.

What We're Thankful For

Tree Trust has a lot to be thankful for this year and in the spirit of Thanksgiving we would like to reflect on some of the things that make us thankful for being a part of this great organization.

• We had five successful Learning with Trees events this year. Besides the events being fun, it also gives us an opportunity to see budding environmental stewards as children help to improve the landscape at their schools by planting trees!

• With the help of volunteers we recently planted trees in North Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, and Fridley. Volunteer participation allows us to have these events, and also gives people an opportunity to work alongside their neighbors while bettering their community.

• In September we snagged some media attention when we teamed up with Jason Mraz, KS95, and Reverb for a planting event. The publicity was great and only helps to raise awareness of the importance of our work.

• Last but not least on our list of things that we're thankful for this fall, we are thankful for being one of four finalists for the Toro Grant Initiative "Green Spaces Make Better Places," which makes us eligible to win a $7,000 grant. You can help us win that grant by voting here.

Before you go out shopping on Black Friday remember that dedicating a Green Futures tree to someone makes a great Christmas gift! We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday.

Thanks for supporting us!

Thanks to new donors and old, we raised $2,580 yesterday for Give to the Max Day! We appreciate the ongoing support from current donors, and we welcome new donors into the fold. These contributions help us to meet our mission of improving the community environment by investing in people. Support enables us to...

• Provide meaningful opportunities for greening our local community
• Give youth the chance to experience success, boost their self-confidence and find direction
• Teach practical job skills to help adults reshape their lives
• Help neighbors understand and connect with each other and the natural world

This year is the fourth year of celebrating Give to the Max Day in Minnesota, and Tree Trust has gladly participated each year. It's a great day to join thousands of donors and nonprofits to raise millions of dollars for our Minnesota communities! If you missed out yesterday and still want to support Tree Trust, please visit our website. Thanks to all who supported us yesterday.

Participate in Give to the Max Day!

Give to the Max Day is on Thursday, November 15. Consider making a contribution to support Tree Trust's employment training, community forestry, and environmental education programs this year.

Give to the Max is a great way to see the impact that your gift can have when it's joined with the gifts made by thousands of other people on the same day. Learn more about Give to the Max Day and make a contribution to Tree Trust or another great nonprofit on November 15. 

FREE E-cycling Initiative to Benefit Tree Trust

OceanTech, an organization dedicated to providing environmentally responsible electronics recycling, is offering its 3^rd Annual Educators’ E-cycling Initiative from now until November 1, 2012. For every pound of e-waste collected by schools during this time, OceanTech will donate one cent to Tree Trust!

Electronics that are not properly recycled can release damaging chemicals into our environment, harming plants, animals, and people. OceanTech reuses collected items when possible, and works with a variety of recyclers to recycle all possible components following EPA and Hennepin County guidelines.

In addition to the great benefits to the environment that their work already has, OceanTech wants to support our community environment with every pound of electronics that they collect from area schools. Last year OceanTech collected more than 200,000 pounds of used electronics from schools across Minnesota. This year the goal is to bring in 500,000 pounds, which would raise enough for Tree Trust to hold a community planting in the metro area!

OceanTech has specific methods they prefer to have used for preparation and transportation of items. In some cases there may be fees assessed for logistics and loading. Contact Josh Heath at OceanTech with questions or for more information.

Please help us recycle used electronics for FREE and benefit our Twin Cities community in the process!

Tornado Anniversary

On May 22, a tree was planted in the yard of Jan Carstens to honor her husband, Rob MacIntyre, who died in the tornado that devastated sections of North Minneapolis one year ago. Rob was a great friend to the environment and to the youth crews from Tree Trust who worked on projects in his neighborhood over the years. Following his death and at the request of Jan, a fund was set up at Tree Trust in Rob's name which will restore trees to the North Minneapolis community. Consider making a donation to the Rob MacIntyre Fund to help our neighbors while they continue the recovery process. 

A lot of great organizations, government agencies, and individuals have been on the ground providing assistance, but there is much more to be done. Estimated costs for recovery efforts have reached over $80 million. Tree Trust will continue to work with many partners to aid in restoring trees to the community during the coming months and years. Partners to date include the City of Minneapolis, State Farm, Wells Fargo, Xcel Energy, Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund, Bachmans, Knecht Nurseries and Landscaping and Taylor Truck Line.

Tree Trust has always had a focus on serving the neighborhoods of North Minneapolis and the recovery effort has created an even greater focus on the area. Our YouthBuild program has worked to rehab and rebuild homes and apartment buildings in tornado damaged neighborhoods. Our Community Forestry Department has distributed over 600 trees so far to residents of North Minneapolis who had their tree canopy devastated by the tornado and we will roll out additional tree restoration programs later this year. Many of the youth who participate in Tree Trust programs are residents of North Minneapolis and are proud to be able to help the areas where they live.

Tree Trust is grateful for the support of the metro community toward our work in North Minneapolis and we'll continue doing all we can in the coming months and years. Visit Tree Trust's website to make a donation or for more information.

For an update on recovery efforts by the City of Minneapolis, visit the Minneapolis Recovers: North Side Tornado page of the City of Minneapolis website.

Tree Trust partners with Groupon Grassroots

Tree Trust is partnering with Groupon Grassroots to raise money to plant trees through our Green Futures program! What is Groupon Grassroots? An offshoot of the popular Groupon deal-of-the-day website, the Grassroots initiative is "a new way to discover local causes, rally together, and lend a helping hand." It provides an opportunity for nonprofits to raise awareness for their cause, reach out to new donors, and raise money to support their mission.

For Tree Trust, this partnership will help spread the word of our Green Futures initiative and help us get more trees in the ground in our community!

If you are already a Groupon subscriber in the Twin Cities metro area, you will receive email notification of our campaign. Tree Trust must have 65 people contribute $10 for us to benefit at all. 

Since this benefits our Green Futures campaign every donation will be matched dollar for dollar by our anonymous donor, doubling your impact!  And if that isn't enough, once we have raised enough to have a community planting event, you can plant trees with us as a volunteer.

Consider contributing to Tree Trust via Groupon. New donors will be more likely to give once they see that others are excited about a cause. Your contribution of just $10 will help us plant trees, attract new donors, and raise awareness of our efforts!

Tornado anniversary

Thanksgiving is a bittersweet holiday this year for many of our neighbors in North Minneapolis. Yesterday was the 6-month anniversary of the tornado that devastated a large swath of the city that was already battling poverty and related problems. Six months have passed and many homes still have tarps on roofs and windows to keep out the cold and snow.

A lot of great organizations, government agencies, and individuals have been on the ground providing assistance, but there is much more to be done. As we give thanks this year for all that we have, please don't forget those who are less fortunate. Consider making a donation to help our neighbors this Thanksgiving. The Minnesota Helps - North Minneapolis Recovery Fund supports many organizations in recovery efforts, and there are also many other opportunities to help that may fit your interests.

Tree Trust continues to partner with the City of Minneapolis and others to aid in recovery efforts. Our YouthBuild program has worked to rehab and rebuild homes and apartment buildings in tornado damaged neighborhoods. Our Community Forestry Department has distributed 202 trees so far to residents of North Minneapolis who had their tree canopy devastated by the tornado. YouthBuild and Community Forestry will continue working in the area in the coming year. Visit Tree Trust's website to make a donation or for more information.

If you are a resident of North Minneapolis who was affected by the tornado, the City of Minneapolis established a tornado assistance fund to help homeowners rebuild. If you think you may qualify, visit the tornado recovery page of the City of Minneapolis website for more information on available resources.

National Philanthropy & Give to the Max days

This week was an important one for fundraising. November 15th was National Philanthropy Day, which is a day to celebrate the contributions that philanthropy has made to our lives, our communities and our world. November 16th was Give to the Max Day in Minnesota. The goal was to raise as much money as possible for nonprofit organizations in 24 hours.

Individual donors are very important to Tree Trust and help us to achieve our mission. Support from donors allows us to provide meaningful opportunities for youth and adults to experience success, learn job skills, boost their self-confidence, and be gainfully employed while improving our local environment.

Young Adult Conservation Corps at Westwood Hills Nature Center

 
Support from donors also allows us to involve students and community members in tree planting workshops, school tree plantings, and community tree plantings. Students and volunteers have opportunities to learn about trees and the environment, spend time in nature, and work together as a team, all while they improve and green their own communities.

Learning with Trees at Hilltop Primary School

Tree Trust was fortunate to benefit from the generosity of many Minnesotans on Give to the Max Day again this year! Did you miss out on Give to the Max Day? There is plenty of time left to make a donation this year. Visit our website to make a donation to Tree Trust or find other ways to get involved.

State shutdown affects Tree Trust

Youth Conservation Corps
More than 600 youth were scheduled to start their summer jobs with Tree Trust’s Youth Conservation Corps program in June. These youth expected to participate in a nine-week program that would provide them with job skills, wages, and an opportunity to earn high school credits.

However, this plan was interrupted when an agreement on the Minnesota state budget was not reached.

Funding from the state and federal government accounts for approximately 85 percent of what is needed to operate the Youth Conservation Corps program. The lack of an approved state budget, subsequent funding agreements, and the shutdown of several state offices forced Tree Trust to make some difficult decisions.

We have gone to great lengths to minimize expenses and stretch available funding in order to provide a valuable summer work experience for as many youth as possible, and to ensure the completion of critical projects for our partners.

The state government shutdown has negatively impacted 500 of our youth participants who reside in the City of Minneapolis and suburban Hennepin, Dakota and Washington Counties. Here is how youth from specific areas have been affected:

• In Hennepin County, 317 youth began working before June 29, but most of their jobs were suspended by July 8. An additional 38 youth were scheduled to begin in June, but their jobs were delayed. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 27, these positions will not resume this summer. (84 of the Hennepin County youth who began working will continue through the summer, unaffected by the shutdown.)
•  In Dakota County, 23 youth began working the week of June 20, but were suspended on June 27. An additional 108 jobs were scheduled to begin June 27, but were delayed. A state budget and adequate funding must be reached by July 20 for Dakota County youth to participate this summer.
• In Washington County, 48 youth began working the week of June 27, but will be suspended on July 15. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 27, these youth will not resume working for the duration of the summer.
• In Minneapolis, 48 youth began working the week of June 20. If a state budget and adequate funding is not approved by July 15, these positions will be discontinued on July 29 for the remainder of the summer.
• At this time, the jobs for 32 St. Paul youth who began working in June have not been affected.

Tree Trust is hopeful the state budget will be resolved soon, and we are communicating with key partners, funders and officials to stay abreast of the situation. Affected youth and their parents have been notified, and we will contact them if a budget is approved and funding becomes available in time to resume programming.

Additional Tree Trust Programs
Like many nonprofits, the state shutdown has temporarily suspended the operation of some of our critical partners, and interrupted access to some government funds that have already been committed to our organization.

Tree Trust has been developing plans to minimize the impact on our operations if the state fails to reach a budget agreement in the coming months.

We remain committed to the individuals and communities we serve, and will continue to creatively and strategically guide the organization through this difficult time.

We could not make this commitment without the dedicated volunteers and donors who help to support our work. We ask that you continue to support Tree Trust in any way you can.

Remembering a friend of Tree Trust

In early 2008, the pocket park on 8th Avenue and Washburn in north Minneapolis was not a welcoming, family-friendly green space where neighbors came to play or gather. So in the summer of 2008, Tree Trust starting working on a project to transform the park into something the neighborhood could be proud of.

We quickly met Rob MacIntyre, a handy guy with a big heart who lived near the park. Rob had been watching the Tree Trust youth crew who had been removing debris and rebuilding the decaying retaining wall, and he offered to lend a hand…and tools, and equipment, and humor, and...

Over the next two years Rob got several of his neighbors involved in the neighborhood improvements and worked alongside our youth crews, many who lived in the area, to plant trees, create gardens and transform the area.

We were saddened to learn about Rob’s passing after Sunday’s tornado, and we look forward to soon restoring the damaged parts of the green projects Rob helped us complete.

We have a special place in our hearts for Rob. Any donations made in his memory will be used to help involve the community and Tree Trust’s youth crews in replanting efforts in north Minneapolis.

Help replace trees lost in the storm

The damage caused by the storm on Sunday, May 22 was so extensive that President Obama has pledged to send aid to the Twin Cities to help us rebuild. Tree Trust is joining the effort by helping to replant trees in the metro, including Minneapolis and other cities hit the hardest.

You can help. Make a donation to our Green Futures fund to support our reforestation efforts. Every donation made to Green Futures will be matched dollar-for-dollar by a local family foundation, stretching your donation even further.

Donations are 100% tax-deductible, and will be turned into trees that are planted during community events in public parks this fall. The more money raised, the more trees we can plant.

Make a donation to Green Futures today, and actively participate in replanting the Twin Cities.

Give to the Max Day returns!

It’s back! Give to the Max Day is returning again this year. Give to the Max Day is a day for Minnesotans to come together to raise as much money as possible for nonprofits in 24 hours – starting at midnight (12am) on November 16.

This year, GiveMN is offering incentives to help encourage giving:

• A $20,000 and $10,000 prize grant will be awarded to the top two nonprofits that attract the largest number of individual donors on Give to the Max Day.
• Throughout the event, an individual donor will be randomly chosen every hour to have an additional $1,000 given to the charity that received the donor's original donation.

In addition to GiveMN’s incentives, Tree Trust’s CEO and Board of Directors have offered a dollar-for-dollar match up to $7,500 for donations to Tree Trust on Give to the Max Day!

Last year on Give to the Max Day, Tree Trust was thrilled to receive more than $14,000 in donations.

This year we aim to raise more than we did last year. Will you help us reach our goal on November 16? Click here to visit Tree Trust's GiveMN page to make a donation.