Capital Campaign Committee Members
Email Intros to Donors Suggested by Sharon
For Board Members’ e-mail:
Dear Board Member, our campaign is finally underway and the first thing we must do is commit to our own gifts. As Co-Chair of the campaign and someone who feels she needs practice soliciting, I would like to meet with you for about 10 minutes to speak with you about your support of our campaign. Would (give dates and times) work for you? Please let me know. Thank you.
E-mail for non-board members:
Dear John, you have been a strong supporter of ALT over these years and I know you have kept up with our plans to create a Green Corridor. We have recently launched the Quiet Phase of a campaign and I was wondering if I might meet with you for about 20 minutes to discuss our plans and how you might help. Would you be available on (Give Dates)?
General Guidelines from Sharon
Ask the person what they might be comfortable doing. If it is Board member, you can gently remind them that it is critical that 100% of the board participate to the best of their ability.
GIFT TRANSER INSTRUCTIONS FOR CASH AND MARKETABLE
SECURITIES:
For gift of cash a check can be made out to Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc. and sent to:
Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc.
P.O. Box 444, Westport, CT 06881
To wire your cash gift please:
Please provide your banker with the following instructions, and email ACooney@aspetucklandtrust.org with the details.
Fairfield County Bank
94 Danbury Road Ridgefield, CT 06877
Routing #: 221172270
Account#: 516003042
Account Name: Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc.
Beneficiary Address: P.O. Box 444, Westport, CT 06881
Beneficiary Reference (Please provide donor name):
To transfer a gift of stocks or securities:
Please provide your broker with the following information, and email ACooney@aspetucklandtrust.org with the details.
Account Name: Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc
Bank/Broker Name: Charles Schwab
DTC Broker Code: 0164
Account number: 6172-5312
FAQs
1. What is a green corridor?
The Green Corridor is a 40,000-acre area that was initiated by Aspetuck Land Trust in 2019 as a forward-looking vision to enlarge and protect our region’s open space. The corridor has been geo-located to protect sensitive habitats along rivers and streams, link already protected green spaces and provide for the free flow and movement of pollinators through the landscape. The Green Corridor extends through Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton, Wilton and Redding. Our Green Corridor initiative has two primary components: land protection, preserving the last remaining open spaces in our towns, and landowner engagement, engaging homeowners to create more biodiversity in their yards which will help us magnify our conservation impact in the landscape.
2. What is meant by “landowner engagement”?
Landowner engagement Aspetuck Land Trust’s initiative to educate and inspire homeowners to see their yards as living stepping-stones that provide food for wildlife like butterflies and bees that are making their way through the landscape. We want homeowners to understand that biodiversity isn’t just something that happens on protected nature preserves. It can exist in our suburban yards. We plan to greatly expand our current efforts to educate and motivate homeowners to plant native plants, switch to organic or zero-emissions lawn care services, and stop using pesticides. Involving thousands of individual homeowners will extend the overall benefits and beauty of the Green Corridor and will magnify and accelerate our conservation impact.
3. Can you actually create a green corridor through our region?
Yes. Think of our current suburban landscape as a Persian rug that has been torn into many pieces. The green corridor knits the rug back together by protecting the last remaining open spaces and connecting them through more biodiverse suburban yards.
4. How do you select the critical properties to protect in the Green Corridor?
To date, we have selected 42 ecological critical properties to protect in the Green Corridor totaling 805 acres. These are the last open spaces left in our towns. These properties were selected based upon their proximity to other protected lands, size, and ecological values. Our land protection efforts are not limited to these properties, however. Other properties that come to our attention will be evaluated. We never close ourselves off to new opportunities to conserve land.
5. What is the timeline for achieving this?
10 years.
6. If my property is not part of the Green Corridor, can I still be involved?
Yes. If you are a homeowner you don’t have to live in the Green Corridor to be part of the effort. You can still become a Green Corridor Partner by taking the Green Corridor Pledge to create a more biodiverse healthy yard. You can financially support the effort by making a donation, and you can donate land. We haven’t stopped preserving land outside of the Green Corridor, it’s just our current strategic priority.
7. How will you teach landowner engagement?
We’ve put information for homeowners about how to create more biodiversity in their yards on our website. We’re also hosting classes and lectures and native plant sales, and creating model native landscapes on our properties to show homeowners what a biodiverse yard looks like so they can see real life alternatives.
8. Is $4.2 million enough to do this and how will you allocate the money?
Yes. It’s a start. Of the $4.2 million, $3.6 million will be spent directly to purchase land. These funds will be highly leveraged with other funds from private individuals, foundations and public sources to protect the lands we have identified for protection. The remaining funds of $600,000 will be spent to increase our staff capacity to achieve our goals for land protection and homeowner engagement. Having the resources for these core functions will help us achieve our goals which will in turn help us to raise funds beyond the 5 years for which we have dedicated these funds.
$300,000, or $60,000/yr. for 5 years will be spent on land protection staff to work with landowners to protect the lands we have identified. It takes time and persistent and
creative effort to build relationships with landowners to protect their land.
$300,000, or $60,000/yr. for 5 years will be spent on our homeowner engagement, education and outreach efforts to enlist thousands of homeowners to take the Green Corridor Pledge to create more biodiversity in their yards. It will take concerted effort and focus to change the way homeowners think about and take care of their yards and our investment in educating homeowners will help us magnify our conservation impact on a broader scale while recruiting new financial supporters (members) to Aspetuck Land Trust which will, in turn, give us more resources to continue this work beyond the support from our capital campaign fundraising.
9. How will you maintain the acquired properties within the corridor?
We will maintain any properties we protect as we maintain our other trailed and non- trailed preserves. We have paid stewardship staff and over 80 volunteer trail stewards who monitor and maintain our properties.
10. Is Aspetuck financially solvent, is there any danger of your not being around?
Aspetuck Land Trust is financially solvent. We have been in existence since 1966, have 1,400 members who financially support us and have a general endowment invested in conservative equities of $1.6 million. We will be happy to provide a copy of our balance sheet and audited financial statements on request.
11. In what way(s) can I make a contribution to the campaign?
There are a number of ways that a donor may make a contribution to the campaign. You may make an outright contribution or pledge as follows:
Payment may be made via check or credit card on our website.
You may make a contribution of appreciated assets, such as stocks of securities.
The Pension Protection Act provides that individual retirement account (IRA) owners age 70 1/2 or older may donate all or a portion of their IRA, up to $100,000 annually, and avoid income taxes that would ordinarily incur with normal distribution. NOTE - The transfer must be made directly from the IRA. Please consult with your financial advisor before making the transaction. Contact the Land Trust Executive Director who will provide you with the necessary information to complete this transaction.
Payments may be made through a donor advised fund (DAF). Please refer to the language in your DAF to understand restrictions or legal requirements.
