Other Ways To Give

Matching Gifts
In-Kind Donations
Volunteer
Corporate Giving
Oregon Cultural Trust Credit
Shopper Rewards

Matching Gifts & Workplace Giving

Does your employer offer matching gifts, allowing you to double your contribution? Many companies provide this employee benefit and some even extend it to spouses and retirees. To find out, search for your employer below and check in with them on how to get it set up. By simply completing a matching gift form, you may be able to double or even triple the impact of your gift! Contributions of any amount help enhance the experience in Oregon’s beloved parks.

Shopper Rewards

AmazonSmile

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Oregon Parks Forever every time you shop using AmazonSmile, at no cost to you. Once you’ve chosen Oregon Parks Forever as your designated charity, AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Oregon Parks Forever.

Fred Meyer Rewards

Fred Meyer Community Rewards is an easy way for Oregon Parks Forever to receive donations from Fred Meyer Stores. Customers earn these donations for Oregon Parks Forever by shopping with their Rewards Card. Fred Meyer will donate over $2 million to nonprofits in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington every year through this program. Here’s how it works:

  • Link your Rewards Card to Oregon Parks Forever, just log in to your online account.
  • Whenever you use your Rewards Card when shopping at Freddy’s, you’ll be helping Oregon Parks Forever earn a donation from Fred Meyer.
  • At the end of each quarter, Fred Meyer will make a donation to Oregon Parks Forever based on the accumulated spending of the Rewards Customers linked to Oregon Parks Forever.
  • Fred Meyer will donate over $500k each quarter via Community Rewards!

For More Information

For more information about these and other ways you can leave a lasting legacy for Oregon’s parks, please contact our Executive Director, at 503-966-1283 or seth@orparksforever.org.

In-Kind Donations

A creative way to give to Oregon Parks Forever is through in-kind donations! Whether you have office supplies you don’t need or you’re a business owner who is willing to donate goods or services, non-monetary donations are a worthwhile tax-deductible way to give. Please call us at 503-966-1283 or email administrator@orparksforever.org.

For Businesses

If you are a business owner or representative, we would love to work with you! Your business’ tax-deductible in-kind donation will benefit Oregon’s parks and be publicly acknowledged. Please contact us for more information.

We can use:

  • Market Research
  • Public Relations
  • Co-op Advertising
  • Event Catering
  • Printing
  • Graphic services
  • Premiums for Memberships
  • Office Supplies

Donor Advised Funds

What is a donor-advised fund?

A donor-advised fund (DAF) is a type of giving program that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to easily support your favorite charities. An increasingly popular charitable vehicle, DAFs are an excellent way to both simplify your charitable giving and facilitate your strategic philanthropic goals.

How does it work?

• Establish your DAF by making an irrevocable, tax-deductible donation to a public charity that sponsors a DAF program

• Advise the investment allocation of the donated assets (any investment growth is tax-free)

• Recommend grants to qualified public charities of your choice

What are the main advantages of a donor-advised fund?

Simplicity – The DAF sponsor handles all record-keeping, disbursements, and tax receipts.

Flexibility – Timing of your tax deduction can be separate from your charitable decision making.

Tax-efficiency – Contributions are tax-deductible and any investment growth in the DAF is tax-free. It is also easy to donate long term appreciated securities, eliminating capital gains taxes and allowing you to support multiple charities from one block of stock.

Family legacy – A DAF is a powerful way to build or continue a tradition of family philanthropy.

No start-up costs – There is no cost to establish a donor-advised fund. However, there are often minimum initial charitable contributions to establish the DAF (typically $5,000 or more).** No transaction fees – Once approved, 100% of your recommended grant goes to your qualified public charity of choice.**

Privacy if desired – Donors may choose to remain anonymous to the grant recipient.

** Sponsoring organizations generally assess an administrative fee on the assets in a DAF. These fees vary by sponsoring organization.

How it works (Detail):

1) An individual or entity makes an irrevocable contribution to a sponsoring charitable organization to establish a donor-advised fund. This person becomes a donor-advisor.

2) The sponsoring organization allocates the charitable contribution to the particular donor-advisor’s DAF. The donor-advisor has the opportunity to name the DAF (e.g. The John Doe Fund).

3) The donor-advisor retains advisory privileges over the investment allocation for the DAF. Since the assets in the DAF belong to the sponsoring organization, any investment growth is tax free. The investment options available vary by sponsoring organization.

4) The donor-advisor has advisory privileges over the disbursements made from the DAF. The disbursements are recommended by the donor-advisor, but must meet the grant making criteria of the sponsoring organization. Typically, disbursements may only be recommended to IRS-qualified public charities exclusively for charitable purposes. Additionally, the donor may not receive any more than incidental benefits as a result of the disbursement.

5) Once the sponsoring organization approves the recommended disbursement, the grant is made to the qualified charitable organization.

Corporate Giving

Corporate partnerships allow us to continue increasing environmental education, access, and healthy activities in Oregon’s parks.

Show your corporation’s support for Oregon’s parks by partnering with Oregon Parks Forever.

We welcome corporate partnerships that share our dedication to increasing environmental education, access, and healthy activities in Oregon’s parks. Donations are tax deductible and we ensure that our corporate donors are publicly thanked. Depending on your level of giving we can offer the following:

  • Inclusion of your company name or logo on print materials
  • A news item posted to our website about your donation
  • Banners with your company name or logo at our events

Corporate donations can be restricted to particular programs or projects, or can help us with our overall management and promotion of the our work.

Your partnership with Oregon Parks Forever will support the Oregon community by enhancing and preserving special places and experiences in Oregon’s parks for generations to come.

Volunteer

Oregon Parks Forever welcomes volunteer assistance in a variety of areas. If you are interested in volunteering your services, please email us at administrator@orparksforever.org

Be a Park Advocate

Oregon’s Parks and forests need people to speak up on their behalf, to make sure that these special places receive the support they need. Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated about our projects and initiatives. In addition to staying informed, here are some actions you can take right now:

  • Visit the parks. Responsible park visitors help make sure that parks are safe and welcoming places for everyone.
  • Share your love for parks. Tell friends and family about the parks you love, and why they should be protected.
  • Learn. Attend planning meetings and other events where park issues will be discussed
  • Speak up. Write to the agencies managing your favorite parks and to the lawmakers in State and Local government to raise awareness about issues in any park or recreation area.
  • Become an Oregon Parks Forever member. Your donations go toward preserving Oregon’s parks, as well as improvements, education, and access.

Volunteer Photographer

We always need images of parks for use in our website, social media posts, and other materials. If you have some great photos to share of places you’ve visited in Oregon, please consider sending them to us! We will gladly credit you as the photographer when we use them.

To send photos, contact us at administrator@orparksforever.org.

Volunteer Writer

Do you have an experience or activity relating to Oregon’s parks that you know about and want to share? We would love to feature your content on our website or social media channels. Send us a link, or your content ideas at administrator@orparksforever.org.

Volunteer with Oregon Parks Forever

We appreciate your interest in assisting with our mission and encourage you to sign up for email news below, or contact us for more information. Oregon Parks Forever welcomes volunteer assistance in a variety of areas. If you are interested in volunteering your services, please email us at administrator@orparksforever.org

Help Mobility Challenged Guests

Volunteers are needed in parks in Southwestern Oregon (Tou Velle, Bullards Beach, Harris Beach, Collier and Joseph Stewart State Parks) to greet guests who have reserved electric all-terrain wheelchairs, to check the equipment out and in, and to show the guest how to operate the chairs.  If you are available, please contact our partner in Medford, David’s Chair.

Help Oregon State Parks

The Oregon Parks & Recreation Department offers seven basic volunteer programs listed below. These are supported by two statewide volunteer coordinators in the Salem office. For current volunteer opportunities in our state parks, please visit OPRD’s volunteer page or call 1-800-551-6949.

Join a SOLVE Beach Cleanup

Every spring, nonprofit partner SOLVE coordinates cleanups at Oregon Coast beaches which are under the responsibility of the Oregon Parks & Recreation Department.  Learn more by clicking here.

Help State Park Friends Groups

Friends groups also have opportunities for volunteers to help.  Here are a few examples:

Tryon Creek

The Friends of Tryon Creek (FOTC) is a nonprofit organization housed in the Nature Center of Tryon Creek State Natural Area, a 650-acre green space in southwest Portland. Our mission, in partnership with Oregon State Parks, is to inspire and nurture relationships with nature in our unique urban forest. Since 1970, FOTC has provided environmental education programs for all ages through its many camps, events and workshops, and has lead restoration efforts resulting in 200 acres cleared of invasive species.  Learn more about volunteer opportunities with Friends of Tryon Creek.

Silver Falls

The Friends of Silver Falls State Park is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural resources of Silver Falls State Park. The Friends offer many ways to get involved to support Oregon’s largest state park! Help in the Nature Store, hang out at a Discovery Table, lead guided hikes, be a trail rover, or help with special park projects. We welcome anyone with a heart for this special place and who wants to join us to help preserve its’ natural and cultural resources! Contact us for more information or to get started:

phone: 503-874-0201

website: friendsofsilverfalls.net

email: kimmaley@friendsofsilverfalls.net

Oregon Cultural Trust Credit

Oregon taxpayers can double their impact through the Oregon Cultural Trust credit. Once you’ve donated to Oregon Parks Forever, then give a matching gift (up to $500) to the Oregon Cultural Trust. On your state tax form, report your gift to Oregon Cultural Trust and you’ll receive 100% of it back in the form of a credit against your state taxes.

For example: If you make a $500 donation to Oregon Parks Forever, and then make a $500 donation to Oregon Cultural Trust, the $500 donation to Oregon Cultural Trust will come back to you as a dollar-for-dollar credit against your state income taxes and you will help many worthy cultural organizations across the state! Learn more at CulturalTrust.org.