EcoLogic Development Fund
Ambassador Guide 2017
Become an EcoLogic Ambassador! As an Ambassador, you are the voice of EcoLogic. You are an advocate, a volunteer, and a friend. Through EcoLogic, you are solving critical social and environmental problems. EcoLogic’s approach is unique. We identify strong partners in environmentally sensitive areas, working with local communities to help them conserve forests and water while building better, healthier lives. As an Ambassador, you fuel EcoLogic’s work. Your support directly affects the prosperity of people, communities, and ecosystems in Central America and Mexico. With your support, we help rural communities identify and establish a variety of strategies to establish economic self-sufficiency, restore environmental health, and increase adaptability to climate change in ways that encourage the longterm conservation of the biodiversity that surrounds them.
Photo credit: Maura Fitzgerald
A local community member committed to protecting Sarstoon Temash National Park in Belize, near one of EcoLogic’s project areas
“It’s not easy being green or to achieve environmental and social sustainability, but there’s really no other rational choice. I’m happy to say EcoLogic is helping us in thinking and moving things in that direction.” - Bill Green, EcoLogic Ambassador and Board Member
Do you believe that protecting nature and addressing human needs should go hand in hand? Do you want to help EcoLogic empower rural people to protect tropical ecosystems in Central America and Mexico? Become an EcoLogic Ambassador!
A mother and her son in Olanchito, Honduras
You can make a difference on a global scale... ...by investing your time and/or resources in the restoration and protection of forests, fisheries, and water sources in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico upon which so many people depend. In turn, both the well-being of millions of people in rural communities and acres of sensitive environmental areas contribute to the health of the entire planet. With the help of friends and family, Ambassadors raise $1,000 or more in a year. As an Ambassador, you decide what your pledge will be based on what you can contribute personally and what you expect to raise with the support of others during the year.
What it Means to Be an EcoLogic Ambassador We want to show our appreciation and gratitude for your support! As an EcoLogic Ambassador, you will enjoy the following benefits: •
Unique opportunities to go behind the scenes and experience EcoLogic in the field through events, virtual meetings, dialogues with visiting field staff, or visits if you are traveling near one of our sites
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Invitations to our annual event
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Recognition in EcoLogic’s Annual Report and on our website
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An annual report demonstrating how your investment has changed lives and conserved natural resources
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Individualized support from EcoLogic’s staff and a dedicated staff liason to help answer your questions
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Personalized fundraising tools, including a dedicated fundraising webpage
Photo credit: Todd Shapera
Women tend a nursery in Ixcán, Guatemala
“EcoLogic’s community-centered approach to sustainable development is a beacon of hope for both the people and the threatened ecosystems of Central America. By asking rural communities about their hopes and dreams, and then partnering with them to fulfill those dreams through practices informed by ecological understanding and appropriate technology, EcoLogic lights the way for other conservationminded humanitarian organizations.” - Joe Levine, EcoLogic Ambassador
What will EcoLogic expect from me as as an Ambassador? EcoLogic Ambassadors are expected to raise $1,000 or above within a calendar year. By signing up as an Ambassador you are making an important pledge to support EcoLogic and our work. The funds you raise as an Ambassador will directly benefit our projects in Mexico and Central America, and the awareness you generate will help spread the word about the critical environmental challenges we are working to confront. To maintain your status as an Ambassador we ask that you: •
Make a pledge of at least $1,000 to EcoLogic
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Fulfill this pledge through donations from people in your network during the year
How do I keep track of my fundraising progress? To help you keep track of your fundraising, EcoLogic will send you regular updates that include your giving totals and a summary of gifts you’ve raised.
As an Ambassador, you are not in this alone! A dedicated EcoLogic staff member will help you along the way to answer questions, track progress, and assist you with logistics. To get you started, here are some ideas for how to meet your pledge: Host a party Invite your friends to a gathering. It could be a cooking demonstration, live music, a film, a raffle, a book discussion, or a lecture— whatever fits your interests! An EcoLogic staff member can join you to share stories about our work and help you encourage your friends to get involved. Create your own campaign Whether it’s running a half-marathon, learning Spanish, or starting to compost, you can ask your friends for support by assigning a dollar pledge to your milestones and asking them to sponsor you! You can keep your friends informed about your progress as well as EcoLogic’s work. Accomplish a personal goal and benefit a good cause at the same time. Celebrate milestones with EcoLogic Celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, or weddings by asking your guests to give to EcoLogic in lieu of buying presents. Invite friends to an EcoLogic event Write letters. Make phone calls. Create an online campaign. There are many ways to help, and we’ll brainstorm with you to find something that’s fun and effective!
Photo credit: Dan Grossman
EcoLogic field technicians Elmer Urizar Reyes, Yovany Díaz Barillas, and José Luis Delgado tend to seedlings in Totonicapán, Guatemala
How much should I ask for? You should ask for however much you are confortable asking, taking into account your expectations of a propective donor’s giving capacity. If it’s useful for you to frame your request in terms of how far a gift to EcoLogic will actually go, you can refer to this guide:
500 Seedlings • $30
Forest Fire Barrier • $300
Raises 500 new trees to be planted in EcoLogic’s reforestation projects
Creates a 1-kilometer firebreak to protect vulnerable habitats from forest fires
Agroforestry Acre • $50
Watershed Revival • $400
Creates one new acre of sustainably intermixed forest and crop species
Restores 5 square kilometers of watershed, proving safe and reliable water for communities
Beekeeping Basics • $80
Composting Latrine • $500
Provides a family with a hive, equipment, training, and up to 50 pounds of honey per year
Funds an eco-friendly composting latrine that improves community health
Fuel-Efficient Stove • $135
Reforest 50 Acres • $750
Provides a family with safe, clean-burning stove that cooks more food with less wood
Restores and reforests a full 50 acres of land previously degraded by human activity
Farming Workshop • $200
Farms for a Village • $1,000
Trains 20 rural farmers in sustainable agriculture and responsible land care
Plants sustainable home gardens that will support a community of 50 families
Note: These figures represent the average costs of some of EcoLogic’s service and activities. An unrestricted charitable donation to EcoLogic will be applied to the area of greatest need, which may or may not include a specific item lsited above.
What EcoLogic Does and Where We Work EcoLogic Development Fund’s mission is to empower rural people to restore and protect tropical ecosystems in Central America and Mexico. ECOLOGIC’S APPROACH We work directly with rural communities in Mexico and Central America to help them become better environmental stewards. We help people conserve ecosystems while also improving their living conditions. Focusing on communities that suffer from extreme poverty, we aim to foster a truly sustainable kind of development — where protecting nature and addressing human needs are mutually reinforcing. Our programs place a priority on local Photo credit: Dave Kramer participation and leadership development. Mayan women plant native tree seedlings in Not only is our approach socially just, but San Mateo Ixtatán, Guatemala we understand that the people living near or in threatened ecosystems are the best suited to steward their forests, water and soil. Since 1993, EcoLogic has collaborated with hundreds of rural and indigenous communities in Central America and Mexico to provide training, resources, and access to tools that can balance conservation priorities with natural resource consumption needs.
WHERE WE WORK EcoLogic has nine active projects in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and Belize. Each project has a different local context and locally-defined conservation and development priorities. Together with our partners, we tailer solutions to promote community development and conservation in each project site.
SOLUTIONS FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE Putting Local People at the Heart of the Solution: Water The lack of a clean, consistent water supply is a daily struggle for people across Latin America. Deforestation and the degradation of rivers, caused primarily by unsustainable agriculture and the expansion of pasture land for livestock, lead to water contamination and inadequate water supplies in rural communities. These waterrelated issues compromise people’s health, food security, and economic stability. EcoLogic works with communities to ensure both reliable access to safe drinking water and better protection and effective local governance of water sources. Conserving Precious Landscapes for a Healthy Planet: Forests Latin America lost more than 200 million acres of forest — 9 percent of the total forest area — during the 20 years from 1990 to 2010, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Forests contribute to vital ecosystem services, including water purification and erosion control. Rural communities depend on these services, and without proper forest management, these people are at risk from decreased water supplies, diminishing crop yields, floods, droughts, wildfires, and mudslides.
Replacing a Destructive Path with Sustainable Livelihoods EcoLogic understands that lack of economic alternatives is a significant reason why the rural poor degrade natural resources. Working with our partners to identify local needs and solutions, EcoLogic helps rural people connect with alternative livelihood opportunities, such as sustainable farming and fishing, that are environmentally friendly and improve individual and community well-being. Implementing Innovative Solutions: Payment for Ecosystem Services Payment for ecosystem services (PES) is a concept where people who benefit from natural resources provide compensation to people who protect and manage those resources. PES offers an excellent opportunity for linking on-theground conservation efforts with local and global markets, providing people ongoing financial incentives to conserve forests, watersheds, and other critical parts of our natural environment. EcoLogic is helping communities establish PES systems for watershed protection and forest conservation.
EcoLogic helps local communities to reforest degraded landscapes and to sustainably manage and protect existing forests.
Zumilda Duarte, a community leader in Olanchito, Honduras
Take the EcoLogic Ambassador Pledge! I pledge to be an EcoLogic Ambassador. I will support EcoLogic’s work to empower rural and indigenous peoples to restore and protect tropical ecosystems in Central America and Mexico, and I will encourage my friends and family to participate. Name: _____________________________________________________________________________ Email: _______________________________________ Phone #: ______________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________________________________ My 2017 Pledge: ☐ $1,000 - $2,499 ☐ $2,500 - $4,999 ☐ $5,000 - $9,999 ☐ $10,000 or more My total pledge will be: $___________
I would like to contribute toward my pledge today! ☐ Enclosed check (payable to EcoLogic Development Fund) ☐ Credit Card ☐ VISA ☐ MasterCard ☐ American Express Name on card:________________________________ Card #: ______________________________________ Expiration Date: ______________ CVV Code: _______
If you would prefer to arrange monthly payments to meet your pledge, please contact Josh Kruskal at 617-441-6300 or jkruskal@ecologic.org. ☐ Yes! I would like to be recognized in EcoLogic’s Annual Report and website. ☐ Please contact me with ideas to help me meet my pledge.
Signature: ________________________________________________________________________
“I see EcoLogic’s mission as improving the world one village at a time. They do this by providing the tools to individual communities so they accomplish their respective improvements themselves.” - Martha Taub, EcoLogic Ambassador Please mail completed form to: EcoLogic Development Fund, Attn: Josh Kruskal 186 Alewife Brook Pkwy #214, Cambridge, MA 02138