Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What percentage of funding is used for administrative purposes?
Over the past three years, an average of 22% of our funding has been used for administration (16%) and fundraising (6%). The funding used for project-related activities is 78% (it's generally agreed that the budget for project-related activities should be over 70%).
We point out that as our overall funding increases, the percentage used for administration and fundraising decreases because many administrative costs, such as housing, are more-or-less fixed. Therefore, new donors should know that a very high percentage of their generosity is directed into project-related activities.
2. Is there a dollar value per tree?
Yes there is. It varies, of course, from place to place and by the types of trees planted. In Thailand, for example, scientists concluded that, over their lifetimes, the trees being planted in their programs have an average value of about $650.00 (13,000 Bhat).
Many of the trees we plant are for the benefit of people outside of the cash economy and so their value is measured in non-cash benefits, such as restoration of groundwater aquifers, protecting and rebuilding soils, restoring habitat, cooling and cleaning the air, and so forth. We also point out that these trees allow the rapid and natural regeneration of the past diversity and they also remove carbon dioxide from the global atmosphere, reducing the threat of global warming. So you might say, like one credit card company, that they are priceless.
3. How do we choose our projects?
In fact, we don't. Instead, people in developing communities choose us. We make it known in various ways, to the people of these communities that there is help for them to save their lands and their way of life - and that it's FREE because concerned people here (like you) are concerned for them and want things to get better for them.
When a project succeeds, the "bamboo telegraph" does the rest and it isn't long until other communities in that area ask if we can also help them. In recent times, e-mail and our website have greatly sped up this process and therefore the numbers of villages served, with the number of trees planted, is growing rapidly - in 2007 we will help people plant nearly nine million trees!
4. Are we registered with any Charity organization?
Charity navigator only lists organizations with annual revenues over $500,000, which we passed last year, so we hope that we will be listed shortly. There are several valid checks and reports available at no cost to you so you can see how your funding was used. They include:
Our IRS Form 990 report of income and expenses; Our independently audited annual financial report (required by the IRS and our State of Maryland); The Annual Reports and Preliminary Annual Financial Reports provided to ALL our members through our quarterly newsletters; the review of these reports and statements by our federated group for the annual CFC Campaign (Aid to Africa) and by the Combined Federal Campaign itself.
In a more practical way, we tell our members where and what our projects are and many of them actually visit some of the sites to see the results for themselves. Our local representatives, working with community leaders and with the representatives of concerned agencies of the local government, also report back the results, as do Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts (who assist implementation of about 32% of our projects worldwide.)
5. How do I know the trees will be planted?
Our newsletter and website, available to all members and prospective members, announce the projects well in advance, as does our annual Plan of Action & Budget, submitted to the IRS, the State of Maryland, our Board of Directors - and our members upon their request. Through these same channels, we tell our members of the results, which are based on reports from our local representatives, community leaders and the participants themselves. We provide names, dates, places and photographs.
6. How do I know the trees won't be cut?
Many of the trees initially planted, in fact, are being cut, as these are species that coppice (grow back vigorously after harvesting) time and again. And yet these trees are neither invasive nor pernicious. Instead, they sustainably meet the critical needs of the participants and the net result is a rapidly and constantly growing diversity within the reforested lands. Therefore, the projects you support are not only permanent but are increasingly expanding, growing in diversity and ecological benefits, year after year.
7. How can you plant trees for only 10 cents each?
This is a question which we often receive. We first must explain what we do. Our work focuses on agroforestry, which involves integrating trees into agriculture. It is particularly appropriate for resource poor farmers in developing countries, as these trees can improve the fertility of their lands (through nitrogen fixation), prevent wind and soil erosion (thereby also contributing to improved fertility), increase water penetration into underground aquifers, provide fodder for animals, create living fences, and also provide sustainable fuelwood production (yes - some of these trees are used for fuelwood, but these are trees that coppice well, so they will come back year after year when they are properly cared for, and this alleviates pressure on the existing natural resouces, thereby preventing more deforestation).
We provide seeds, training, and on-site technical assistance to communities, so that they may pursue these tree planting projects. This work takes place in developing countries, where we have a network of partners and field representatives that are working with communities across the globe.
Essentially, in working on agroforestry extension, we end up planting a lot of trees, and we are finding that people in the developed world strongly support tree planting. Therefore, we leverage this support, and use it to promote agroforestry.
That is how we can plant trees for such a low "price." We come up with the figure of 10 cents per tree by taking our annual budget, and dividing it by our estimate of the number of trees planted in a year. Using this methodology, our average cost per tree is right around 10 cents. This cost includes all of our overhead, and all fundraising expenses.
As for how the money will be spent, it supports our work. This work is highly seasonal - nurseries are during the dry season, trees are planted during the rainy season, and then they need to be protected through the first critical dry season. At the beginning of every year, we make estimates for how many trees we think we can plant in our various projects, based on how much support we think we can generate. Then, we cross our fingers and hope that we can indeed raise the amount of support we anticipated (hopefully more), and we go forward with our projects.
Essentially you are buying a "share" of the work we will accomplish in the coming year, at the average price of 10 cents per tree.
8. Do you plant only indigenous species?
No. Although our goal is the rapid and continuous return of indigenous diversity to these lands, the damage to the forests that once stood there makes it impossible to begin with a wide range of indigenous trees and other plants. By way of an example, most of the species that existed in a mature forest are unable to withstand harsh, direct sunlight typical of degraded lands. They needed the shade that is no longer there.
Now the shade is gone, along with the cooler daytime temperatures, the humidity and soil moisture, as well as the soil humus and micro-organisms. Before we can restore the diversity, we must re-create the conditions that allow native climax species to thrive. This requires the planting of multi-purpose, fast-growing trees, which sometimes are not from that area. However, we are very careful with the species that we plant, and almost all of them already are naturalized and well known locally.
We have learned over the years that by initially introducing these pioneer tree species, we can bring back the former conditions and that, within a very short time, we can bring about the natural regeneration of much of the past diversity that we all desire.
9. How does your program bring back diversity to degraded lands?
We initially plant multi-purpose, fast-growing trees. These trees lower daytime temperatures, provide partial shade, add humus and nutrients to the soil and bring back water to underground aquifers.
In these degraded tropical soils, seeds and roots from the past can lie dormant in the soil, even for over a century, waiting for the return of the conditions of the past so they can germinate. This is nature's way of protecting the diversity. Once our program has restored these conditions, there is a natural return of much of the former diversity. With the species we initially plant, it is not long until the trees indigenous to the area become the dominant species once again.
We point out also that there are tremendous pressures exerted on these lands by the families who depend on them for their very survival. Our program offers these families important, sustained, income-generating activities that succeed because they also contribute to restoring an environmental balance to the land. These are the reasons this one program has become a global leader in developing programs that bring back the natural diversity to the lands.
10. Why should I donate to Trees for the Future?
You should donate to us because you are a person who cares about both people and the environment and because our program brings greater benefit to the people of these threatened lands - and to the environment we share with them - than any other program you will ever find.
11. Does a third party verify/monitor your tree plantings?
The trees planted in our program belong not to us but to the people of that community - to be used by them to address the needs they consider most important. Therefore, in order for our program to continually improve, we have our local representative, the community leaders, representatives from the concerned local organizations and, above all, the participants themselves, provide periodic reports on the progress of all community projects.
Through these reports, we are able to determine how many trees are planted, how well they survived the initial year, how quickly they grew, any problems that were incurred - and how these problems were overcome. We share this information with other communities, with local or international groups also starting such programs, with community and local business leaders, and with our members.
12. What is a Global Cooling Business/ Plant-a-Tree Partnership?
We are always looking for partnerships that can help us expand the reach of this global program. Our programs for businesses are fairly straightforward, and we are flexible enough to tailor it to the needs of a particular business.
By participating in any of our programs, you will receive plenty of attention through:
-Being featured on our website's partnership page (http://www.plant-trees.org/partnerships)
-Our promotions of our partnerships at conferences and festivals (such as the Green Festivals in D.C. and San Francisco)
-Being mentioned in our monthly e-newsletter and on our news bulletin
-A mention in our quarterly newsletter and a customized landing page on our website
*please contact us for specific information on which benefits you will receive for your level of donation
Plant-a-Tree Partnerships: One of our most popular partnerships involves pledging to donate a fixed amount from each sale to TREES. For example, you may make a pledge to plant one tree for every product sold, which would cost you only ten cents. These businesses feature their TREES partnership on their website, and vice versa. You keep track of your commitments and have the option of sending us a payment monthly or quarterly, and we provide periodic reporting on how your donations have been used.
Global Cooling™ Businesses: These businesses have taken the steps to become carbon neutral, meaning that the amount of carbon that the business emits into the atmosphere (which results in carbon dioxide), is cancelled out by planting the number of trees necessary to annually absorb the resulting CO2 created via your day-to-day business activities.
How do we know how many trees are needed to offset you businesses' carbon output? The quick answer is that the trees we plant in the tropics absorb an average of 50 lbs. of CO2 annually. All we need to know is how much CO2 your business creates. In order to calculate this we have created the Carbon Output Worksheet, a general audit that you perform in order to calculate your businesses’ annual carbon output. At $0.10 a tree, the final cost is quite reasonable, and the trees planted continue to sequester carbon for years to come. As a Global Cooling™ Business, you will be featured on our website and are free to use any of our five different Global Cooling™, Trees for the Future, and Trees for Travel logos for promotional uses.
Trees for Travel: Businesses linked to the travel industry often choose to purchase $1 certificates (in increments of $50) to offset the carbon output from their client’s travels, which they give to their clients, highlighting the business’s dedication to combating environmental degradation.
You may prefer that your donation go to a specific country in which we are working, or leave is to be used where most needed.
These partnerships are a growing and vital part of our fundraising, and are helping us to greatly expand the global reach of our program. Becoming involved is a great way to help offset your carbon emissions while helping marginalized families improve their lives!
13. What partners or associations does TFTF have that I am familiar with?
Trees for the Future has long been a member of Coop America, the National Peace Corps Association, and the Aid to Africa Federation of the Combined Federal Campaign.
While famous individuals and large donors have shown strong support for our program, Trees for the Future is made possible by the support from individuals and small businesses throughout North America. Lists of the many small businesses that support us can be found on our website under “Partnerships.” (www.plant-trees.org/partnerships)
Awards we have been given include:
THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD, National Arbor Day Foundation, 1990
EARTH TRUSTEESHIP AWARD, The Earth Society, 1994
GREEN GLOBE Commendation Winner, 1999
14. How can I calculate my carbon dioxide emissions?
There are a number of good carbon calculators available on the web, therefore we have not created our own. A few that we think are worth looking at are:
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