IATC Releases its First Annual Report
The Issaquah Alps Trails Club is proud to release its first annual report. Looking back on the year 2020, the organization faced many challenges. We made the difficult decision to pause our hiking program and all upcoming in-person events because of COVID-19 safety concerns. We also faced fundraising impacts due to the economic downturn, and saw a significant increase in the use of public lands without LNT (Leave No Trace) education to support the influx of visitors to the Alps.
The club met these challenges head on by pivoting our resources to developing a strategic plan based on work we had done as a board during our February Board Retreat. We sought a grant from Visit Issaquah to restart our hiking program in 2021 with a new focus, and we partnered with a coalition of organizations to promote responsible recreation on our public lands.
The outpouring of support we received from our members, coupled our hard work and planning lead to some major successes within the organization. Here are some key metrics of achievement from our Annual Report:
Land Advocacy Volunteers Increased by 150%
Donors Increased by 34%
Alpiner Subscribers increased by 272%
Organizational Capacity increased by 80%
Audience growth in number of newsletter subscribers over the year. The large increase in August reflects our partnership with Save Coal Creek.
Number of donors throughout the year compared to previous years. The high point for this year in September correlates to our annual fund campaign.
As we head into 2021, we are looking forward to continuing to advocate for our trails, parks, and open spaces. We recognize the barriers that racial inequity has created in the outdoors. We are committed to making the Issaquah Alps a welcoming place for all through partnerships, education, and advocacy. We will continue to fight for climate action as drought and fire become a more permanent fixture in our environment. Finally, we are looking forward to some upcoming club projects that focus on the history of the club, as well as our first virtual Annual Forum for Public Lands.
Thank you for your continued support, we could not accomplish all of this alone. Read the full Annual Report here.