501(c)(3) Tax Status

The Mountaineers is proud to announce that it began operation as a 501(c)(3) effective April 1, 2011. Throughout March, Mountaineers members voted 98.7% in favor of the change in non-profit operations, thereby rallying our largest voter turnout in decades.

This is a historic and empowering event for our 107 year-old organization. Much of our mission will remain the same—in fact, our staff and our volunteers have long operated for charitable and educational purposes within the IRS’s definition of Section 501(c)(3) by offering thousands of trips and courses on outdoor recreation and conservation to our members as well as the greater public. And our publishing arm, Mountaineers Books, has published mission-based works on outdoor education, recreation, and conservation topics for over fifty years. However, our previous tax status as a 501(c)(4) inhibited our ability to find funding sources to support our mission. Operating as a 501(c)(3) will expand our capacity to support our services, trips, and classes by making it easier for us to fundraise, including:

• Individual donations are tax-deductible
• Access to grants from foundations and corporations
• All annual membership dues are tax deductible as a non-profit contribution

If you are a Mountaineers member or a part of our community at large, we hope that you will take advantage of the new tax status to consider making a donation. For more information on planned giving and corporate matching programs, contact Bri Vanderlinden. To say that we are excited is an understatement. This change in operations can only better support our mission, and we have high hopes for the future of The Mountaineers. Here’s to another 110 years of helping people of all ages and backgrounds explore the wild areas and peaks of the Pacific Northwest.