People

Six months ago we began this Impact Giving series as a way to feature the many ways philanthropy makes a difference for The Mountaineers. This month, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of Mountaineers Books and how philanthropy expands the impact one book can have on an individual, a classroom, a community, and the world.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Nataliya Semez, a volunteer leader with the Seattle Branch who is proud to represent The Mountaineers on the trail and in all aspects of life! Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

In a normal year, The Mountaineers would facilitate a month-long giving campaign in May to foster donations that leverage our mission and boost our programming. In light of COVID-19 and April’s organization-wide virtual Gala campaign, we are adjusting our traditional fundraising efforts and reducing regularly-planned electronic communications. The following is an excerpt of a letter from Tom Vogl mailed to longtime members and donors to provide an update on our organization and demonstrate a need for support. Read more…

While you're waiting to get back out on the trail solo, with family, or with your favorite Mountaineers backpacking buddies, check out these opportunities to get credit for your backpacking skills and experience with one of these fun badges for your Mountaineers profile! Read more…

We get it. Today your inbox will be flooded with messages from many of Washington’s nonprofits and beyond. Today is an important day because the need for philanthropy in the time of a global pandemic is more epic than ever before.  Read more…

We are halfway through The Mountaineers fiscal year and what a journey these last six months have been. When our Board of Directors approved an operating budget of $9.28M in October to support outdoor programs, places, and books, they never would have guessed that our plans would be disrupted by the catastrophic impacts of a global pandemic. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on a combination of earned revenue and philanthropic support to sustain operations, we’ve been challenged to pivot and re-imagine how The Mountaineers can best serve our community as incoming revenue slows to a trickle. Unrestricted charitable support from individual donors is paramount to our ability to sustain core operations. In this May edition of our monthly Impact Giving blog series, we are shining light on the Peak Society and how these leadership-level donors support our organization in good times and in bad. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Becky Jacobsen, a volunteer leader with the Tacoma Branch who loves helping members gain new skills and the confidence to expand their horizons. Read more…

At our 'Breakthrough' fundraising Gala in 2015, we unveiled a capstone video project documenting The Mountaineers rich history of exploration, education, and conservation. For our 2018 Gala, we celebrated the theme of Adventure With Purpose, and it felt appropriate to update our favorite video to reflect our efforts to transform lives and protect our wild places for generations to come. We updated our video again in 2020 to reflect our learnings around equity and inclusion, specifically with regards to erasure language of Indigenous peoples. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

The first day of April has grown to be a favorite around The Mountaineers. With the outdoor industry going all in on April Fools Day pranks, we’ve had fun following the pranks and coming up with a few of our own. Surely you remember the HonnSolo 11 Freesolo Airbag Pack by Black Diamond, or the Technical Lederhosen from Outdoor Research. We’re especially proud of the Cheater Badges we created for April Fools last year. Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Peter Hendrickson, a volunteer leader with the Seattle Branch who loves night hikes and encourages everyone to take a leadership role on his trips. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Welcome back to our monthly Impact Giving blog series where we shed light on how charitable donations support mission-enhancing programs of The Mountaineers, such as scholarships and conservation efforts,and the strategies we use to in our fundraising program. We’ve already previewed a few ways donors choose to elevate The Mountaineers with philanthropic support, and this month we’re excited to pull back the curtain on one of the most popular ways that donors and sponsors make a difference in our community: fundraising events! Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Dee Ann Kline, a volunteer leader with the Olympia Branch who enjoys leading easy paced hikes with plenty of time for photos and berry picking. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Welcome to our fourth installment of our Impact Giving Series where we shed light on how charitable donations support The Mountaineers. This month we’re talking about the importance of estate planning and how members can plan gifts to support The Mountaineers in their will and become members of our Summit Society.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to Steven Anderson, a volunteer leader with the Kitsap Branch who encourages everyone to keep learning and refreshing their skills through teaching. Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

Every two years, we invited our current, past, and future members and volunteers to participate in a community survey. We want learn about your perceptions, activities, and experiences with The Mountaineers. We compare these responses with survey data from previous years to track patterns to find out what's working and identify opportunities to improve Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…

As we begin 2020, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be part of The Mountaineers community. We’re ringing in the new decade with celebration and it’s all because of you! Read more…

Now more than ever, outdoor enthusiasts can learn about great places to play through social media. Finding new trails, discovering new paddles, and reaching new summits is easier than ever you connect with a community celebrating adventure through photos, videos, and stories on Instagram. Because we think the outdoors are worth sharing, we've picked a few Mountaineers whose Instagrams might just inspire you to get outside in the new year.  Read more…

It may come as no surprise that the high-holiday season is one of the largest fundraising opportunities of the entire year. Through generosity, goodwill, and a strategic reduction in taxes, many people are thinking about their personal philanthropy during this time. In fact, more than 26% of Mountaineers donors choose to make a gift during the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Read more…

Volunteerism is at the core of The Mountaineers mission. Everything we accomplish is the result of volunteer initiative, and our "flavor" here in the PNW is that of a vibrant volunteer-driven community. We often say that volunteers are our "secret sauce", and that's more true than ever as we enter a new decade of adventure. Read more…

Together, we are a powerful voice for the outdoors because we are anchored by our shared values of adventure, education, volunteerism, community, and advocacy. We know that meaningful change does not happen without a strong community, and engaging our community to connect with and protect the outdoor experience is something we can’t do alone.  Read more…

For our Leader Spotlight this month we talked to John Gilbert, a volunteer leader with the Foothills Branch who loves both close-to-home and more remote adventures. He has hiked Tiger Mountain more than 100 times, and is also working his way through the Rainier 100! Read more…

Each week we bring you a personal story from one of our members. For our member profile this week we talked to... Read more…