It's that time of year again - the Annual Membership Drive is upon us!
As many of you are probably well aware, we've traditionally held our membership drive at the end of the year, from November through December. During this annual event, chapters across the country compete with each other to see who can sign up the most members, with cash-money prizes for those in the top three (in two separate Divisions based on chapter size, so small ones like our brand new Grays Harbor and Kenai Peninsula Chapters aren't competing with big established ones like San Diego).
Less well-known is the fact that chapters are responsible for their own fundraising. If they want to start a new program, host a fun film festival, or travel to legislative events to advocate for better plastic pollution policies, they are responsible for making the money that makes the mission happen.
I've been fortunate to serve as the WA & AK Regional Manager for over four years now, and I started out as a volunteer and Executive Committee leader. I can tell you from both personal experience, as well as working with hundreds of volunteers over the years, that nobody likes to ask for money. Especially in the days of inflation, rising interest rates, unaffordable housing, and just the ever-increasing cost of pretty much everything, asking people to donate their hard-earned cash is hard. But we can't get our work done without your contributions. Below are just some of the many ways your membership directly supports our mission to protect our ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people.
Chapter meetings and tasty treats
Regular chapter meetings are a great excuse to meet up, exchange ideas, and build community. While many local businesses and speakers gladly donate space and time, sometimes our presenters need financial support to travel to our communities. Sometimes good venues cost money. Chapters also need to buy projectors, screens, and AV equipment to host cool speakers or show fun films. Monthly memberships go a long way in supporting these regular day-to-day chapter operations.
Have you ever been to a chapter meeting with free pizza, snacks, or beverages? I have, and I know I'm not the only one whose love language is food. Gathering and sharing food is an ingrained human desire, and one of the easiest ways to build community, which ultimately is one of the main things we love about Surfrider - that sense of community. While we are fortunate that many local businesses will occasionally give us some free beverages or snacks to share, for the most part, chapters pay for those tasty vittles. So feel good knowing your donation contributes to that special sense of community that only comes through shared meals (while also supporting local businesses!)
Chapters often host events and meetings at local Ocean Friendly Restaurants
Outreach and education
Surfrider is often at the forefront of important issues, such as planning for sea level rise, fighting ocean acidification, banning wasteful single-use plastic products, and getting ahead of harmful industries such as seabed mining or chemical 'recycling.’ The first step in any advocacy effort is raising awareness. That means printing brochures, developing educational materials, tabling at community events (which often charge a fee), etc. Memberships help support our outreach efforts by purchasing the supplies necessary to go into communities and provide educational resources.
Christine Rayburn with the Olympia Chapter is a master educator, and she doesn't hold back when it's time to table!
Powerful programs
Our programs are essential to fostering a sense of stewardship and getting people active in their local communities. Beach cleanups, Blue Water Task Force, Ocean Friendly Businesses - all these programs require supplies. For BWTF, setting up a lab costs thousands of dollars. A single water sample might cost between $15-45 dollars to process - multiply that over a sampling season and it starts to add up, usually to several hundred dollars a year. Beach cleanups need pickers (for those of us who don’t want to bend over two hundred times during a cigarette butt pickup), and bags and buckets and gloves and clickers, to mention paying dumpster fees to make sure that trash is disposed of properly. We need to print waivers and data sheets for beach cleanups, and brochures to hand out to Ocean Friendly Businesses. Plus all that equipment needs to be stored somewhere, sp storage units are often part of the monthly budget.
Other chapters have their own unique programs important to their local communities. For example, some chapters provide scholarships to local students. The OPC spends thousands of dollars every year paying for SaniCans at popular beach access spots.
Conferences and Coastal Recreation Hill Days
Much of our work centers on policy solutions to big problems like plastic pollution, clean water, and coastal resilience. While we will continue to provide many lobbying opportunities, there’s no real substitute for in-person interactions when it comes to changing the hearts and minds of decision-makers. For example, during our annual Coastal Recreation Hill Days, volunteers fly to D.C. to advocate for big federal policies, and chapters need to raise funds if they want to send a delegation to the Hill.
If you’ve ever been to a Surfrider conference, you’ve experienced the magic of gathering dozens or hundreds of coastal defenders into one place to exchange ideas, brainstorm solutions, catch a few ways, and share good vibes. Annual conferences are held in each region, with a national conference (like this year’s 40th anniversary celebration) held every five years. Many volunteers need financial support in order to attend, especially our student clubs.
Our highly attended 2023 Cascadia Conference was held at Adrift, WA’s first Ocean Friendly Hotel!
Your Membership Makes a Difference
These are just some of the many ways your membership supports your local chapter and Surfrider’s mission! To everyone who's been a member - thank you! I hope you left feeling stoked to know how your dollar has contributed to a healthier coast. And to those of you who haven't yet, I hope you feel inspired to pitch in if you can, and consider joining the tidal wave of coastal defenders working towards clean water and healthy beaches for all!
To support your local chapter, head to your Chapter's website using the link above, then click the Donate button in the top right corner of the screen.
Fun fact: Surfrider Foundation gets 4/4 stars and a 97% rating on Charity Navigator, which rates charities based on different criteria such as transparency, accountability, etc. So for those of us skeptics out there making sure their dollars are being used like they're supposed to, rest assured, there's no greenwashing here!