How to Help • Friends of Casco Bay

Your financial support makes a difference. . .

When you donate to Friends of Casco Bay, you are part of a community that says that this amazing place matters. Your support will be put good use as we work to protect the environmental health of Casco Bay. We make sure that any donation—no matter the size—is recognized appropriately in a personal way. Become a supporter of Friends of Casco Bay or renew your membership by making a secure online donation. Your support is integral to our efforts to protect the health of the Bay. Our balance sheet remains strong, with ample working capital, no long-term debt, and three restricted funds that help support our work. We are growing our budget sustainably through continually seeking new donors and by building long-term relationships with existing supporters. Our budget is $958,170. We are honored to partner with you to keep Casco Bay blue.

Become a Member

Members are donors who identify as Friends of the Bay. Members give us financial support to improve and protect the health of Casco Bay. Members also give us clout when talking with decision-makers and give us standing in being the eyes, ears, and voice of the Bay. Become a Member

Friends of Casco Bay is a 501 (c)(3).

For more information please see the following documents: Tax ID #01-0452620 Letter of Determination Gift Acceptance Policy 990 Friends of Casco Bay Financial Statements Annual Report

Make a Gift of Stock

We welcome gifts of securities to support our mission to improve and protect the Bay. A gift of appreciated securities may not only help the Bay but also result in capital gains tax savings. To initiate a gift of stock, please contact Communications and Development Director Will Everitt so we can properly acknowledge and track your gift: willeveritt [at] cascobay [dot] org or by calling (207) 799-8574 ext. 204.

Donate to our Annual Fund

Your Annual Fund gift, a separate gift from your membership, gives us the support we need to implement our annual operating plan. Your Annual Fund gift helps us monitor the health of the Bay, engage the community in being stewards of our waters, and advocate for protections that will preserve the environmental health of the Bay for the next generation. Donate to our Annual Fund

Corporate Matching

Does your employer match charitable contributions? If so, you can double your impact by requesting that your company match your gift. Be sure to send us the required forms we need to process the matching gift: Friends of Casco Bay, 43 Slocum Drive, South Portland, ME 04106.

Donate your boat

Rather than selling your boat, consider donating it to Friends of Casco Bay in order to support our mission. Learn about our Boat Donation Program

Make a donation to the Emeritus Fund for Advocacy

The Emeritus Fund supports Friends of Casco Bay’s advocacy and related staff development activities in our annual operating plans. You can read more about and make a secure online donation to the Emeritus Fund here.

Make a donation to the Baykeeper Boats Fund

Friends of Casco Bay depends upon ongoing support from our Baykeeper Boats Fund to maintain our fleet, including our Baykeeper boat, our pumpout vessel, and the smaller boats we use in our work to protect the health of our coastal waters. You can read more about our Boats Fund and make a secure online donation to the Baykeeper Boats Fund here.

Planned Giving: The Anchor Society

Planned giving helps us ensure a healthy Casco Bay is passed on to the next generation. Planned gifts may provide donors with significant benefits through future estate tax savings, income tax savings, and a reduction of capital gains taxes. You can view a copy of our Gift Acceptance Policy here. To have a confidential discussion about making a planned gift to Friends of Casco Bay, please contact Executive Director Cathy Ramsdell [clramsdell [at] cascobay [dot] org, (207) 799-8574 ext. 205] or Communications and Development Director Will Everitt [willeveritt [at] cascobay [dot] org, (207) 799-8574 ext. 204].

Give a Gift Membership

There is no better or meaningful way to share your love of Casco Bay than by giving them a gift membership! In the “Additional Information” section of our secure online donation form, simply record in the comments box that you are making a gift membership. Be sure to give us the name, address, and contact information of whom you are giving the gift to so we can keep him/her updated about our efforts to protect the health of the Bay. Give a Gift Membership

Donate in Honor of a Loved One

A gift in memory or in honor of a loved one is a thoughtful way to share your passion for Casco Bay. We will memorialize your gift in our Annual Report to the Community, which we publish each year. Donate in Honor of a Loved One

Workplace Giving

Friends of Casco Bay is a member of MaineShare, a community of more than 40 statewide nonprofit organizations working every day to make Maine a better place to live and work. MaineShare is offered in many workplaces. You can also give to Friends of Casco Bay through the Maine State Employees Combined Charitable Appeal (MSECCA), the Combined Federal Campaign, and your local United Way.

Your volunteer time makes a difference. . .

*Nan Bragg and Jeanie Wester became good friends through our Citizen Stewards Water Quality Monitoring Program.* Photograph by Kevin Morris

Over the past seven years, Nan and Jeanie have become fast friends, as well as partners in volunteering for Friends in many capacities. They’ve been Citizen Stewards at their Cousins Island site. They also frequently visit the South Portland office of Friends of Casco Bay to help assemble membership mailings. True to their upbeat nature, they don’t regard the hours of folding, stuffing, and stamping solicitation letters as tedious. They both agree, “It’s not about the envelopes; it’s that we get to sit around the table and share stories with other volunteers who care about the environment. It’s another way we feel connected to the Bay.”

The women view their work as citizen scientists for Friends of Casco Bay as payback. Nan remarks, “I grew up boating, swimming, and eating seafood, and I wanted to do something to protect the Bay.”

Join Nan, Jeanie, and 300 other Friends of Casco Bay volunteers.

Join us in keeping Casco Bay blue

As these stories show, those who donate their time and money to Friends of Casco Bay are directly working on behalf of a healthier Casco Bay.

We invite you to join us as we work to keep Casco Bay blue.

Donate

By donating, you’ll be supporting local initiatives in research, education, and advocacy. Donate now

Volunteer

When you volunteer, you help us protect the Bay in a variety of ways, from data collection to cleaning up shorelines to stuffing envelopes. Sign up to volunteer

Other ways you can help Casco Bay:

Stay up to d ate

Pumpout your boat

Report what you see wh ile out on the Bay

Maintain a healthy yard without pesticides and fertilizers

Collective community actions

Individual actions you can take in your daily life

Cover photo: Photograph by Kevin Morris

Learn how others have helped and how you can help:

Many eyes keep watch on Casco Bay

October 9, 2019

Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca is our watchdog on the health of the Bay. She is on or along the water as much as possible, even in her spare time. But she can’t be everywhere. Ivy says, “We rely upon our volunteers to be our extra eyes on the Bay. Increasingly,… Read more

What wildlife is being seen around the Bay?

September 5, 2019

This map of our Water Reporter’s #wildlife posts shows us the various animals that have been seen around the Bay. You can learn more about Water Reporter and how you can share the wildlife you see and more. Read more

Coastal Cleanup at Bug Light Park

August 7, 2019

September is World Cleanup Month. Join us at Bug Light Park for a Coastal Cleanup! When: Saturday, September 14, 2019, 9 AM – Noon Where: Bug Light Park RSVP using the form below. Questions? Email Sarah at slyman [at] cascobay [dot] org Do you want to help keep Casco Bay… Read more