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How to Help

Donate

Your financial support makes a difference. When you donate to Friends of Casco Bay, you are a part of a community that says this amazing place matters. We value all donations no matter the amount.

Volunteer, Take Action, and Attend Events

Our volunteers are an integral part of our community. They help us collect observational data, lend their voices in support of our advocacy, and help rally the region around Casco Bay. Friends of the Bay can also attend our events to stay educated and engaged on the latest issues facing our coastal waters.

You can also help Casco Bay by…

Pumping out your boat. Our pumpout service provides a convenient, practical way to dispose of sewage from your boat. Casco Bay is a federally-designated No Discharge Area, which means it is illegal to release raw or treated sewage from any vessel into the Bay.

Staying up to date. When you sign up for our email list you will receive stories about our work, invitations to events, and advocacy action alerts.

Be a Friend to Casco Bay

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 additional 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.

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.

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.

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 Development Director Sarah Lyman so we can properly acknowledge and track your gift: slyman [at] cascobay [dot] org or by calling (207) 370-7553.

Donate your boat

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

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, 75 West Commercial Street, Suite 301, Portland, Maine 04101.

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.

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.

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.

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 Will Everitt [willeveritt [at] cascobay [dot] org, (207) 799-8574 ext. 204].

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.

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.