We are in the final stretch of 2025! And I get it—many organizations at this time of year ask for your support, and there are so many ways you can provide that support. The end result is a truly eye-crossing number of options for investing in your community at the conclusion of the year.  

 

The first thing to note is that any gift of any value to RMFI will support public lands and the people who steward them. Here are just a few things your support empowers: 

 

• $10 keeps our tools sharp and ready to use 

• $50 mobilizes a volunteer to care for your public lands in 2026 

• $100 plants 40 ponderosa pine saplings 

• $1,000 builds much-needed erosion control structures on a trail you know and love, making it resilient to weather damage and recreational pressure for years to come 

 

Truly, every dollar matters, and has a tangible impact on your public lands. That said, we thought a roadmap explaining a few charitable avenues might be useful.  

 

Here are three ways you can support RMFI before the end of the year. While this is not an exhaustive list by any means, perhaps this will serve as a starting point. Each item below explains the benefits and considerations for these charitable avenues. Of course, if you have any questions, I hope you will feel free to give me a holler. As my friends and coworkers can attest, I love to chat.  

 

Happy navigating! 

 

Gratefully, 

Sam 

 

The Pikes Peak Give! Campaign 

You have likely seen that RMFI is a part of the Give! Campaign this year, and we are thrilled about it! Here’s what you need to know: 

 

• Support all of your favorite nonprofits at once – Did you know that over 70 nonprofits are a part of Give! this year? And the folks at Give! have created an easy way to support all the organizations you love at once! This page allows you to specify a donation for each nonprofit that you want to support, and then check with a single transaction. That means you can easily support RMFI as well as our partner organizations, like TOSC, PPORA, and Palmer Land Conservancy.  

• Matching grants – Gifts through the Give! Campaign help RMFI unlock over $16,000 in matching grants, raised by RMFI’s Board, Staff, and the Friends of Garden of the Gods. That means your donation essentially goes twice as far! 

• Community benefits – When you donate through the Give! Campaign, local businesses provide you with unique gifts in light of your support. And these benefits are cumulative throughout the campaign. That means you don’t have to give $100 all at once to receive the $100 benefits—you can get those benefits through ten separate $10 donations, for example. Learn more about the benefits here. 

 

RMFI Memberships 

RMFI’s membership program launched this year and is entirely unique to our organization. Here’s what you need to know: 

• Monthly giving  – RMFI’s membership program is, first and foremost, a monthly giving program. By joining RMFI as a member, you authorize monthly charges on your credit card. This provides RMFI with sustaining, predictable revenue that we can use to steward your public lands.  

• But there are other ways to become a member – Not everyone loves set-it-and-forget-it memberships. We get that. In 2025, if you give a single gift of over $500, you can also become a member! After you’ve made that donation, either through our website or the Give! Campaign, just contact Sam Hinkle at sam@rmfi.org or call him at 719-440-1303. He will get you all set up! Additionally, if you volunteer more than three times in a year, you receive a complimentary membership! If you have done so and have not set up your membership with RMFI, please contact Sam!  

• Community benefits – joining RMFI as a member also provides you with community benefits, including invites to member-specific events, discounts at local breweries, and more. Check out our benefits packages here on our website!  

 

Tax-Smart Gifts 

RMFI will put any gift to work on your public lands. That said, sometimes cash gifts do not provide the best tax benefits to donors. Here are some potentially strategic ways to invest in RMFI’s mission (of course, always consult a tax professional): 

• Gifts of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds - These types of gifts and other appreciated assets can supply RMFI with critical operating dollars, allowing us to mobilize 800-1,200 volunteers annually in the care of trails and open spaces. They can also potentially provide tax advantages to you (i.e., avoiding capital gains taxes). If you want to make a gift of stock, but aren’t sure where to start, give Sam a ring!  

• Qualified Charitable Distributions – Related to the above, if you are retired and have a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for your IRA, you can make a tax-free donation from your IRA in order to meet your RMD. Give Sam a ring if you are not sure where to start. 

 

Thank you for your consideration!