Where Your Money Goes
Ever wonder where your hard-earned donation went? How it was invested? I have some answers that might interest you on behalf of the (Canadian) Trees for Life team.
2023 was an extraordinary year from many points of view: we established new relationships with tree planting partners, corporate sponsors, and with you, our donors/supporters.
Donations Matched and Trees Planted
We asked for your support and you delivered. Almost $1.3M was raised through the private sector, from over 500 individuals, corporate partners, community service groups, and more. You were very generous in the last three months of 2023 when over $100,000 was contributed from individuals which was then matched through the generosity of an anonymous donor. And the best part? We once again maximized the impact of donor dollars via funding through the federal 2 Billion Trees Program and over $400,000 worth of in-kind contributions from our partners and the horticultural industry. Every dollar that you donated was matched up to 3 times through Trees For Life. In other words, for every tree that you paid for, as many as 3 were planted.
In 2023 Trees for Life supported the planting of over 137,000 new urban and near-urban trees with 19 partners across 25 projects, in three provinces.
Trees For Heroes
Our Trees for Heroes Program, which creates living tree tributes honouring local heroes including people in healthcare and the military, grew significantly. Our Trees for Health initiative had its greatest year of growth with over 20,000 trees planted through an incredible partnership with the City of Edmonton.
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
We returned to our roots, planting the seeds to honour more military heroes via a partnership with the RCAF. Some projects were started in 2023, but this exciting program’s greatest impact will unfold across Canada this year, as the RCAF celebrates its 100th anniversary.
Land Restoration
Many projects supported in 2023 were focused on urban and suburban reforestation and renaturalization, returning hundreds of hectares to nature and enhancing several communities from Alberta to New Brunswick.
Public Tree Planting Events
We saw a return to public events that reminded us of pre-pandemic days, with 8 events taking place in the fall of 2023. Thousands of Canadians took the opportunity to roll up their sleeves, get their hands and knees dirty, and make a lasting impact in their communities. Our collaborative approach to tree planting maximizes the number of trees and ensures high survival rates. We take pride in getting the job done by forging partnerships with municipalities, conservation authorities, corporations, and private landowners.
Cross-Canada Marketing
You may have spotted one of our “plant a tree – thank a hero” ads in 2023. This highly successful advertising campaign included newspaper, magazines, outdoor, and digital advertising at a very low cost to Trees for Life. The result was a campaign that generated over $85 million in ad space value and over 1.2 billion impressions.
Finally, in 2023 we launched our new campaign to raise $6M from the private sector and you helped us make significant progress toward that goal with nearly $2.4M in new funding and future commitments secured. Achieving this $6M goal will help build a sustainable future for our organization, and provide the much-needed support to unlock government commitments. It will also help to achieve our 1 million tree planting goal by the end of 2028, in dozens of communities from coast to coast.
We remain committed to our principles:
To plant trees in Canada in the urban environment, where we live, work, and play so that Canadians can enjoy the environmental and mental health benefits trees deliver now and for future generations.
To maximize the survival rate of trees planted with our support
To multiply your donations with matching funds from the private and public sectors
To minimize our administrative expenses
To celebrate our progress with public tree planting events
Your belief in our work has helped us build the foundation that 2024 will stand upon. We can’t wait to tell you more about what’s in store for this year…stay tuned!
With thanks for your fabulous support,
Mark Cullen
Founding Chair, on behalf of the Trees For Life team
www.treesforlife.ca