Promise Kept: TeamTrees Reaches Original Planting Milestone

THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, YouTube stars Mr. Beast and Mark Rober challenged their followers to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees around the world.

The campaign — dubbed TeamTrees — took off immediately. In the first 24 hours, it raised more than $3 million. And in less than two months, it met its fundraising goal with the help of 800,000 people from more than 200 countries and territories.

and South America. And their impact is undeniable. USDA Forest Service models show the environmental impact of planting 20 million trees is like taking 1.24 million cars off the road for a year. These trees will clean our air, filter our water, support wildlife, and provide a source of food and income for countless communities.

Donations from TeamTrees have allowed the Arbor Day Foundation to quickly mobilize reforestation efforts in areas that need them most. Along the Willamette River in Oregon, the initiative has planted 500,000 trees to restore water quality and support salmon populations.

From the beginning, the Arbor Day Foundation partnered with TeamTrees to handle the planting side of the project. We’re excited to share that, thanks to this partnership, all 20 million trees are now in the ground ahead of schedule.

The 20 million crowdfunded trees have been planted across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North America,

But perhaps the most amazing part of this campaign has been seeing people of all ages come together to help our planet. While TeamTrees drew support from several large tech founders, the vast majority of funds came from donors who gave an average of $5. This passionate group has propelled the campaign well past its original goal, with more than $24 million raised to date and more donations coming in daily.

We’ve loved being part of the TeamTrees journey — and we’re excited to keep planting more trees thanks to this initiative.

NO MATTER HOW LARGE OR SMALL the contribution, your gift to the Arbor Day Foundation can have an impact that extends beyond your lifetime. And the best part is that you can make your gift using any of a long list of options. Simply choose what works best for you.

More common ways to give include:

• Tax-Free IRA Distributions

• Cash Gifts

n Please send me information about how to include the Arbor Day Foundation in my will.

n I have already named the Arbor Day Foundation in my will.

(All wishes for anonymity will be honored.)

Please print:

• Charitable Gift Annuities

• Gifts of Stock

• Gifts of Land

• Donor-Advised Funds

A donor-advised fund is a convenient, tax-deductible charitable giving program that makes it easy for donors to dedicate tax-deductible funds to support a nonprofit organization. Once you establish this fund, you can recommend grants to the Arbor Day Foundation to support tree planting efforts. This process can be streamlined through the use of an online tool such as DAF Direct, which is available on our website.

For more details, please consult your professional advisor, visit arborday.org/giftplanning, or contact us at 888-488-7337 ext. 9612 or development@arborday.org.