With Gifts to the Garden, April Showers and Hearts & Flowers By Lorraine Hunter
FUNDRAISING is an important aspect of running a non-profit organization like the Toronto Botanical Garden. A necessary but sometimes delicate endeavour. “You have to balance how often you ask against the needs,” says TBG Director of Development Alison Kenn. “But it’s how we survive. Last spring, we suddenly lost five of six revenue streams when everything closed for COVID-19.” And, while the old adage “if you don’t ask, you don’t receive,” might be true, the TBG’s donors have opened their wallets and their hearts over the past year. There is no greater joy than “matching a donor with something they are passionate about,” says Alison. She was enthralled with the beauty of the gardens when she joined the TBG, “but, over the past year I’ve seen firsthand how the garden heals people.”
The 2020 Hearts & Flowers Campaign annual event for the past five years, was an outstanding success. With a goal of $175,000, it raised some
177,015.03
$
GIFTS TO THE GARDEN
Gifts to the Garden, a new campaign launched early last summer, TORONTOBOTANICALGARDEN.CA
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showed her just how much the garden means to members and volunteers. Some 40 donors helped to raise more than $20,000 last spring—all of which was used to make improvements to the gardens. “It started at a TBG board meeting when it was mentioned that a lot of the equipment in the garden was outof-date and needed replacing. It was already a tough year financially. After the meeting a board member offered to buy a piece of equipment and donate it to the garden,” recalls Alison who, realizing that this could be a good fundraising hook, put together a wish list and Gifts to the Garden was born. “We decided to promote it online through the Garden Shop with items people could purchase and donate to the garden—things like the planters that now sit outside the front door, plants for the Piet Oudolf garden and the entryway, a lawnmower, hedge trimmers, hoses, sprinklers, a weed trimmer and six Japanese maples that needed replacing. “The campaign was visible, the money raised went right to the garden and donors received tax receipts. We will be giving donors recognition in the garden with their names on permanent plant markers. Donors will soon see a lot of work in the perennial garden including new sod, which they made happen,” says Alison. APRIL SHOWERS
Last year was the first time TBG had three campaigns, giving donors a chance to spread their donations over the year. April Showers was new last spring. “We will do it again in some form, perhaps by expanding Gifts to the Garden and including lots of new items that people can purchase for the garden at different prices,” says Alison. HEARTS & FLOWERS
The 2020 Hearts & Flowers Campaign, from November 1 to December 31, an annual event for the past five years, was an outstanding success. With a goal of $175,000, it raised
SPRING 2021
PHOTOS: PAUL GELLATLY
TBG DONORS COME THROUGH
