Island Conservation’s work to restore and rewild islands around the world wouldn’t be possible without the support of individual donors. We’re so thankful for all of our fellow humans who believe in the power of resilient ecosystems, and as we look forward to a new era of holistic restorations, we want to share our appreciation by highlighting the words of Breton Fischetti. Breton is a steadfast supporter of Island Conservation whose monthly contributions have made a huge difference to us and to island ecosystems. By sharing why he became a monthly donor, Breton reveals the key benefits of charitable giving–not just to conservationists in the field, but to individual people like you!

You don’t need to be a large foundation or a high net worth person to make a difference in conservation or really any other cause. In fact, donations like the ones that I do, which are small, recurring, unrestricted donations often do the most to help organizations with their key day to day operations.

We all know that large donations are critical to nonprofits. They often provide the seed funds needed to explore a new program or they close a final funding gap to make a project possible. But small donations are JUST as critical. They are the lifeblood of an organization – allowing them to continue the flow of funds and distribute dollars where and when they’re needed most to accomplish their mission.

Unlike large checks, small donors don’t require a lot of non-conservation work to support their relationship with the organization. It’s the easiest way to get your dollars into action. These are consider “unrestricted” gifts which means there are no strings attached to how the organization can deploy your donations. Monthly donations offer stability and predictability, so organizations can plan and budget more effectively and ensure that programs are sustained without interruptions.

Your $25 or $50 monthly gift is a clear vote of confidence in the organization. It says to the team “I trust your mission and your ability to execute” and over time adds up significantly. $50 a month for a year is $600, for 10 years it’s $6,000. And it’s a win-win because you can feel good not only about your contribution to the cause, but that it is going directly to the nuts and bolts operational needs of the organization.

When I donate to Island Conservation, I know that I’m not just helping restore biodiversity, I’m also helping secure healthy oceans and support island communities, particularly against the impacts of climate change.

Breton Fischetti

I love being a contributor to Island Conservation’s mission because we’re only recently really validating how key islands are to so much more than biodiversity. It’s commonly known that islands, while being only 5% of land on Earth, are at the forefront of the extinction crisis and where we should focus our efforts on preserving biodiversity. And now we have an ever-growing amount of data that supports that not only is that good for islands, but it has larger implications for ocean health, reef resilience, and so much more. Only 4% of charitable contributions in the US go towards nature and I want to ensure that my dollars are going towards helping nature and conservation grow their share of the philanthropy pie over time. When I donate to Island Conservation, I know that I’m not just helping restore biodiversity, I’m also helping secure healthy oceans and support island communities, particularly against the impacts of climate change. I know that every dollar I donate is going far and making a difference.

Island Conservation has big dreams and one thing I was determined to do was contribute to an organization that wasn’t as well known as many others, with a very specific and focused mission and outsized impact.

Your monthly gift is a clear vote of confidence in the organization. It says to the team, “I trust your mission and your ability to execute.”

Breton Fischetti

I’ve been a monthly donor to several organizations for about 4 or 5 years. I remember reading an article about presidential candidates’ charitable contributions and was struck by how little many of them gave as a % of their total income or net worth. But then I realized I was giving even less than they were and I decided to change, and I plan to increase it over time as I am able to.

Since becoming a monthly donor to Island Conservation I’ve seen a constant stream of amazing work coming out of the organization. One of my favorite pages of the Island Conservation website is the News page which continuously showcases exciting work. As a donor I also receive updates from Karen Poiani, Island Conservation’s CEO, via email.

Being a monthly donor to any organization, but specifically to Island Conservation, is such a small but mighty decision I made, and one that I feel like I get so much more out of than I put into it financially. When I see the notification that my monthly donation processed, unlike say Netflix, I feel joy rather than pain as the money leaves my bank account. It’s truly one of the greatest investment returns I could imagine!

It reminds me that it’s not very difficult to do some good in the world. And that once I am comfortable with the monthly spend (also unfortunately similar to Netflix) it becomes part of my standard budget and I know that Island Conservation can also begin to count on that money every month, which helps them better plan for bigger, more ambitious, and more effective work. I love knowing that the security my donation provides means they can spend more time working on their most important work, protecting islands for our planet and all the people on it.

You can join Breton as a supporter of vibrant island ecosystems by becoming a donor today!