Join ATC, or Local Trail Club, or both?

[chknfngrs]

Given the opportunity, would you join the Appalachian Trail Conservancy,or your local trail club?! Or both?!

Wondering what the benefits of one over the other or if anyone is a member of both?!?

[TJ aka Teej]

Both. They do entirely different things.

[Tennessee Viking]

Local trail membership provides getting your hands dirty to access maintaining events and group hike events.

ATC membership is for the overall trail fundraising, the AT magazine, AT Store discounts.

[ki0eh]

I'm in both, but if I had to pick one, it would be the local club, especially if it's one of the smaller groups without a staff/fundraising machine (not that staff and fundraising don't have their place, but resources are typically thinner the smaller the organization).

[SteelCut]

Wondering what the benefits of one over the other or if anyone is a member of both?!?

So many volunteer organizations are deeply in need of people and money. Ask not what your trail club can do for you—ask what you can do for your trail club.

[hobbs]

I was in both...I dropped the ATC with the constant pitch for money...RATHER focus on the club and contribute there and give them the funds

[skater]

It really depends on what you hope to get out of your involvement. If you are looking to meet like-minded people in your area, to give back in a very hands-on way, or to get out of the house and get some exercise, then the local club is your best bet. If you are looking for opportunities to become more familiar with the more distant sections of the trail, to help protect the trail through advocacy/petitioning Congressmen/education, the ATC may be better suited to your interests. If you want to help on a local level but realize that the local clubs work best when partnered with the larger organization, joining both organizations should be considered.

[DrL]

Local club

[Cookerhiker]

Both

This is the best response so far:

It really depends on what you hope to get out of your involvement. If you are looking to meet like-minded people in your area, to give back in a very hands-on way, or to get out of the house and get some exercise, then the local club is your best bet. If you are looking for opportunities to become more familiar with the more distant sections of the trail, to help protect the trail through advocacy/petitioning Congressmen/education, the ATC may be better suited to your interests. If you want to help on a local level but realize that the local clubs work best when partnered with the larger organization, joining both organizations should be considered.

[LIhikers]

My wife and I are both members of the ATC and the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference, where we are Boundary Monitors for the AT in New York

[rickb]

I was in both...I dropped the ATC with the constant pitch for money...RATHER focus on the club and contribute there and give them the funds

As part of a childless couple who is reworking his estate plan, I wish I had a better understanding of what the ATC would do do with the money. For years I had designated their land aquisition trust/fund as a primary beneficiary, but I understand that no longer exists.

They must be doing something great — but hell if I know what it is.

[BlackCloud]

I think you can dictate what an organization does with your gift. They will probably agree to a written contract if you speak to them now and your gift would be of some size. The local trail clubs is where the nit and gritty work is done. The AT is fairly well secured and the NPS has a dedicated office to the AT overall. The clubs will ALWAYS need to repair, reroute and rebuild.

[The Old Chief]

As part of a childless couple who is reworking his estate plan, I wish I had a better understanding of what the ATC would do do with the money. For years I had designated their land aquisition trust/fund as a primary beneficiary, but I understand that no longer exists.

They must be doing something great — but hell if I know what it is.

Same feeling here. For years I've supported the AT in North Carolina with a specialty license plate with the AT in North Carolina receiving $20.00 every year I renew the plate. Over 10 years ago I could go online and find out how much money the AT in North Carolina had made from the license plates and what it was used for in North Carolina. But all I can find out now is that the North Carolina regional office has been consolidated with the Georgia and Tennesee regional offices. All three states have a license plate program. I've seen NC license plates up to the number 9000 so they've got to be taking in a ton of money if only half of the plates are renewed in those 3 states. The ATC tax return online indicates that $137,000 was given to trail clubs and other like agencies last year in the form of grants. License plate renewals in the 3 states mentioned above probably bring in that much and more. I wish I could find out if the money I've given for the last 10 years has ever gone to improving the AT in North Carolina.

[D2maine]

As part of a childless couple who is reworking his estate plan, I wish I had a better understanding of what the ATC would do do with the money. For years I had designated their land aquisition trust/fund as a primary beneficiary, but I understand that no longer exists.

They must be doing something great — but hell if I know what it is.

its not hard hard to look up

[D2maine]

As part of a childless couple who is reworking his estate plan, I wish I had a better understanding of what the ATC would do do with the money. For years I had designated their land aquisition trust/fund as a primary beneficiary, but I understand that no longer exists.

They must be doing something great — but hell if I know what it is.

its not hard hard to look up

[skater]

As part of a childless couple who is reworking his estate plan, I wish I had a better understanding of what the ATC would do do with the money. For years I had designated their land aquisition trust/fund as a primary beneficiary, but I understand that no longer exists.

They must be doing something great — but hell if I know what it is.

Perhaps you would be interested in supporting something like the Konnarock work. This is a crew of volunteers with paid leaders, sponsored by the ATC. Volunteers come from all over the country to work week-long stints. They take on projects that are too large for local clubs to handle easily. They do some awesome work, and the volunteers get an experience of a lifetime.

[Furlough]

I am a member of Both. I understand the fundamental mission of the ATC, but love the hands on experience of my trail club. Incidentally my club, the PATC is currently celebrating 90 years of trail building and maintaining.

Furlough

[soilman]

Same feeling here. For years I've supported the AT in North Carolina with a specialty license plate with the AT in North Carolina receiving $20.00 every year I renew the plate. Over 10 years ago I could go online and find out how much money the AT in North Carolina had made from the license plates and what it was used for in North Carolina. But all I can find out now is that the North Carolina regional office has been consolidated with the Georgia and Tennesee regional offices. All three states have a license plate program. I've seen NC license plates up to the number 9000 so they've got to be taking in a ton of money if only half of the plates are renewed in those 3 states. The ATC tax return online indicates that $137,000 was given to trail clubs and other like agencies last year in the form of grants. License plate renewals in the 3 states mentioned above probably bring in that much and more. I wish I could find out if the money I've given for the last 10 years has ever gone to improving the AT in North Carolina.

Perhaps your answers can be found here.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home...license-plates

[hikermiker]

I vote for local trail club. Most are entirely volunteers and in need of money.

[The Old Chief]

Perhaps your answers can be found here.
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home...license-plates

Thanks for helping me find this info. I'm happy to see the Carolina Mountain Club is receiving regular grants from this fund. For many citizens like me who live too far away from the AT in NC to be heavily involved in trail maintenance, the $20.00 a year really adds up to a lot of help financially. I wish more than 25% of the monies raised were returned for the original purpose but that's seems to be about par for non-profit fundraising, maybe better than most.