Even before the program reconnaissance in August 2015, it was clear that one of the
major hurdles in executing the full program was gathering the requisite physical and monetary
resources. With limited time available for fundraising prior to the reconnaissance, this initial
information-gathering trip was almost completely self-funded. The self-funded nature of the
reconnaissance trip, although not financially ideal, came with one major advantage – I had
complete freedom to focus on project preparation, partner building, and reconnaissance of the
program area on my own itinerary. By the conclusion of the reconnaissance in August 2015, one
year prior to program implementation, I was able to produce an initial cost estimate and
equipment list that would function as the baseline document for the program’s resource needs
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Kahtoola, Inc: hiking crampons
Kroka Expeditions: backpacks, tents, assorted clothing DivaCup: outdoor feminine hygiene products
Outdoor Gear Exchange: water purification Darn Tough Socks: hiking socks
Black Diamond Equipment Company: headlamps and gloves Nalgene: water bottles and food containers
week program ranged from $29,713.40 to $18,717.40. Given this cost and my inability to self-
fund a program of this expense level, the primary funding goal became to raise the necessary
resources through a combination of equipment donations, private monetary donations, and grant
funding.
The reconnaissance trip not only served to provide planning information, but also to
collect video and camera footage for the centerpiece of the funding campaign – an informational
Ecological Leadership Program short film. Using hours of footage and interviews shot during the
ELP reconnaissance trip, I partnered with a professional video editing company that agreed to
donate time towards creating the ELP informational film. Over two short months in September
and October 2015, I sorted through B-roll footage, created a draft script, and then worked with
Cinex Studios to create the final 15-minute short film showcasing the program’s origins and
plans. Upon completion of the film in late October 2015, I then organized a funding plan
centered upon the film.
The resourcing efforts focused in three main areas. Equipment donations comprised the
first area of resource emphasis. After realizing early in the funding process that buying new
equipment would be cost-prohibitive, I moved to appeal to private audiences to provide the bulk
of the necessary equipment and secondarily to private corporations to augment with donations of
bulk low-value equipment such as water bottles and water purification tablets. Assisted by
instructor-intern Sonya Buglion Gluck, we as the US-based ELP planners contacted outdoor
equipment manufacturers
by email, phone, and trade
show booth to directly
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donations. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan-based instructor and professional outdoor educator Patrick
Barrow contacted Kyrgyz organizations to determine options for resource support. The main
fundraising techniques employed were verbal appeals and informational letters/emails with a
short project summary and the film link embedded in the summary. By July 2016, nine months
into the resourcing effort, seven companies had joined in the effort to assist with resourcing the
Ecological Leadership Program (see Table 1).
In addition to private companies, individuals
played a major role in providing critical resource requirements. Through a series of lectures,
slideshows, and university clothing drives, the Ecological Leadership Program staff gathered a
sufficient number of clothing items to sufficiently insulate and weatherproof up to 15 students
(see Appendix G). Ultimately, it seemed that cold-calling a wide array of outdoor companies and
university clothing drives were most effective in yielding a high return on time invested in
resourcing efforts.
The second area of resource emphasis focused on using a popular crowdsourcing
platform to request private donations, as there were substantial program costs outside of
equipment. Private monetary donations would be instrumental in purchasing program food,
renting any equipment to meet resource shortfalls, and purchasing expendable program items
such as lip balm and batteries. The crowdsourcing campaign launched in October 2015 and
continued until July 2016, eventually raising a total of approximately $3000. Although I
promoted the crowdsourcing campaign in the video and aired the film in several different venues
such as the University of Vermont’s Reel Rock showing, only one donation resulting from public venues. All other donations came from personal contacts and networks, indicating the value in
wide social networks that are sympathetic to philanthropic or educational efforts. In the final
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review, the private donations were instrumental in providing enough funding to cover all ELP
program costs, with no funding remaining after the program completion.
Finally, the third area of resource emphasis focused on requesting grants from an array of
institutions and organizations. In an effort to compartmentalize funding, the ELP planners
focused grant efforts on funding personal expenses such as flights, lodging, and in-country
transportation. Overall, efforts to fund instructor expenses through grants were successful, with
the ELP planners receiving grants for personal expenses from various University of Vermont
grant opportunities and the American Alpine Club. Ultimately, these grants played an integral
role in funding instructor expenses and freeing the private donations to be applied to actual
program costs. By the time the self-imposed funding deadline arrived, cuts in numbers of
student-participants, success in resourcing donations, and an emphasis on clearing extraneous
costs from the program plan reduced the program’s estimated actual cost to a fraction of its original estimate. At the conclusion of the program, the instructors found that they had
implemented the ELP for approximately $2800.