Partner Case Studies

STALWART SPONSOR

For 22 years, L.L.Bean's support of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy has embodied the very principles upon which ATC's Corporate Partnership program was founded — involvement, innovation and investment.

L.L.Bean employees maintain a 17-mile section of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Throughout the program's 21-year history, L.L.Bean employees have clocked nearly 25,000 hours of Trail maintenance. Last year, the company's employees built several bog bridges and over 200 feet of causeways with rock waterbars and drainage ditches, in addition to their normal trail clearing and maintenance of three overnight sites.

Over the years, L.L.Bean and ATC have continued finding creative ways to enhance the company's already unprecedented support. L.L.Bean now regularly provides ATC's seasonal volunteers and staff with much-needed equipment, gear, and clothing. Coffee sales in their flagship store (a brisk business, especially in the heart of winter) were recently dedicated to the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. And last year the company featured ATC and the Maine A.T. Club in its catalogues and on its Web site — tremendous endorsements that helped increase our profile.

Finally, for the past seven years, L.L.Bean has been the sole sponsor of ATC's Grants-to-Clubs Program, which distributes more than $20,000 a year to member clubs for A.T. maintenance, construction, and repair initiatives.

"Bean's annual sponsorship represents unrivaled corporate investment in ATC," said ATC's Executive Director, David Startzell. "They have been a real catalyst in A.T. repair and upkeep — fueling more than $280,000 in restoration and construction programs among our clubs. And for that we are deeply grateful."

SALONS SAVING PLANTS

In 2004 and 2005, AVEDA selected the ATC as one of its Earth Month Partners. Assigned the Mid-Atlantic and New England region, ATC supported Aveda stores and salons in asking customers to help save threatened and endangered species.

Customers could choose to help one of three ways: (1) Sign Aveda's petition to save endangered species; (2) Make an "Appointment for the Earth" in which a minimum of $1 would be donated to conservation partners for selected services, and (3) Buy Rosemary Mint products, a percentage of the sales being split evenly among conservation partners.

We designed and printed posters for the participating salons, mailed information packets, created for sale a women's organic cotton T-shirt using the same artwork from our poster campaign, and started speaking at several local fundraising events. Not only did this productive partnership raise targeted awareness of threats to the Trail's endangered plant life among diverse young professionals, thanks to proceeds from participating Aveda salons, the program raised more than $240,000 to support our ongoing monitoring activities.