Giving Tuesday 2026: Support Olympic National Park

Giving Tuesday falls on December 1, 2026, and it’s a good day to support Olympic National Park close to home. A gift or membership to Friends of Olympic National Park keeps volunteers on the trails, beaches and visitor center grounds, and keeps our guided walks and talks going for the community. Here’s what your gift does, the giving levels, and how to give by mail or email.

Why give on Giving Tuesday?

GivingTuesday is a global day of generosity that began in 2012 and falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. After a weekend of shopping, it asks us to give to the causes and places we love.

For many of us on the North Olympic Peninsula, that place is the park. We’re a small, volunteer-led group, so your gift goes into work our members do with their own hands. Year-end gifts also help us plan the coming season of cleanups, walks and programs.

If you already give to the park’s other partners, thank you. A gift to a local friends group is simply one more way to help.

What your gift supports

Gifts to FONP fund educational programs, trail maintenance and restoration efforts throughout the park. They also help with park activities the National Park Service budget does not cover. Right now that means seven projects:

1. Adopt-a-Trail on the Heart O’ the Forest Trail
2. Beach and visitor center cleanups in Olympic National Park
3. The Children’s Discovery Room Project
4. Graffiti removal
5. Guided insect, mushroom and wildflower walks
6. National Junior Ranger Day
7. The Winter Perspectives Series

Educate, volunteer, fund and honor

Those projects fall under four kinds of work. We educate through guided walks, the Winter Perspectives lecture series and National Junior Ranger Day. We volunteer on beach and visitor center cleanups, graffiti removal and the Heart O’ the Forest trail.

We fund special projects and park activities the National Park Service budget doesn’t cover. And we honor the people who make the park better, with awards presented every year since 2003.

Small gifts add up

We know what modest support can do. In February 2025 a $250 Clean Trail Program grant from Extreme Terrain went toward trail maintenance. That June, volunteers who travelled from as far as Kansas City and Seattle weeded and pulled non-native invasive plants at the park’s Entrance Sign Garden.

Every year we also honor the people who give the park their best with our Most Inspirational Friend and Park Employee awards. You can see the whole list on our projects page.

Giving levels for Giving Tuesday 2026

Our suggested gifts are $25, $50, $75, $100 or $250, or any amount you choose, given once or every year. The table pairs each level with part of our work to show where gifts go. These pairings are examples, not price tags, and every gift supports the same seven projects.

Suggested gifts and the work they support

Gift	Good fit if you	Work it helps
$25	Want to become a Friend this year	Cleanups at beaches and the visitor center
$50	Love the park’s trails	Our Heart O’ the Forest adopt-a-trail crew
$75	Care about the next generation	Junior Ranger Day and the Children’s Discovery Room
$100	Enjoy learning in the outdoors	Guided walks and the Winter Perspectives Series
$250	Want to make a bigger difference	All seven projects and our annual awards
Any amount	Want to give what feels right	Wherever the need is greatest

An annual gift of $25 or more makes you a Friend of Olympic National Park. A yearly gift helps us plan ahead, but a single gift on Giving Tuesday is just as welcome.

Give a gift membership to an Olympic National Park lover

Know someone who counts the days until wildflower season or always stops at Lake Crescent? A membership is a holiday gift that lasts all year and helps the park they love. It’s also an easy present to mail. Tuck a note in their card about the decal and newsletter on the way, and maybe a promise to join them on a guided walk next season.

Membership levels compared

Level	Annual cost	Best for
Student, Charter Member or Current Armed Services	$15	Students, charter members and service members
Annual Individual	$25	One park lover
Annual Family	$30	A household that explores together

Every member receives:

• An exclusive FONP decal sticker
• Our friends-only member newsletter, twice a year
• An invitation to our annual events
• Volunteer opportunities in the park

To give a membership, print the form on our Olympic National Park membership page and fill it in with your friend’s details. If you have questions about a gift membership, write to us at fonp2020@gmail.com.

How to give

We don’t have an online payment form right now, so gifts come by mail or by arrangement over email. Mailing a check also skips card processing fees, so all of it goes to the work.

1. Choose a giving level or membership tier.
2. Download the membership form from our page to support Olympic National Park or the join page.
3. Mail the form with a check to Friends of Olympic National Park, P.O. Box 3238, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
4. Prefer to arrange your gift another way? Email fonp2020@gmail.com.

Is a donation to FONP tax deductible?

Friends of Olympic National Park is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and our Tax ID is 02-0619892. According to the IRS guidance on charitable contribution deductions, you may deduct gifts to qualified organizations if you itemize.

Everyone’s situation is different, so please check with a tax advisor about your own return. Keep a record of your gift, such as your cancelled check.

More ways to help this season

Not every gift is money. You can volunteer at Olympic National Park with our crews, come to upcoming FONP events, or share this post with a friend who loves the park.

Spread the word on Giving Tuesday

• Forward this post to family and friends who love the Olympic Peninsula.
• Share a favourite photo from the park and tell people why it matters to you.
• Ask your book club, team or workplace to give together.
• Have a project idea? Contact our volunteer board with your proposal.

Curious how we fit alongside the park’s other partners? Our guide to Olympic National Park support organizations compares the options fairly.

Frequently asked questions