I really like trees and I suppose I always have. I grew up in a yard that had numerous large pine and oak trees and a forest of mostly pine bordering our home. We spent countless hours outside playing in the shadow of those trees and in the forest once we were old enough to be allowed to wander there on our own. Since I have been surrounded by trees for as long as I can remember, I developed an appreciation for them which I think I inherited from my mother who dearly loved nature and the outdoors.
As a result, I tend to be sympathetic to causes like the Arbor Day Foundation. They’re stated missions sounds like a good one and I’m all for more trees in this world. They are beneficial in more ways than I can think of right now. Although I am supportive of the stated goals the Arbor Day Foundation claims to be perusing — and I have no reason to believe they aren’t actually doing that — my support will not extend as far as monetary support, and I probably have my mother to thank for that decision as well.
In addition to her love for trees, she had a gift for spotting a con man a mile away. Her skepticism served her well and kept her out of trouble of all kinds. As a young woman she earned a reputation as someone who was able to recognize and reject propositions from young men she knew were not sincere and were looking for only one thing. Perhaps it is that trait that was passed on to me and causes me to cast a skeptical eye towards anyone asking for my money.
Again, I make no claims that The Arbor Day Foundation is a fraudulent organization or is responsible for anything nefarious. But the mailing I received from them 
just gave me the impression that they were not the type of organization I wanted to send money to. I wish I had kept the material they sent but it has since been discarded. The main purpose of the mailing was to solicit a donation in exchange for sending me a certain number of free “trees.” I will admit to being a bit tempted to take them up on it since the collection include redbud trees, which are native to this area and are one of my favorite spring bloomers.
Before I sent the donation I decided to do a little research on these offers from The Arbor Day Foundation. I found that the “trees” they offer in return for donations are “bare root” trees that may be a foot in length at most. That revelation made up my mind for me. I had an experience with “bare root” trees not more than three years ago when I ordered two plum trees from an online source. In that case, the trees were two to three feet long and I planted them in my yard right away. Neither one of those “trees” ever progressed even a little beyond the appearance of a dead stick someone stuck in the ground. Some folks on Reddit reported less than stellar results with the “trees” from The Arbor Day Foundation.
That experience convinced me that buying “bare root” trees online is not the way to buy trees and I now buy them all locally. The idea of sending the minimum donation of $20 for 10 trees that will most likely never grow did not seem like the best decision.
I received and discarded the mailing from The Arbor Day Foundation around a month or so ago but something I saw today reminded me of that and it made me wonder. I have a longstanding mistrust of any large organization calling itself “nonprofit” or “charity” and countless incidents throughout history have proven that some of those organizations are more about profit than they are about any noble cause. The Arbor Day Foundation may be perfectly legitimate but still, I had a feeling there was more to my decision to refuse their request for a donation than just the expectation of planting dead twigs in my yard. So I decided to look into the organization a little.
I did not have to look too far. I always wonder what nonprofit and charitable organizations are really spending their money on and I admit that my default is cynicism. Sadly, I am right more often than I care to be and to an extent, that is the case with The Arbor Day Foundation.
This is not a “deep dive” into the behind-the-scenes activities of the organization although I suspect that could be an interesting endeavor. What has me a little miffed regarding The Arbor Day Foundation is the compensation for the “Key Employees and Officers,” which essentially means the big wigs. When one considers their compensation packages, “big” is not a bad word to choose. These people are not pulling down Elon Musk money by any stretch but compared to the average American, they are doing very well.
The guy at the top of the pile is pulling down north of a half-million a year considering his salary and “other” compensation. The next seven on the last are all making more than $200,000 per year while the next nine clock in at well over $100,000 a year. You can see for your self at Propublica.
I’m not saying organizations should not have the right to compensate their key personnel the way they choose. What I am saying is when salaries in some nonprofit
and charitable organizations are so out of line with the average American, that is an organization that I do no care to donate my money to. If they are so devoted to the cause of planting trees, why do they compensate themselves so generously? Wouldn’t that money be better used to further the cause? Wouldn’t a salary more in line with the average American be more appropriate for a nonprofit? Perhaps $100,000 would not be unreasonable but I do not think one can justify over $500,000 per year for the top executive of a nonprofit organization.
I suppose when I think of nonprofit and charitable organizations I think of people who are working hard for the cause and perhaps enduring a little hardship as a result of their tireless dedication. A salary north of a half-million dollars or even $100,000 does not say “hardship” to me in the least. Perhaps my expectations of a little hardship are a bit outdated. It’s hard to shake the image of the dedicated social worker or free clinic doctor working so hard for the cause they believe in that they sacrifice some of life’s comforts. That looks like solid dedication. Salaries in excess of $100,000? Well, not so much.
The Arbor Day Foundation may be doing exactly as they claim and are completely above board. That does not mean I approve of how they run their organization and their employee compensation packages in particular. So, as a result, there will be no donations to The Arbor Day Foundation coming from me. For others who do decide to donate, I wish you the best of luck with your 10 “trees.”