POST Surpasses Saving the Endangered Coast $200 Million Goal and Assures Protection of San Mateo Coast
January 3, 2006
The Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) announced today that its Saving the Endangered Coast campaign has surpassed its $200 million goal. As of today, the campaign total stands at $200,783,407. The campaign funds will be directly leveraged to protect thousands of acres of open space on the San Mateo Coast from development.
"This is, by all accounts, the most successful fund-raising campaign on behalf of regional land conservation," said POST Campaign Chair Karie Thomson. "This record-breaking fund-raising accomplishment will result in thousands of acres of pristine beaches, hiking trails, majestic redwoods, fertile farmland, and breathtaking vistas protected for generations to come."
POST launched the Saving the Endangered Coast campaign in 2001. The goals of the campaign were to raise $200 million and protect 20,000 acres of coastal open space from development along the San Mateo Coast. POST has already protected 14,259 acres during the campaign. The campaign's success will enable POST to protect coastal land from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.
"All of us at POST are profoundly grateful to everyone who came forward so generously to help us attain this ambitious goal," said POST President Audrey Rust. "It's remarkable. Through this campaign we are saving a unique and diverse area nearly 20 times the size of Golden Gate Park."
Over the course of the campaign, many individuals–including members of POST's Board of Directors, Coastal Campaign Advisory Council and Skyline Society Committee–stepped up with major gifts. Many of these donors made repeat gifts to put POST's campaign over the top. More than 10,000 donors made gifts and pledges to POST during the campaign.
"This success is the result of POST's mission-driven, measurable approach to land conservation," said Board Chair Susan Ford Dorsey. "Combined with bold vision and a track record as an effective organization, this approach has consistently motivated the community to support POST's land-saving work."
Foundations played a pivotal role in POST's success. At the outset of the campaign, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation made grants of $50 million each to Saving the Endangered Coast. Those gifts raised the bar for the campaign and inspired others to follow their example. The Kresge Foundation made available a $1.75 million challenge grant that topped off the campaign when POST reached 99 percent of its goal.
"Protecting the San Mateo Coast is so important," said Thomson. "POST's success just goes to show that amazing things are possible when individuals band together behind a common cause. This is a phenomenal legacy we are leaving for the future, and everyone who contributed to the campaign can be proud of this historic achievement."