TennGreen Land Conservancy Offers Experiential Conservation Fundraising

In April, nature-loving Tennesseans laced their boots, donned their hats and lathered on their sunscreen for TennGreen Land Conservancy’s key fundraiser, the Hike-a-Thon. 

Participants from different categories — hiking, paddling, biking, running and climbing — embarked on a friendly outdoor challenge geared toward people of all ages and abilities in support of Tennessee’s greenspaces. The goal: exploring as much land as possible while raising funds for TennGreen’s crucial conservation efforts. “Getting people outside is the start to developing conservationists,” says executive director Alice Hudson Pell. 

In its sixth year, the Hike-a-Thon attracted a record-breaking 1,398 participants, raised over $300,000 and logged 17,836 miles across 41 states and 13 countries. The first-of-its-kind event in the Southeast has set a new standard for environmental nonprofits, showing that sometimes, the most effective fundraising models are experience-based. 

“I think [the Hike-a-Thon is] different because it truly, directly ties people to the mission and what we’re trying to accomplish, more so than many other fundraising activities I’ve seen in my career in institutional advancement,” says Hudson Pell. 

Eternal Preservation

Kathleen Williams founded TennGreen, the state’s oldest accredited statewide land conservancy, in 1998 to create an interconnected greenway system and protect Tennessee’s natural treasures. Through easements, acquisitions and restorations, the organization permanently protects private land and public parks from demolition and development. 

“I love TennGreen because it really had — and still has — a very public mission,” says Hudson Pell. “I get to make parks for a living, and I think that is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

In May, the organization celebrated the opening of Cardwell Mountain State Archaeological Park — Tennessee’s third state archaeological park and the first to be designated in over 50 years. TennGreen worked with partners to acquire the land (which was listed on Zillow), ensuring the property can be enjoyed by both locals and tourists for centuries to come. 

TennGreen’s team believes effective philanthropy is built on personal experience — and the best way to educate supporters is by connecting them with the land. One particularly captivating spot is Devilstep Hollow, the mouth of a cave where Indigenous people, particularly chiefs and priests, were buried. 

Thanks to a TennGreen easement, the site’s 21 pieces of cave art and a preserved footprint (estimated at 1,000 years old) will not be disrupted. While you can no longer enter the cave, Hudson Pell says visiting the space around Devilstep Hollow is an awe-inducing experience that brings TennGreen’s mission home for her. “One of the fun and challenging things about the work that we do here is that it’s forever,” she says. 

Firsthand Encounters

In previous years, TennGreen has hosted seated dinners, complete with gowns and auction items, to raise funds for its conservation programs. But over time, Hudson Pell found that a banquet hall wasn’t the most effective setting for environmental advocacy.

“That’s just not where our audience is,” she says. “Especially because we are a statewide organization, our members are from all across the state. … People would drive in from Cookeville for a dinner, and it just never sat right with me that that was the best way to engage folks.”

Enter the Hike-a-Thon, an initiative Hudson Pell created following the COVID-19 pandemic. The event takes conservation a step further, putting patrons’ feet on land protected by their support. As participants explore the outdoors, they raise money for TennGreen through sponsorships from loved ones and supporters. “Our donors like being outside,” she says. “It’s just much more authentic to our brand.” 

The Hike-a-Thon offers a unique opportunity for Tennesseans to take their love for hiking (and other outdoor activities) around the globe, all while supporting their home state. Many have traveled as far as Australia, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Switzerland and Dominica to participate. Yet the heart of the event is rooted in a commitment to Tennessee’s landscapes, represented by thousands of miles trekked across West, Middle and East Tennessee. 

While hiking is daunting for some, the event offers competitions for all levels, including a challenge specifically designed for participants with disabilities. One of Hudson Pell’s favorite stories is about a young man named Otis, whose disabilities make it hard to walk long distances. Despite this hurdle, Otis logged roughly six miles over the course of the month and raised ample funds for the cause. 

TennGreen hopes the Hike-a-Thon will help demystify hiking and show that moving outdoors can have low barriers to entry. “A lot of people don’t know that they can hike,” says Hudson Pell. “What you need is bug spray and shoes.” 

Paving New Paths

Following the Hike-a-Thon’s success, TennGreen plans to host more hands-on experiences — including paddling events in collaboration with other local conservancies, where patrons will learn more about sustainability while out on the water. 

Hudson Pell emphasizes that education and collaboration are key to environmental progress. As TennGreen continues to grow and expand its team across the state, leadership hopes to inspire the next lawmakers to make environmentally conscious decisions amid development — and to consider communities, habitats and rivers over data centers. 

“We’re all a part of this,” she says. “We all drink this water. We all breathe the same air. We have to be together in this fight against bad actors and bad practices.”