You can help us secure the future of NGT’s 8th Restoration Reserve – Mount Vandyke
On two occasions since NGT began back in 2012, we have asked our wonderful supporters to chip in towards important land purchases – successfully contributing to the creation of two of our Reserves – Mt Burr Swamp in 2016 and Walker Swamp in 2018.
Our third land purchase fundraiser is for Mount Vandyke, traditionally known as Banbangil – a really special place, with unique possibilities as a safe haven for threatened species and a site where important concepts in reintroduction science can be tested. For more information, please read this companion article in this month’s newsletter.
But no matter how exciting the possibilities, funding for land purchase is extremely difficult to attract from other sources, and so to secure Mt Vandyke while we had the chance, NGT has taken out a loan. Our simple goal is to try to repay this debt before the project moves into its exciting implementation phase, so that it doesn’t become a drain on our limited operating finances or hamper our ability to get on with other future important work.
The opening loan balance for the land purchase was $280,000, and as we launch this fundraiser, we have already reduced the balance to $268,193.
The task is not insignificant, but with your help we can do this!
Matching your donations, dollar for dollar
Finally, thanks to some amazing people who have come forward that are willing to match donations (including a large international donor from the USA) and some donated and other funds already set aside by NGT to put towards our next land purchase project, we also have a plan to accelerate the process of paying off the loan.
Every donation, until the land purchase debt is paid off, will now be matched by these generous commitments, dollar for dollar.
So for example, if you donate $50, then $100 will be paid off the loan balance, or if you donate $5000, then $10,000 will be paid off the loan, and so on – until the loan is fully paid off.
Then each month, until the debt is repaid, we will simply share the balance of the loan with you, so that you can see how your generous donations are helping us to reach the goal. And of course, if we mange to overshoot the loan balance, then any remaining funds will be invested in the NGT Reserves Fund, within the NGT Foundation and support the ongoing future management of Mount Vandyke and our other Reserves.
Once the loan is repaid, we will host a celebration on site where all donors will be invited to visit the new Restoration Reserve to learn all about our future plans for the property from our team of dedicated professional ecologists.
All donations over $2 are tax deductible and, as we know from previous fundraising efforts, every single donation – large and small – really counts. Donate before 30th June and you can claim a deduction in this year’s tax return.
