At Y.E.T.I., we believe every young person should have the opportunity for outdoor adventure and time in nature, no matter their background or resources. For over a decade, we’ve made that possible across South King County, offering free, low-barrier outdoor programs for youth primarily in the Highline and Tukwila School Districts.
With growing programs and shrinking resources, Y.E.T.I. has turned to the community to help keep the nonprofit funded and programs running. Last spring, Y.E.T.I. lost 30% of its funding from state grant program changes. Since then, Y.E.T.I. has been working hard to grow its volunteer base and asking its current volunteers to do more.
People are already stepping up for Y.E.T.I.
- Matching Campaign: Our friends at Black Bird Iron & Design provided a matching campaign challenge, allowing our fall fundraising campaign to surge.
- Ski Movie: Board members and sponsors are teaming up to make their annual ski movie event also be about getting kids outside.
- Equipment Work Parties: Board members and volunteers are recruiting help for our seasonal work parties.
- Middle Fork Roasters: Our friends at Middle Fork Roasters are making it easy for coffee to fuel outdoor adventure every month.
- Consistent Program Volunteers: Tuesday through Thursday and every Saturday, 2 to 3 Y.E.T.I. trips launch. Our volunteer instructors have reordered their schedules for more availability.
- The number of new donors and sponsors is growing!
Ways you can get involved
We are grateful for our community that continues to help make outdoor adventure a priority for hundreds of young people in our community. Below are some of the needs we still have:
Program Support
- Volunteer Instructors: Help Y.E.T.I. staff lead outdoor trips on weekends and school breaks. Y.E.T.I. staff are always planning and leading trips for our youth and having more caring adults around to facilitate these trips really improves the experience for our young people.
- Trip Logistics: Support Y.E.T.I. trips by being an extra set of hands to help with trip tasks. Many of our trips require car shuttles, gear cleaning and organizing, and trip communication on the day of the trip. We can always use the help when it comes to getting trips prepped and out the door!
- Gear Work Parties: Support staff with quarterly gear checks, repairs, and inventory.
- School Mentors: Partner with Y.E.T.I. staff to support after-school clubs once a week (Tuesday-Thursday). Help mentor students, share your love of the outdoors, and build relationships that make a difference. We ask that school mentors commit to the same day each week for a period of at least 3 months (one semester) to make this experience worthwhile!
Specialized Skills
- Events: Help plan and execute fundraising events by coordinating logistics, managing projects, and securing in-kind donations.
- Marketing & Communications: Join our Fundraising and Communications Committee to support campaigns, donor outreach, writing, design, and event promotion.
- Human Resources: Contribute to our HR committee or assist with projects that strengthen staff systems and organizational culture.
- Finance & Accounting: Join our Finance Committee to help with budgeting, forecasting, and policy development.
- Technology & Database Management: Support with Salesforce, Google Workspace, FormAssembly, WordPress, and other tools to improve our systems and tech efficiency.
- Project Management & Business Planning: Use your organizational expertise to guide strategic projects and operational planning.
Other Ways to Help
- Host a “Lunch & Learn”: Invite Y.E.T.I. to your workplace for a short, engaging session about how we’re getting local youth outside. We’ll help plan the session and serve as presenters; all you need to do is bring your team together.
- Buy a Bag of Middle Fork Coffee: You live in the Seattle area, so we know you love coffee. Y.E.T.I.’s Middle Fork Adventure Blend is available on their website, and profits go directly to support our youth programs. You can make a one-time purchase or set up a recurring order.
- Send Your Gear to Wonderland Gear Exchange: Do you have used outdoor gear? Bring items for backpacking, skiing, biking, paddling, and more to Wonderland Gear Exchange and choose to donate your profits to Y.E.T.I. It’s an easy way to give gear a second life while supporting our programs.
- Host a House Party: House Parties are social get-togethers that introduce new people to Y.E.T.I. and raise support for our programs. They can be anything from barbecues and dinner parties to happy hours or even virtual events (like a birthday fundraiser asking friends to donate to Y.E.T.I. instead of giving gifts).
- Help Us Unlock Movie Night: We need to raise $5,000 to make our Ski Movie Night at the North Bend Theater on Tuesday, November 11 happen. When we hit that goal, we’ll celebrate with a community movie night and donor appreciation event, bringing together friends, neighbors, and outdoor enthusiasts who helped make it possible. Donate to our campaign and help us fill the room with your community! Local businesses are also offering matching funds, so your gift makes an even bigger impact.
It takes a community to make outdoor adventures happen. If you have a passion for the outdoors, mentorship, or simply giving back, there’s a place for you at Y.E.T.I.
Learn more or sign up to volunteer! Together, we’ll keep making nature accessible, one hike, one bike ride, one student at a time.
