
Statewide
Couple Takes Action on Climate Change, Resilient Lands with °Ä³¬Ö±²„
Donors Eric Wan and Michele Goodman go all in with their givingāsharing their expertise, time and resources while continually learning and looking for new opportunities. That approach is essential as they focus their giving on whatās meaningful to them. They enjoy spending time in Oregonās scenic, wild places, with particular interest in coastal areas and preserves, and do their part to address climate change and support healthy, resilient landsāfor the sake of us all.
āItās clearly one of the defining crises of our lives. Whether people want to accept it or not, the climate crisis really does affect all other areas of giving,ā Eric says. āWhether you are talking about poverty or homelessness, or [a number of other] things, these are influenced by the health of the planet and climate change.ā
As a couple, they have committed time to organizations working on this and related issues. Eric, an electrical engineer and PSU faculty member, served for years on the board of The Nature Conservancy. Michele, a former technology executive, works as president of her familyās foundation and served for six years on the board of Oregon Environmental Council.
For nearly 20 years, they have used their °Ä³¬Ö±²„ donor advised fund to support conservation and arts organizations such as Columbia Land Trust, The Freshwater Trust, The Nature Conservancy in Oregon, North Coast Land Conservancy, OPB, Oregon Environmental Council, White Bird, Wild Salmon Center and other nonprofits. Building on their longstanding giving through °Ä³¬Ö±²„, theyāve become more engaged recently with staff and fellow donors.
āItās only more recently that weāve been taking advantage of °Ä³¬Ö±²„ as a resource for education and understanding of the nonprofit space,ā Eric says.
The couple joined the Climate Change and Healthy Habitats (CC&HH) Collective Giving Group at its inception about three years ago. Participants meet, learn, plan and pool their funding to address climate change and ensure healthy and resilient ecosystems. Since its inception, the group has grown from 8 to 21 advised funds and foundations represented by more than 30 people.
āWith the CC&HH group, I have hope that individuals are prioritizing the environment. I realize now that more people care about the environment than I thought,ā Michele reflects.
As they have developed new connections within the °Ä³¬Ö±²„ community, theyāve also looked for opportunities to amplify their impact through the foundation. A new area of interest to Eric and Michele is impact investingāsupporting projects that generate positive social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. This year theyāre participating in the Oregon Impact Fund, which lends to nonprofit organizations and for-profit social ventures supporting homelessness and housing, economic and community vitality, health and well-being, education, and natural resources. Theyāre eager to lend their support to capital-intensive forest resiliency projects that make a difference on a large scale.
In addition, in 2021 they used their advised fund to support the Pacific Northwest Resilient Landscapes Initiative. The initiative identified 21 land trust projects across Oregon, Washington and Idaho and helped to conserve all of these climate-resilient landsānearly 30,000 acresāwhile making transformative investments in the regionās land trusts and the communities they serve.
āI think itās terrific that °Ä³¬Ö±²„ is so much more active in the environment. Because °Ä³¬Ö±²„ is so large, with all of the different donors, it can make a bigger impact than we could alone,ā Michele says. ā°Ä³¬Ö±²„ has been a fantastic partner. The staffāCarlos Garcia, Anne George, Jennifer Curry and other folksā have been so generous with their time and helping to educate us. Their knowledgeātheir connectionsāI find really valuable.ā