We keep the beaches clean. Now we need your help keeping the lights on.

Mendocino Mermaids is an all-volunteer nonprofit. We organize beach cleanups, water activities, and community fitness on the Mendocino Coast. Nobody on our team is paid. Every dollar goes to the work.

Here's the plain truth: the cost of doing this has gone up while membership dues have gone down. Liability insurance alone has jumped, and we can't hold a single cleanup or event without it. Right now we live donation to donation, never sure how we'll cover the basics, and our volunteers end up absorbing costs personally. We'd rather tell you that straight than pretend it's all sunshine and seashells.

We're asking for $10,000 to cover one full year of operating costs, so our volunteers never have to pay for this out of their own pockets. Here's what that keeps running:

• Insurance: general liability coverage so we can gather safely on public beaches

• Permits and park fees: so events are legal and welcome

• Cleanup gear and waste disposal: gloves, buckets, grabbers, bags, and hauling it away right

• Bookkeeping, accounting, and filings: keeping us transparent and in good standing

• Tech and communications: the website and domain, QuickBooks, email, and the tools that let us find and organize volunteers

• Pool rental and event fees: renting pool space for community swims and paying to attend community events

• Hauling: getting trash and cleanup materials to the beach, and then to the dump

What your gift does:

• $25 keeps our website going

• $50 covers permit and disposal costs for a beach event

• $100 puts real dollars toward our liability insurance

• $250 keeps the business of the nonprofit operating: software, agency fees, legal compliance, and everything else it takes to run an organization

We've applied for grants and haven't been chosen, because there are so many other needs in our community. But we believe time on the beach and in the water helps people mentally, physically, and spiritually, and helps them feel part of something. That's worth keeping alive.

Why we're not stopping at one year: this is a standing campaign. Our first goal is $10,000, which covers one year of operating costs. Once we hit it, we're keeping the campaign open and aiming for a second $10,000, for $20,000 total. That's two years of runway. We're tired of fundraising year to year without knowing whether we can keep our doors open. A real cushion means we can stop worrying about the basics and spend our energy on what we love: cleaning beaches, getting people in the water, and building community.

Can't give? Sharing this page is a gift too.

Thank you for being part of the tide.

Mendocino Mermaids

mendocinomermaids.org