Membership

The Island Institute is a membership-based organization working to sustain Maine’s island and coastal communities, and exchange ideas to further the sustainability of communities here and elsewhere. We are supported by over 3,000 members around the world who share our commitment to the future of Maine’s islands and coast.

Impact

Our work would not be possible without the generosity and partnership of our donors and members. We offer a variety of membership levels and opportunities for getting involved with the Institute. Help us increase our impact on the coast of Maine and beyond!

When you join the Island Institute, you partner with teachers, fishermen, local leaders, and over 3,000 fellow members committed to sustaining Maine’s island and coastal communities.

With programs that encompass work in economic development, education and leadership, community energy, aquaculture and marine, and research, our goal is to help these communities identify and address critical challenges. We’re proud to have a strong member base that allows us to invest in and offer ongoing support through our various program areas.

Individual & Family Memberships

Recurring Monthly or Quarterly Giving Membership (Springtide Society)
Membership for Year-Round Island Residents
Senior & Student Membership

In addition, our giving circles recognize the generosity of donors who:

Provide significant annual support (Island Partners)
Have made arrangements for a planned gift (Islands in Time Society)

Benefits of Membership	Benefit Support Levels
Home delivery of ten issues of The Working Waterfront newspaper 10% discount at Archipelago, our retail store Invitations to member events Members at the $100 level and up also receive the annual Island Journal	Year-round island resident — $ 25 Senior & Student — $ 30 Basic individual or family membership — $50 Supporting members (complimentary Island Journal at $100 and above): Member — $100 Member — $250 Member — $500 Island Partner (special benefits apply) — $1,000

Island Partners

The Island Institute is proud to recognize our most generous donors through the Island Partners giving circles. Although valuable support comes in many forms, the philanthropic leadership of our Island Partners has a significant impact on our ability to deliver on our mission.

In honor of your commitment

Giving circles

Island Partners receive all Island Institute member benefits, plus:

Opportunities to connect with Island Institute staff, board of trustees, and community leaders at unique Island Partner events;
Communications directly from President Rob Snyder on important issues; and
A gift membership to share with a friend or family member.

President’s Circle — $25,000+
Anchor — $10,000–$24,999
Waypoint — $5,000–$9,999
Compass — $1,000–$4,999

All gifts made to Island Institute operating, program, or endowment funds will be credited toward Giving Circle membership for the fiscal year (July 1–June 30) in which they are received. Unless they request to remain anonymous, Island Partners may be recognized in select Island Institute print materials.

Business Memberships

Our business members are waterfront innovators! Business Members support our programming and help strengthen island and coastal economies, enhance education and leadership opportunities, and partner with us to deliver and share solutions for sustainable communities. If you are a registered business, corporation, or a nonprofit organization, consider supporting our work through an Island Institute Business Membership. Benefits include:

Event sponsorships
Subscriptions to The Working Waterfront and Island Journal
Advertising discounts

Become a Business Member today

Gift Membership

Share your love of Maine’s island and coastal communities with a friend or family member with a gift of membership. Your recipient will be welcomed with a card featuring the photography of founder Peter Ralston and one of our signature publications, then begin receiving the member benefits listed above.

Springtide Society

By becoming a member of the Springtide Society, you’ll receive all Island Institute member benefits, and join a special group of sustaining members whose monthly gifts provide steady, dependable support. This support ensures continued investment in our program areas and allows us to help Maine’s island communities address the critical issues they face.

As you may know, spring tides occur when the moon is full or new. They are especially high and strong tides and they occur when the Earth, the Sun and the Moon are all in alignment. We thought this would be an especially apt name for the group of donors like you who maximize their impact through steady, dependable support. We greatly appreciate Springtide Society members with their vote of confidence in our work.

Monthly giving is an easy and effective way to support the Institute. Convenient and flexible for you; it also delivers your support in a dependable manner that lets us put your money to work immediately. You can begin giving right away, and have the option to change or discontinue your gift at any time.

Springtide giving is easier on the environment too. All transaction confirmations will be sent to you via email. For tax purposes, we’ll mail you an annual statement in January.

By saving paper, postage, and time, we have more resources for carrying out our core mission: working to sustain island and coastal communities.

Ready to help? To become a Springtide member, you simply need to register to make an automated monthly or quarterly gift in an amount of your choosing, starting at as little as $10 per month. Scheduled contributions can be made by credit or debit card, or through secure electronic funds transfer (EFT) from a checking account.

Register online or by calling us at (207) 594-9209 x113. Secure transactions are processed by our nonprofit partner, Network for Good, for credit and debit card registrants, and by Camden National Bank for electronic fund transfers (checking account transfers).