Pathways Newsletter

Aaron joined MCC mid-year, excited to help engage donors who are inspired by MCC’s work to ignite purpose in young people through conservation and connection. Aaron came to MCC from the National Center for Family Philanthropy, where he served as Interim VP of Finance and Planning and provided financial and operational oversight through organizational transition. He also has experience fundraising for healthcare-related organizations, engaging donors at community-based philanthropy organizations, and managing multi-year grantmaking collaborations. He grew up in Sanders County, Montana.

MCC: What initially attracted you to MCC?

Well, the mission! I was a 4-H kid, so I experienced firsthand the impact that programs tied to place and the outdoors can have on youth. I grew up in rural Montana and spent a lot of time outside. As a kid, my mom created her own little “conservation corps” with my siblings and me. We cleared a LOT of brush, hauled a ton of firewood, pulled knapweed, and moved countless buckets of rocks. It may sound silly, but it formed a fundamental connection to the land and a sense of place that I carry with me to this day.

I then spent time in Seattle and NYC, learning and experiencing cultures and people different from what I knew.  I moved back to Montana that first summer of COVID to be near family. I loved being back in Montana, so started looking for opportunities that would allow me to stay and have a more local impact. MCC’s focus on building meaningful connections to a sense of place, to other people (who may be different from me), to a sense of personal power, and to pathways into the future really resonated with my past experience and what I think we need as a society moving forward.

MCC: What have you learned so far about the role of philanthropy at MCC?

MCC has built strong public funding relationships through AmeriCorps and with amazing project partners like the Forest Service, National Park Service, state agencies, and nonprofit partners. These funding streams are essential and much appreciated, but not sufficient to accomplish MCC’s mission. Philanthropy - grants and donations - helps make the truly transformative aspects of MCC’s work possible.  It allows us to not just get the conservation work done, which is so valuable, but to also change young people’s lives. To instill hope and joy, cultivate resilience and a commitment to community, and teach life and work skills. MCC’s youth programs, which serve teens ages 14 to 17, and tribal programs like Piikuni Lands Corps, which engages young adult Blackfeet in conservation service activities on ancestral lands while gaining valuable leadership and workforce skills, rely on contributions. As does MCC’s efforts to ensure everyone experiences safety, belonging, and validation at MCC. I love that MCC wants folks who may not have seen themselves in the conservation or outdoor recreation circles of the past to feel like they can be part of this work.

MCC: What else would you like supporters to know about MCC?  

First, we are incredibly grateful for your support! I know it is the end of the year and everyone is being asked to give to a variety of important organizations. We would like to be one of those, and if you choose to support us know that we are incredibly grateful. I also like to hear from our donors why they choose to give to MCC, and what else they’d like to know about our organization. I would love to share more stories about MCC’s impact, and how MCC is building connections out in the field that enable us to relate across differences, build empathy, and lean into challenges together.

MCC: What keeps you inspired when the work day is tough?

I’m inspired by the stories of our alumni (many of whom work for MCC!), teens who have participated, their parents, donors, board members, community leaders, and project partners… the stories of how people ended up at or connected to MCC, how it changed them, and why they continue to work with MCC are so inspiring to me.

Please reach out! You can email Aaron at aaron@mtcorps.org