Connect & Give Back
Your Outing
RiverLink is delighted to connect with organizations that share our passion for stewarding lands and caring for our French Broad River waterways and the communities that live alongside her. Our work takes us to conservation and recreational properties throughout the region where we strive to manage and maintain their natural conservation values.
Our volunteer opportunities include sites that honor the area’s historic black communities, RiverLink’s rich legacy in the region, and beautiful conservation properties throughout the City of Asheville. We are delighted to marry your volunteer experience with your passions and interests.
EQUITY
Southside Neighborhood
Burton Street Community
ENVIRONMENT
City Parks :: Azalea, West AVL, Malvern Hills
Greenways + River Cane Restoration
HISTORY
Karen Cragnolin Park
Future Gateway Park
Our adult outings typically last 2 to 3 hours and can accommodate up to 30 people and routinely involve invasive plant removal, native plantings, and litter cleanup.
As a thirty-five year old nonprofit committed to promoting both the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and watershed, we greatly appreciate if you are in a position to support our work via a sponsored outing. Your investment empowers us to create more climate resilient public river parks, expand our no-charge youth education program, conserve and manage more lands, and protect our valuable water resources. Please find more information on the sponsorship options below.
We are excited to meet your team and create an enjoyable, informative, and engaging outing. Welcome aboard!
Complimentary Groups
For adult groups that do not have the ability to financially support RiverLink and our volunteer program, but would still like to be involved in protecting the French Broad River and its watershed, we have dedicated dates for a no-cost service experience. A total of ten slots will be available from March to December. These will be scheduled on a first-come first-served basis, so please reach out early.
Please note that we do not offer youth group volunteer outings, but you may contact our youth education program for other opportunities.
Sponsored Groups
For groups that have the financial means to support us, your generous charitable contribution will underwrite our mission across all our programming and allow us to continue offering meaningful, impactful, and educational volunteer experiences.
We offer two tiers of curated service events. Both provide a customized service learning experience that will engage your group in hands-on activities that directly support the health of the French Broad watershed, while offering interpretation tailored to your group’s interests and relevant to the day’s activities.
River | $1,000+
The River Tier is a customizable, dynamic outing designed to empower your team on watershed issues. Topics can include a brief history of Asheville and the French Broad River, RiverLink’s founding, site-specific historical background, native and non-native plant identification, invasive plant management techniques, green infrastructure practices and more!
In addition to creating an educational and informative experience, we will also:
- Provide digital and take-home materials with relevant information on plant identification and clean water management practices, empowering participants to utilize this information at home and at work;
- Provide refreshing drinks and healthy snacks; and
- Share photos from the event on RiverLink’s social media channels and an e-newsletter mention to recognize your team’s volunteer efforts (if promotion is desired).
Please complete this form and our staff will be in touch to create a meaningful volunteer experience for your team.
Watershed | $5,000+
The Watershed Tier includes everything listed above in the River Tier, but to reward your leadership-level sponsorship, this level includes additional offerings you may choose from plus a captioned photo-essay highlighting your team’s volunteer outing in our next RiverLink monthly e-newsletter that circulates to over 6,000 passionate people.
Please choose one of the additional options below or let us know if there is an alternative activity you would prefer. Note that our additional offerings are flexible within reason, as we are committed to making your contribution and experience meaningful to your team.
Example activities include (choose one or offer your own suggestion):
- Up to 3 total volunteer days with us throughout the year, with the same level of curation;
- A catered box lunch with an event; or
- Beers/drinks after an event
Please complete this form and our staff will be in touch to create a meaningful volunteer experience for your team.
Frequently asked questions
What should Your Group bring?
We ask that each volunteer bring a reusable water bottle, weather-appropriate clothing that’s comfortable to walk and work outdoors in–including closed-toe shoes–and work gloves if you have them (if not, no worries, we will provide extras).
What if there is bad weather on our scheduled volunteer day?
Since many areas in these mountains are classified as temperate rainforest, we will always schedule a backup rain date at the time that we schedule your group event. If weather forces us to cancel, we will contact you immediately and confirm your event for the rain date.
What are the physical requirements?
We are typically outdoors for 2-3 hours. The nature of our work usually involves walking on uneven terrain and bending, stooping, and light lifting as we tackle invasive plants. However, we are sensitive to the needs of our groups and will customize the outing accordingly to ensure the activities can include all.
Will we be getting in the river or kayaking?
Typically no. If we hold a live-staking event, we may stand on a stream bank. These outings will not have people walking into the river to remove trash, etc.
Can I volunteer by myself?
Absolutely! You can find all of our individual volunteer opportunities here.