More than a dozen Arundel County environmental groups are teaming up to promote a “greener good” as they hold a joint fundraising campaign next week.

The 8th annual GreenGive 2024 online fundraising campaign has a goal of raising $200,000 to increase the community’s engagement with local environmental groups as well as protect and preserve natural resources in the county, according to a news release.

“Over the years, the GreenGive has grown to become a critical resource for accomplishing our missions. It’s an important fundraising event for all of the partner organizations, but I also love that it increases collaboration and strengthens the connections among our small environmental nonprofit community,” said Erin Valentine, the development and communications officer for the Scenic Rivers Land Trust and the current GreenGive chair.

During the two-day event, which starts Tuesday, people can donate to individual organizations that focus on specific causes. Partners include Annapolis Green, Arundel Rivers Federation, Crownsville Conservancy, Friends of Jug Bay, Good Neighbors Group, Maryland Reentry Resource Center, Scenic Rivers Land Trust, Severn River Association, Spa Creek Conservancy, St. Luke’s Restoration of Nature, Unity Gardens, Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy and Wild Kid Acres.

“Whether your interest as a donor is water quality, environmental restoration, sustainable agriculture, creating a green workforce or preserving land, we got you covered with 13 different nonprofits who have that mission,” said Matt Johnston, executive director of the Arundel Rivers Federation

The Arundel Rivers Federation focuses on restoration of the South, West and Rhode rivers. The organization will use the financial support to build staff to deliver programs that will protect and restore those rivers, such as an education and outreach program that will give students a chance to learn about their environment, Johnston said.

“[The fundraiser] gives our supporters one day on the calendar that they can be sure that their donations will go to the greater good for the hyperlocal environmental issues that they care about here,” Johnston said.

The idea for GreenGive stemmed from the Great Give, a 24-hour online fundraising event for community foundations across the country that the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy and other county organizations previously participated in, said Suzanne Etgen, executive director of the Watershed Stewards Academy.

After the Great Give was discontinued, the groups partnered with other environmental organizations to do their own version, the GreenGive, Etgen said.

“We decided that we wanted a ‘green give’ to support local environmental organizations that really have to be focused locally in Anne Arundel County and on environmental causes, and all the money that [was] raised should be used right back in the community,” Etgen said.

The county has 530 miles of shoreline, parks and natural resources. However, there are a lot of environmental concerns. A major issue is the need to avoid swimming after it rains, Etgen said.

“Every time after it rains, you’re not supposed to go in the water because of bacteria, pollution, essentially caused by runoff, which is a huge problem right now,” Etgen said. “And we’re getting out of school, and our kids want to go swim, and a lot of the organizations are working locally to help solve that problem and make so many beaches cleaner for kids.”

The Watershed Stewards Academy will use some of the funds to train community leaders to support environmental restoration in their own communities, according to Etgen.

“We work with residential communities and congregations and schools and libraries and other community organizations, and we’re helping those communities to solve environmental problems. So our volunteers will lead everything from tree plantings to stream restoration projects,” Etgen said.

Many organizations agree the GreenGive is a good way to raise awareness for environmental issues and for environmental groups to come together.

“We’re all cheering for one another. Which you need when you’re tackling vital issues like clean water, forest loss, sustainable agriculture, land conservation, renewable energy, environmental education, workforce development — you name it, GreenGive partners are working on it,” Valentine said.

A GreenGive vendor tent will be located in People’s Park on Calvert Street on June 2 at the First Sunday Arts Festival in Downtown Annapolis for those who want to learn more.