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Recreation · Hiking

American Hiking Society

“Promote and protect foot trails, their surrounding natural areas, and the hiking experience.”

Home groundSilver Spring, MD
Founded1976
Tax status501(c)(3)
Led byHeather Klein Olson

Give to them ↗Every way to help ↓

The work

What they do

Advocacy, volunteer trail maintenance, and education for hiking trails on public lands. Organizes National Trails Day and volunteer vacations.

Every year they sign one sentence and file it with the federal government: “To empower all to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience.” as filed.

Where the money went, FY2024

The work, and what it cost

Advocacy campaigns and education through the blog

$323K, 37% of spending

Paperless trail newsletter, and social media help educate the hiking public on the issues that matter most to them and connect them to their members of Congress to make their voices heard on critical issues, and also…

Including $4,500 granted onward.

Read it as they filed it
ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS AND EDUCATION THROUGH THE BLOG, PAPERLESS TRAIL NEWSLETTER, AND SOCIAL MEDIA HELP EDUCATE THE HIKING PUBLIC ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER MOST TO THEM AND CONNECT THEM TO THEIR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD ON CRITICAL ISSUES, AND ALSO PROVIDE EDUCATION ON THE LATEST HIKING NEWS, HIKER SAFETY, AND OTHER TOPICS. NEXTGEN TRAIL LEADERS SUPPORTS AND PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EMERGING LEADERS IN CONSERVATION AND EQUITY IN THE OUTDOORS, WHO IN TURN BECOME ACTIVIST AMBASSADORS.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Volunteer vacations fosters public land stewardship

$276K, 31% of spending

Volunteer vacations fosters public land stewardship nationwide through volunteers who donate their time, money, and energy to build and maintain trails.

Read it as they filed it
VOLUNTEER VACATIONS FOSTERS PUBLIC LAND STEWARDSHIP NATIONWIDE THROUGH VOLUNTEERS WHO DONATE THEIR TIME, MONEY, AND ENERGY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN TRAILS. ALTERNATIVE BREAKS INTRODUCE COLLEGE-AGED INDIVIDUALS NATIONWIDE TO TRAIL STEWARDSHIP, AND THE ALTERNATIVE BREAK SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDES OUTDOOR LEADERSHIP AND STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO SCHOOLS WHOSE STUDENT BODY MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY'S NATIONAL TRAILS DAY SERVES AS A DAY TO RAISE AWARENESS AROUND AND CONDUCT TRAIL SERVICE AND ADVOCACY THROUGH ON-THE-GROUND EVENTS NATIONWIDE AND SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Member services are designed to connect members to our

$12K, 1% of spending

Member services are designed to connect members to our advocacy campaigns, educational materials, and our mission of empowering all to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience.

Read it as they filed it
MEMBER SERVICES ARE DESIGNED TO CONNECT MEMBERS TO OUR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS, EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, AND OUR MISSION OF EMPOWERING ALL TO ENJOY, SHARE, AND PRESERVE THE HIKING EXPERIENCE.

IRS Form 990 Part III, fiscal year 2024, signed under penalty of perjury.

Follow the dollar

69 cents of every dollar goes to the work

69¢
69¢ the work15¢ keeping the lights on16¢ raising the next dollar

Read it as a snapshot, not a scorecard. Splits move year to year with grants and campaigns, and healthy shops live all across this range.

$610,785 programs, $133,907 management, $139,449 fundraising. Form 990, FY2024.

The people

Who does the work

15paid staff
7,686volunteers last year
16board members
Heather Klein OlsonExecutive DirectorComp $129,199, FY2024
Saveria TildenBoard ChairVolunteer, 1 hrs a week, $0

Chairs the 16-member board.

Honesty note: leadership comes from each year’s federal filing, so it can run a year behind. If it’s out of date, tell us. Work at the American Hiking Society? Claim this page.

Those 7,686 volunteers are people who decided this ground was theirs to defend. If the American Hiking Society is fighting for your place too, the matchmaker will find your way in.

Find your way in

The filings

14 years of filings

Total revenue by fiscal year, as filed. Point at or tap the line for any year.

$1M$896K FY2420112024
Total revenue by fiscal year
YearRevenue
2011$995,925
2012$1,114,345
2013$1,036,281
2014$850,769
2015$1,030,986
2016$1,169,041
2017$1,405,114
2018$1,161,984
2019$1,232,601
2020$1,080,467
2021$760,961
2022$915,509
2023$1,053,088
2024$896,412

From $996K in 2011 to $896K in FY24, with no missed filing in 14 years.

Stand with the American Hiking Society

The mission is theirs. The backing is yours.

Sources and methodFinancials, headcounts, and program text: IRS Form 990, FY2024 and 13 prior filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, EIN 51-0211993. Leadership and compensation: Form 990 Part VII and the return’s signature block, FY2024 filing. Org-reported figures are always labeled. Data verified as of 2026-09-23. Nothing on this page is pay-to-play.