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Britt Beedenbender

Financing Change Director

Having worked for small local as well as large international organizations Britt has over 25 years of non-profit development experience. With 10 of those years focused on environmental conservation she is thrilled to be back to work saving the planet.  Britt loves to nurture relationships with individual donors and funders, build passionate teams and scale up efforts to meet the crisis at hand.

More About Me

I grew up in the northeastern US surrounded by woods and spent my free time either exploring the forest or at the horse barn down the road. After college, I went on to pursue my PhD in American art, which was informed by a young nation’s close connection to the land and its vast and bountiful offerings.  After more than a decade of working in museums, and with scientists already sounding the alarms on climate change, I needed to change course.  I embarked on a ten-year career at the International Fund for Animal Welfare where we built both a donor-centered mid-level and a major gifts program that focused on landscape conservation, mitigating threats to whales, elephants and other species, and working with communities to developed conservation based economies.  Just prior to joining Canopy, I worked for a Community Development Corporation that worked to address social inequities in housing and jobs at the local level.

Why Are Forests Important to Me?

In the course of traveling to places like Thailand, India, Kenya, Mexico and the Pacific Northwest, I have witnessed the rich biodiversity that is possible, and at the same time have seen the devastation from human activity – whether it be clear-cutting, strip mining, or the fires and floods that are a direct result of climate change. What is happening to our forests and what we can do to protect them is of paramount importance to me.  The forests are the lungs of the planet – they are home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and they are where I go to find peace of mind and energize my soul.

Why Canopy?

Canopy does not offer band-aids, or incremental solutions. Canopy is a disrupter and is meeting the challenge of the climate crisis at the scale which is required. Because deforestation and climate change disproportionately affect indigenous and poorer communities, Canopy’s work addresses this significant social justice issue. I am so honored to be able to support my colleagues who are the boots on the ground and getting the work done!

Ask Me About

How you can support the work of Canopy. I would love to hear about why you give, what is important to you, and what types of impact you hope to achieve through your support. Wouldn’t it be incredible to say in 2030 that you helped save over 50% of the world’s remaining forests, protected thousands of species of animals and ultimately mitigated climate change?

What Ruffles My Feathers

Injustice anywhere in any form; bullies and people who are aware yet choose to do nothing with that awareness.