SUPPORT

FONA MEMBERSHIP

It’s never been easier to become a FONA member. Make a donation of any amount to become a FONA member. Or donate monthly to become a Sustaining Member and support our work all year long!

In addition to supporting our mission and work, donating to FONA means access to member benefits. All FONA members receive:

  • Subscription to FONA publications, including our award-winning weekly FONA Field Notes newsletter and our member newsletter with insider updates and member-only invites
  • Invitation to member-only events, including live access to our virtual Digging In series, member-only hours at our annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale, and member meetups and appreciation events
  • Early access and member discounts for many FONA programs and events
  • 20% off educational programs at the Arboretum
  • Reciprocal discounts at 360+ gardens and arboreta across the country, through the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program (with a donation of $35 or more). See the list of participating sites
  • Eligibility to join Congressional Federal Credit Union

Questions about membership? Contact Leandra Nichola at 202-544-8733 x303 or lnichola@fona.org.

FONA member with plants at the Garden Fair & Plant Sale
flowering 5k racers run through the holly magnolia collections

Photo by Beth Haubach

David Fairchild Society members taking the tour of the National Herbarium at the Arboretum
dinner under the stars attendees posing with drinks

DAVID FAIRCHILD SOCIETY

The David Fairchild Society is a community of supporters passionate about the National Arboretum’s gardens, plant research, education, and community engagement efforts. David Fairchild spent his life exploring the world, collecting plants, and sharing them throughout America and the world. He brought us many plants and foods that are staples in American culture, such as ornamental cherry trees and Meyer lemons. Join us as we embark on a bold and innovative future!

Contribute an annual gift, or a recurring gift of at least $100 per month, to join the David Fairchild Society for a year at one of the following membership levels.

Questions about the David Fairchild Society? Contact Claire Alrich at 202-918-1868 or calrich@fona.org.

Donor list as of September 1, 2024

David Fairchild $50,000+

Anonymous
Robert and Kate Bartlett

Azalea $25,000

Betty and Alex Boyle
Lynne H. Church
Linda and John Derrick
Lucy S. Rhame

Boxwood $10,000

Anonymous (2)
The Browdie Family
Susan Chapin and Joel Cohen
Colien Hefferan and Hollis Summers
Eric Michael and Craig Kruger
John and Melissa Pflieger
Barbara and James Shea
Margaret Strand
Tuckie and Don Westfall
Ken and Dorothy Woodcock

Magnolia $5,000

Sean Babington
Dianne Bradley
Bonnie and Louis Cohen
Andrew Curry
Elizabeth M. Dugan
Karen and Dan DuVal
Liza and Andrew Labadie
Rafael V. Lopez and Linda I. Marks
Bill Matuszeski and Mary Procter
Tuuli Mooney-Schindler
Peter and Jainel Morris
Craven Rand
Nancy and Robert Shoemaker
E.J. Truax
Beth Wehrle

Crapemyrtle $2,500

Anonymous
Barry L. Abel
Harold Belcher
Constance Carter
Sally Donner and Kenneth Briers
Frank Guzzetta and Paul Manville
Lynne and Joseph Horning
Sherrill Houghton
Marcel C. LaFollette and Jeffrey K. Stine
John and Jean Lange
Anne MacMillan and Tim Bass
Kevin and Marla McIntosh
Anita Menghetti
Jacqueline E. Pechmann
Karen S. Rand
Michael G. Stevens

Holly $1,200

Anonymous
Bentley Andrews
Marion S. Ballard
Sydney and Blake Bath
Suzie and Rich Bissell
Wendy Blair
Deborah E. Bowles and Derik Burgess
Nancy and John Bryson
Zandra and Dennis Chestnut
Vincent Chiappinelli and Suzy Bakshian
Diana Clagett
Eli Cohen
Marjorie Corwin
Martha Van Dale
Gail Charnley Elliott
Leanna and Thomas Fenske
Diana and Peter Ferris
Charles and Linda Findlay
Joseph and Agatha Francis
Barbara W. Gould
Chandler Goule
Bean Granger
C. A. Greene
Robin and Jay Hammer
Lindsay Shea Hardesty
Jennifer and Christopher Hatcher
Sandy Hecker
Betsy and Bob Huffman
James Hughes
William Inglee and Jane Madden
Missy Janes
Sheldon and Audrey Katz
Virginia Kromm and Joe Shultz
Annetta H. Kushner
Jennifer Levin
Melanie Lovern
John C. MacMillan, Jr. and Emily Stopa
Sara Mills Mazie
Sophia McCrocklin and William Isaacson
David and Rose Mollitor
Penny Morrill
Mary Eugenia and Theodore Myer
Shirley and Frank Nicolai
Maureen Orth
Heather Paradise
Pamela Raymont-Simpson and Charles Simpson Jr.
Catherine Robbins
Liz Shriver
Louis and Nancy Slade
Lisa and Chris Smith
Kim and John Snedden
Luise Strauss
Edward Szrom and John Geiger
Allison Taylor and Ryan Mukherjee
Robert and Ann Thompson
Nzinga Tull
Jamie and Jay Vroom
John and Val Wheeler
Linda A. Winslow
Patricia Woolsey and Luke Waren
Helena Zinkham

COMMEMORATIVE BENCHES

Honor loved ones or special occasions by donating a teak bench at the National Arboretum.  Each commemorative bench will have a plaque engraved with your message and will remain for 15 years.

Past benches have been placed all over the Arboretum. Many are nestled in quiet nooks along streams, stand sentinel in the meadow with the Capitol Columns, and watch flowers bloom all across the Arboretum.

This memorial not only provides a beautiful spot for respite and relaxation for visitors to the National Arboretum, but also supports the Arboretum’s public gardens and scientific work. Your donation of a commemorative bench is tax deductible.

commemorative bench nestled behind the gazebo in the asian collections

COMMEMORATIVE BENCHES

visitors eating a picnic in front of the capitol columns
Dinner Under the Stars attendees in the ellipse meadow

PLANNED GIVING

Make your legacy part of the future of the U.S. National Arboretum! Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show your support and appreciation for Friends of the National Arboretum and its mission while accommodating your own personal, financial, estate-planning, and philanthropic goals. 

While we encourage you to check with your financial advisor, there are multiple ways to make a legacy gift, including making FONA a beneficiary of a retirement account, life insurance policy, will, or living trust.

FreeWill

To help you get started on your plans and legacy, FONA has partnered with FreeWill, an online tool that guides you through the process of creating a legally valid will or trust. It’s easy to use, accessible online and can be completed in 20 minutes. You can use this resource on its own, or use it to document your wishes before finalizing your plans with an attorney. FreeWill is a free tool for you to use, regardless of whether you include FONA in your will or not. 

Heritage Society

When you include FONA as a beneficiary of your will, you become a member of FONA’s Heritage Society, a group of like-minded individuals invested in the future of the Arboretum. Heritage Society members are recognized for their forward-thinking generosity and included in a number of special events throughout the year. 

Have you already included a gift in your will or trust? Please fill out this form to let us know! We would love to thank you for your generosity and include you in our Heritage Society. Contact us at info@fona.org with questions.

Supporter list as of December 31, 2023.

With appreciation to those who have made a provision in their estate planning for FONA:

Anonymous (12)
Harold Belcher
Daragh Cassidy
Regina Chua
Lynne H. Church
Ann Fessenden Clymer†
John F. Cooney
Robert C. Daniels, Jr. & Richard R. Beman, Jr.
Frances Duttkin†
Edith N. K. Meyer†
Judith A. Hecht
Mandy Hursen
Dorothy Kidder†
Herman W. Koch & Rosalie Martin Koch†
Frederick G. Meyer†
Susan H. Robeson†
Michael G. Stevens

Deceased

JOBS & VOLUNTEERING

Volunteers provide crucial support throughout the year to FONA’s events and programs. We have many different opportunities, from gardening in Washington Youth Garden, to helping with our annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale, to supporting other public community events.

usna staff and springhouse run volunteer clearing invasive plants
xavier harvests asparagus from the washington youth garden
volunteers at the garden fair and plant sale

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