USA: OTA celebrates a successful annual fund campaign

The Organic Trade Association’s 2010 Annual Fund campaign surpassed its 600,000 US$ goal by raising 624,220 US$ to help fund OTA’s government relations, consumer education, and media outreach work in the United States and Canada. “It is an exciting time for our industry. OTA now has a new office in D.C. that allows us to capitalize on the tremendous opportunities to advance organic at the policy level, and the new Canadian organic standards provide a platform to grow the organic market even further in Canada. Meanwhile, the new ‘Organic. It’s Worth It.’ website is helping to increase consumer understanding of the benefits of organic products. It is truly gratifying to have OTA member companies contribute above and beyond their annual dues to make these important initiatives possible,” said Julia Sabin (Smucker Natural Foods, Inc.), co-chair of the OTA 2010 Annual Fund Host Committee and OTA Board President.
 

Co-chair Jeff Rakity (Elan and Natural Flavors) agreed. “As OTA marks its 25th anniversary, it is clear that its roles of advocating for organic agriculture on the governmental level and educating consumers about organic products are increasingly important. OTA exceeded its overall campaign goal at a time when the economy is just beginning to recover. I think this shows how relevant and important OTA’s work is, both in the USA and Canada.”In the 2010 campaign, 183 companies pledged funds to support OTA’s work. Of the total pledged, slightly more than 40,850 US$ was raised specifically for OTA in Canada efforts. OTA’s Leadership Circle and other top donors will be recognized at OTA’s Annual Dinner on October 15, 2010, in Boston during the All Things Organic co-located with the Natural Products Expo East. A list of all OTA 2010 Annual Fund investors is available here
 

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