Campaign for Hostelling

Thank you

Thank you to the more than 3,000 donors who joined our three-year Campaign for Hostelling. With your generous support, $3.2 million dollars was raised, exceeding our goal. These donations are already at work, helping us to improve the hostel network and to enhance hostel programs. Endowment Fund gifts will provide support for current needs for years to come. We are grateful to each and every contributor!

While the Campaign for Hostelling officially ended on December 31, 2011, we must continue our efforts to support the hostels and programs of HI-USA. Your ongoing support is needed.

Our greatest source of energy and commitment comes from those who have stayed in the hostels and know the importance of maintaining and strengthening the hostels. Just as the hostels are there for you when you need them, we hope you will be there for the hostels now, when our potential is so exciting.

If you can give $25, $50, $100, even $500, we’ll be grateful to have your support.  (And if your abilities are even greater than that, please consider us for an investment-level contribution!)  Please make your contribution in support of the Campaign for Hostelling.

Help ensure our future success. Leave a legacy of hostelling with a planned gift to Hostelling International USA.

If you have questions about the Campaign for Hostelling or need assistance with making a donation,
please contact Eva Dillon at 888-449-8727 or giving@hiusa.org. A copy of our complete 2011 Annual Report is available in PDF format.

Improve the hostel network

As times change, HI-USA changes with them. In these uncertain financial times, the opportunity to stay at a hostel keeps travel accessible for young travelers and those of limited means.

Funds are needed specifically to improve and expand our hostel network. Your generous support will help to fund these key projects:

A Better Hostel in Boston
The current hostel in Boston is outdated and far too small to meet the demand. We are building a new hostel in a historic building in downtown Boston. The new 468-bed facility (over double the current size) incorporates responsible state-of-the-art green technologies and conservation practices, and will be the first LEED certified hostel in the United States. The sale of the old property and other financing will cover most of the cost – but a $2.5 million funding gap remains. Learn more.

A New Hostel in Richmond
The historic Otis Elevator Building has been purchased by the Potomac Area Council of Hostelling International USA, and will soon become a 50 bed hostel in Richmond, Virginia. Well located downtown, the new hostel will be close to recreational trails, the state capitol, and historic sites. Contributions are needed to support the extensive renovations required to convert this office building to a first-class hostel in Virginia’s capital city. Learn more.

A Hostel and Environmental Center on the California Coast
Located amid the wind-swept dunes of Monterey Bay, the former Fort Ord Army Base is being converted to non-military public use. The HI - Monterey Bay Eco-hostel will welcome visitors to the newly developed state park and university also located there. Under lease through a public-private partnership, the hostel will be developed in phases, as the funds are raised, for renovation of the historic buildings. Learn more.

Improvement Funds
Many hostels run lean – rarely charging more than the actual cost of providing lodging for guests. So when repairs or improvements to a hostel are needed, the money can be hard to come by. Our goal is to establish a fund that smaller and mid-sized hostels can rely on to ensure their facilities remain in good repair.

Enhance hostel programs

Hostels are more than lodgings at a great price. Every day, HI-USA and its councils deliver a range of programs under the umbrella title of Opening Doors, Opening Minds. These popular programs provide unmatched opportunities to experience a community or a culture. Guests are delighted to delve into something new, and the programs enhance the mission of fostering greater understanding.

That's why we’re raising money to ensure the reliable continuation of Opening Doors, Opening Minds and its important, popular programs – including:

Cultural Kitchen – Some hostels offer a unique collaborative program that teaches kids about different cultures.  Cultural Kitchen includes creating a meal authentic to the land they’ve been studying, which is shared with hostel visitors as a friendly connection with another culture.

World Travel 101 – Councils and hostels across the United States offer seminars that focus on safe, responsible, culturally sensitive travel.  Our goal is to create world citizens with an understanding of the close economic, environmental, and social relationships between people across the globe.

IOU Respect – We’ve joined with hostels in Egypt, France, Germany, Morocco, and Tunisia to bring young adults together in structured learning experiences to educate each other about their homelands and cultures through dialogue and shared experiences. We think respect and strong personal relationships are the foundations for lasting peace.

Provide future support for current needs

From staff salaries to utilities bills, the annual budgets of the hostels (and of HI-USA itself) are carefully managed to ensure we get the maximum benefit from every dollar.  Our commitment to efficiency and affordability is the bedrock principle of everything we do.

But rising costs and a tight economy take their toll, and it is clear that HI-USA must raise funds to be used for basic operational needs in order to maintain our commitment to quality and accessibility.  Much of these needs can most efficiently be met through the strengthening of the HI-USA endowment, the proceeds of which are used for future organizational needs – new hostels in important locations, outreach programs for young people, leadership training for volunteers, and more.

In addition, HI-USA provides ongoing annual support for its local councils, to ensure that they can continue to maintain the on-the-ground spirit of hostelling in communities nationwide.

Learn more about how to support the HI-USA endowment fund through a planned gift.

Chapter Partners

We gratefully acknowledge the partnership of local HI-USA councils and clubs that participate in of the Campaign for Hostelling. As the faces of hostelling across the nation, our local volunteers and staff maintain our spirit of welcome, inclusion and exploration. Find out more about local giving and volunteer opportunities by contacting the participating council in your area: