What is The Inverness Garden Club of West Marin?

The Inverness Garden Club of West Marin (invernessgardens.org) is a nonprofit garden club founded in 1934 by 19 women with a shared interest in gardening. Based on the Point Reyes peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, it now has over 100 members from West Marin, the Bay Area, and beyond. Its website serves as the club's home base for learning about the organization, joining or renewing membership, and following its community and educational work.

What the club is

The club describes itself through three themes: Friendship, Community, & Gardening. It was founded in 1934 by 19 women, and today draws more than 100 members from West Marin, the wider Bay Area, and further afield.

It is a non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. According to the site, this status assures donors that gifts and dues are fully tax-deductible.

What it does

The club states that, "together in friendship," its members work to:

• Stimulate the knowledge and appreciation of gardening
• Promote the beautification of the local community
• Protect and preserve native plants and habitats
• Support and strengthen West Marin communities through collaborative projects with businesses, schools, and nonprofits

The site frames this work as "Cultivating Community & Fostering Life-Long Learning."

What you'll find on the website

The homepage functions mainly as an introduction to the organization and an entry point for involvement. Its primary calls to action are Join or Renew, pointing members and prospective members to membership sign-up or renewal.

One thing to note: the West Marin Scholarship Program (formerly the Inverness Garden Club Scholarship Fund) now operates as a separate organization with its own website, so scholarship information is no longer handled through this site.

Who it's for

The site is aimed at:

• Prospective members — gardeners in West Marin, the Bay Area, or beyond who want to join a long-established club
• Current members — those needing to renew their membership
• Donors — people interested in supporting a 501(c)(3) organization focused on gardening, community beautification, and native plant protection
• Local partners — businesses, schools, and nonprofits in West Marin interested in collaborative projects

If you're looking for the scholarship program specifically, you'll need to follow the separate organization's site rather than this one.