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Toolkit

FUNDRAISING RESOURCES

Toolkit

Use this helpful toolkit to enhance your fundraising efforts in support of safe, clean water in all Indigenous communities.

About Water First

Thank you for choosing to fundraise for Water First! We’re excited that you have decided to support our work addressing water challenges in Indigenous communities in Canada. We hope that the resources below will help make your fundraiser a success.

Sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities continues to be a critical issue in Canada. The challenges are complex and layered – and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Communities may face issues relating to infrastructure, source water quality or having enough people to manage water systems – or more than one of these issues at a time. Many Indigenous communities in Canada have identified the need for certified personnel to operate and maintain their drinking water treatment systems.

Water First partners with Indigenous communities that have identified education and training as part of the solution to the water crisis. Our programs support participants in developing technical skills to go on to employment or further education in water science fields. Participants build confidence in themselves and a passion for making positive change in their communities. Our programs also support Indigenous communities in strengthening capacity to manage and protect water resources for generations to come. Safe water needs skilled people.

Water First focuses its work in 3 program areas and has worked with over 70 Indigenous communities since 2009. Learn more about each of them here:

Many Indigenous communities in Canada have identified the need for more young, qualified, and local personnel to support solving water issues, independently and for the long term. However, there is a lack of locally available opportunities for young adults to gain the relevant skills and experiences.

Through a 15-month, paid internship, the Drinking Water Internship Program directly addresses this by supporting young Indigenous adults to become certified water treatment plant operators. This approach ensures sustainable access to safe drinking water in Indigenous communities for the long term.

Learn more about the Drinking Water Internship Program here.

While working with many Indigenous communities, we have heard time and again their vision of Indigenous-led land management. Communities want to manage water resources and track the effects of industry and climate change. As a result, they are seeking ways to strengthen their technical capacity to do so.

Water First consults with Indigenous partners about long-term environmental water goals. Based on local training needs, we design a custom training program related to fish habitat restoration, water quality monitoring, mapping, and data management.

Learn more about the Environmental Water Program here.

It’s important to get school-aged children interested in and excited about water science, so more Indigenous voices can be part of water management into the future. That’s why we offer Indigenous students the most impassioned, empowering and exciting water science learning opportunities possible.

Water First delivers fun, engaging, and hands-on STEM-based water science programs to schools in Indigenous communities. These programs create opportunities for students to strengthen their understanding and relationship with the environment, and foster a love of water science. During the programs, students spend time on the land and in the classroom exploring topics using water science tools and Water First learning resources.

Learn more about the Indigenous Schools Water Program here.

Resources to learn more

Interested in learning more about Indigenous culture and history before you begin fundraising? We’ve compiled a list of resources to help develop a greater understanding of the water challenges facing many Indigenous communities in Canada and to provide more context for the work that we do.

Check out our resources document here!

Where to direct your support

FY 2021-2022 Expenditures

When planning your fundraiser, you can direct your support to one of our core programs (See above) or choose to give to where the need is greatest (we like that option the best). Giving to where the need is greatest will allow us to plan for the future and will help us to pivot our programming to match the unpredictable nature of the pandemic – whether that means going virtual to administer our programs or sending materials to communities from miles away.

Take a look at the graph to the left to see how your support is distributed throughout the organization!

How to set up your fundraiser

Are you hosting a fundraiser as a business or group? We recommend using CanadaHelps, a trusted, user-friendly platform that allows you to reach out across the globe to connect with others interested in helping address clean water solutions in Indigenous communities.

Water First manages online fundraising pages for businesses and groups through CanadaHelps, an online charity organization that facilitates the payment process and keeps your information confidential.

Ready to start fundraising? Connect to the CanadaHelps Guide below.

Are you fundraising as an individual? Let’s get started with Water First’s Online Fundraising Portal.

Organizing a fundraiser using Water First’s portal is a quick and easy way to set up and share a fundraising page that supports the work we do. Let your passion and personality shine by adding photos, videos and stories to share your own personalized fundraising page. Easily share your page with friends and family and track your progress.

Ready to start fundraising? Download the Online Fundraising Portal Guide below.

Captions for Social Media, Newsletters and More

Promoting your fundraising efforts on social media and through newsletters is a great way to spread the word about your campaign. Below you can find sample captions that you may use on social media, such as an Instagram post or Tweet. You may copy and paste these captions directly, though we would love for you to make your content your own by adding something personal!

We encourage you to include links in your captions, in order to direct your supporters to our donation page, or feel free to sign up for a personal fundraising page through CanadaHelps to track your own fundraising progress.

Don’t forget to tag Water First with our handles below so we can see and share your message!

In numerous Indigenous communities across Canada, tap water is not safe to drink. The water challenges faced by many Indigenous communities in Canada are complex. In some communities, the concern may be around infrastructure, for others source water concerns. And some communities have challenges with capacity and training.

Infrastructure alone cannot solve the water crisis; the people who run the systems are critical. Many Indigenous communities in Canada have identified the need for more young, qualified, and local personnel to support solving water issues, independently and for the long term. However, there is a lack of locally available opportunities for young adults to gain the relevant skills and experiences.

Water First is Canada’s leading charitable organization dedicated to working with Indigenous communities to address local water challenges through education, training, and meaningful collaboration. Help support this important cause by clicking this link to contribute: [insert link]

Water First is Canada’s leading charitable organization addressing water challenges in Indigenous communities through skills training and education. Their Drinking Water Internship Program is a 15-month paid internship, partnering with and training young Indigenous adults for a career in water science. Join me in supporting Water First’s mission to address drinking water challenges in Indigenous communities by donating at this link: [insert link]

Water First partners with young Indigenous adults in learning skills that help their communities to best manage their water resources. Their environmental programs facilitate restoration projects to rehabilitate waterways and baseline water quality and contaminant studies, encouraging local land stewardship. Click this link to learn more and support this important work: [insert link]

Water First runs an education program for Indigenous youth that facilitates hands-on learning through water science workshops, getting youth out on the land to complete environmental restoration projects of local significance. I support this important work, and I hope you do, too. Learn more and donate with me at this link: [insert link]

In numerous Indigenous communities across Canada, tap water is not safe to drink.

Many communities have identified the need for certified personnel to operate and maintain their drinking water treatment systems. Water First is Canada’s leading charitable organization dedicated to working together with Indigenous communities to build capacity locally – collaborating to resolve both drinking water and environmental water concerns. Since 2009, Water First has partnered with 60 Indigenous communities in Canada on a variety of water education and training projects.

Through education, training, and meaningful collaboration, Water First is supporting sustainable water systems to last generations. Join me in supporting Water First’s mission to address drinking water challenges in Indigenous communities by donating at this link: [insert link]

The water crisis in Indigenous communities is unacceptable. Water First works with Indigenous communities to resolve local water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration. Help support this important cause by clicking this link: [insert link]

How to Talk About Water First

We appreciate that you’re interested in spreading awareness about our work. We want to make sure you are confident in your ability to speak about our work. Feel free to check out this language guide below for helpful tips and, always, we encourage you to tell your supporters to check out our website if they have any questions. 😊

Social Media Handles

Don’t forget to tag us in your social media posts! Below are the platforms we use and our handles.

Instagram

@waterfirstngo

Facebook

@waterfirstngo

Twitter

@waterfirstngo

TikTok

@waterfirstngo

LinkedIn

Water First NGO

YouTube

Water First Education & Training Inc.

Photos

Photos can help enhance your fundraiser by providing visual elements that help your audience understand the cause that you are fundraising for. The images below, which have been separated into our three main programs, are free to use to explain Water First and our work, and to help create a visually captivating look to your fundraiser.  The photos that have been selected best highlight Water First and our work with Indigenous communities.

To download a photo:

  1. Click on the program you’re interested in fundraising for. This will open up a Google Drive folder in a new window.
  2. Double click on the image you would like to download.
  3. On a Desktop, click the Download button in the top right corner of your screen. On a mobile device, click on the three dots in the top right corner of your screen. Click Send a copy, then click Save Image.

Drinking Water Internship Program

Environmental Water Program

Indigenous Schools Water Program

Logos

Want to add the Water First logo to your website or social media? Well, here you go!

Click on the type of file you would like to download below. You can then choose whether you would like a blue or white logo. Once you click on the logo of your choice, it will open in a new tab. You can then right-click the image and download it.

How to use our logo:

  • Please only use the logos provided here.
  • Do not manipulate the logo in any way — Colour and image proportion must not be altered:
    • Do not change the shade of blue.
    • Do not make the logo wider or narrower.
    • Do not crop the logo.
  • Please include adequate clear space free from all other visual elements, including text, on all sides of the logo.*
    • *If placing the logo on an image, please use an appropriate version of the logo to ensure visibility (i.e. if the background is light, use the blue logo. If the background is dark, use the white logo).

Newsletter Inserts

Streaming Materials

Donors fundraising for us come from a variety of spaces and through different avenues. We welcome and appreciate this at Water First, because it means that support can come in ways in which our supporters are most inspired. Some of our supporters are now fundraising for us by streaming on Twitch!

If you are interested in using your streaming presence to fundraise through Tiltify, a crowdfunding platform that allows streamers to fundraise for a charity of their choice, we’ve created Water First banners and transitions to help personalize your support for our work.

Printable Materials

Feel free to use these printable materials to help make tracking your donations easier, and to showcase your progress to your supporters.

Contact Us

Have we missed anything? Is there anything else you might need that could help make your fundraiser even better? Let us know! We’re always excited to hear your new ideas.

If you need any support or guidance, or just want to chat about your awesome fundraising ideas, feel free to contact us! 

mason.prout@waterfirst.ngo
 1 (807) 627-8919