What would you do if you had an additional $10,000 to inject into your work? Invest in some new equipment? Get a new project off the ground?
We are asking ourselves that very question here at IISD Experimental Lakes Area, as that may soon be a reality for us!
That is because we’re participating in the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, a month-long fundraising contest beginning June 1 that gives Canadian charities the chance to win $10,000. We will be given one entry ballot for every dollar we receive in donations during June via CanadaHelps.org or GivingChallenge.ca. On July 1, one randomly winning ballot will be selected, winning $10,000.
We would love to be that winning charity, so we will need all of your support to help us get there. That can mean donating to us, sharing our posts on Twitter, or telling everyone you know about this exciting challenge.
Up until four years ago, IISD-ELA (or the Experimental Lakes Area as we were known back then) was fully funded and operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Now with a new operator, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and as a registered charity, we are looking to diversify our revenue sources.
The funding we receive from the Government of Canada, and the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, as well as all of the financial support we receive, is absolutely critical for the work we do, and we are extremely grateful for it.
But threats to our fresh water are continually growing and emerging. We, therefore, need to expand and grow new initiatives, in order to keep our research at the very forefront of fresh water science, and to keep educating and training those limnologists of the future. And to keep advancing our work, we look to grow our funding pool.
The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is therefore an exciting opportunity for us, to get the word out there about all the exciting new initiatives we are working on, and invite a new generation of donors to learn about us, and to help us to keep expanding and innovating.
Sonya Havens, Research Chemist said that she would update equipment in the Chem Lab with an additional $10,000. Mike Paterson would hire a student to help learn how to protect fish populations and our fish crew could definitely use a new boat and motor.
And let’s not forget that you can certainly support our work around the year, in so many ways.
For example, you could become a monthly donor, or you could make an annual gift to our research operations and programing. You can sponsor a program or support our capital and equipment needs with a donation or gift-in-kind and by leaving a legacy gift and naming IISD-ELA as a beneficiary in your will.
Next year will mark IISD Experimental Lakes Area’s 50th anniversary and we are looking to celebrate this incredible milestone with our donors.
If you are interested in finding out more about how you can contribute to the future of IISD-ELA, we would love to hear from you.
