Remarkable Success: How We Supported a Fundraising Triumph for the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society

In December 2023, W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society (WLTS) assigned Remarkable Communications an important new mission: to kickstart a Holiday Giving Campaign to raise funds for the #landback movement.

(Shown above, the social media post which launched the campaign)

The goal was to raise $10,000 by December 31st through http://supportlandback.com/ to facilitate the return of unceded land to its rightful stewards. With only a week to prepare, our Remarkable team collaborated with the client to refine content, obtain approval and finally distribute a comprehensive social media campaign. As a result of our swift efforts, combined with an engaged online community, the campaign surpassed the goal within the first week, raising a staggering total of $35,527 in just under three weeks. This success highlights the impact of our skilled communication professionals in supporting vital community initiatives.

WHY #LANDBACK?

In the spirit of giving and reconciliation, the Holiday Gift Giving Campaign invited settlers to participate in returning unceded territories to W̱SÁNEĆ communities for the first time in 150 years. Donations would facilitate the return of ancestral lands on what is commonly known as the Saanich Peninsula and in the Gulf Islands, ensuring access for future generations of W̱SÁNEĆ. The WLTS #landback campaign worked to re-establish access to traditional foods, medicines, and materials by restoring the sacred relationship between W̱SÁNEĆ and the lands and waters. As a thank you for raising crucial funds, the Holiday Giving Campaign offered donors a special holiday e-card designed by a talented W̱SÁNEĆ artist, Doug Lafortune.

By donating, supporters helped WLTS achieve the following objectives:

Return unceded territory to W̱SÁNEĆ for the first time in 150 years.
Remediate polluted lands and waters, restore ecological balance, and repair environmental damage.
Restore the Sacred relationship between W̱SÁNEĆ and the land and waters, repairing broken access and indescribable cultural damage.
Ensure the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society, a registered charity, has the funds needed to continue to operate and comply with regulations, requirements, and the associated administrative burden.
Provide critical access to housing for a fast-growing population confined to inadequate and tiny reserves.
Re-establish access to traditional foods, medicines, and materials.
Ensure new generations of W̱SÁNEĆ have access to Cultural knowledge and spaces for Cultural practices.
Ensure that the land returned stays in the hands of W̱SÁNEĆ community and future generations.

(Shown above, one of the campaign’s posted videos that speaks to the importance of land restoration)

ONLY 2 WEEKS TO MEET THE GOAL

We faced a tight schedule, with just over a week to make an impact. The campaign had to take off on December 16th and reach its $10,000 goal by December 31st, so we launched a comprehensive strategy to accomplish these ambitious goals quickly.

FULL-SERVICE CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT + COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT

We quickly assigned tasks to our team, capitalizing on each member’s strengths and passions. Firstly, Founder Laurel Anne Stark created a comprehensive video for the team to clarify the project’s scope. Next, the team set out to create critical messages for the campaign to inform all communications materials. The campaign was officially named ‘W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society Holiday Gift Giving Campaign’ with the tagline ‘Give the gift of #landback this holiday season.’ Crucial details were outlined and included in all communications. All donations were tax-deductible, followers could visit supportlandback.com for more information, one-time donation options were as follows:

Advocate: $50
Champion: $100
Defender: $500
Guardian: $1000 +

LEVERAGING THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE

Our social media efforts were equally robust and involved handling all social media and web content aspects. By the end of the day, we had completed the following tasks:

Created drafts of 5 email sequences designed to encourage contributions, equipped with one banner for an email graphic.
Drafted 15 engaging social media posts and 5 compelling videos to reach audience members across multiple platforms.
Designed an e-card and website banner to increase campaign visibility on the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society (WLTS) website.
Created a dedicated web page with donation functionality to ensure a seamless donation process and prompt automated payment receipts.

(Shown above, the email banner used for the #landback campaign)

Throughout the campaign planning process, we collaborated with our client, the W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society, to refine existing materials and get approval before arriving at the campaign’s final contents. In the subsequent days, we launched the campaign on social media and sent the first email blast. Our team continuously posted on social media during the coming days to ensure broad awareness among W̱SÁNEĆ’s audience members.

(Shown above, a social media graphic used to encourage donations)

PRESS RELEASE BOOSTS CAMPAIGN VISIBILITY

After finalizing the campaign details and materials, our Project Manager, Nadine, reached out to a contact at Global News to gauge their interest in the story. The next day, Global News interviewed Don Tom, Chief of Tsartlip First Nation, who works closely with the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC). This interview significantly boosted the campaign’s visibility.

“What it means to have landback is to restore that connection that we historically had to the land,” he said. “To have our people out on the land, to have the language be spoken on the land and to be able to have that connection once again in restoring the lands as they once were.” – Chief Don Tom

Our Remarkable team also shared the landback campaign story with Victoria News, who wrote an informative article now shared on their official website’s main news page and is visible under the Saanich News section.

“Land is really important to being able to grow as a community, to grow in our economies and to be doing it in a really sustainable way,” – Joni Olsen, WSANEC Leadership Council’s policy/negotiation manager, in a news release.

“You can’t take away people’s culture, land and their resources and expect them to thrive. In fact, it’s the opposite. You’ll see a lot of poverty and social issues that go along with that alienation from their traditional lands,” – Gord Elliott, WSANEC Leadership Council co-founder and an elected Tsartlip First Nation Councillor

EXCEEDING THE GOAL

The results of our team’s swift efforts surpassed all expectations:

Within 24 hours of launching the campaign, donations had already exceeded $2,000.
By the end of the first four days, the campaign raised an impressive $8,900.
The campaign achieved its $10,000 goal within the very first week.
As of January 8th, 2024, the total funds raised were $35,527.00.

Our quick and skillful response, combined with a well-executed strategy, not only met but exceeded the campaign’s goal. This fundraising project’s success highlights the profound impact communications professionals can have on essential community initiatives.

The Remarkable team looks forward to continue supporting W̱SÁNEĆ Land Trust Society’s mission to return #landback to its rightful stewards and heal the sacred bond between the community and the land and waters.