A short history of fantastic peer to peer fundraising campaigns
Our supporters have gone to great and creative lengths to help us meet our conservation goals.
As an organization working to end commercial trophy hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest, we rely on our supporters. We’re inspired, and grateful, for those who take donations to the next level by creating their own supporting campaigns.
Already, people have been working with us towards securing the Kitlope Tenure. As we continue towards our new goal, we’ve created an opportunity for peer to peer fundraising, and we’ve been reflecting on some of the many amazing efforts involved in our success with the Nadeea Tenure.
Gio Corlazzoli, for example, decided to support our campaign to secure the Nadeea tenure by running from Port Hardy to Victoria. That’s 500 kilometres of mostly up and down. His daily distance ranged from 32 to 52 kilometres. And on top of everything, he did his run in November. November!
Many photographers and artists have donated works for auction, and prints for sale including Cristina Mittermeier, Eric Sambol, and Bertie Gregory. Last year, with the support of Karen Cooper and Karen’s art gallery, we held a number of curated art shows, One Shot for Coastal Carnivores. This art collection and fundraiser culminated in an exhibit at the Robert Bateman Centre with a panel of scientists who gave their time and expertise to tell us stories and answer questions about their work.
Ilona Mihalik rode a 122km GranFondo on behalf of Raincoast’s Applied Conservation Science (ACS) lab. Baylee Woodley started a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, and stepped out of her comfort zone, by fundraising around her passion for trail running. She enrolled in the XTERRA trail run, and wrote about her experience running for the coastal carnivores:
“I think ‘energy’ is so crucial to my love of running in nature. Every living thing is on the earth just giving it their best go – we follow our instincts and hope for the best. There is so much energy to be had in valuing and realizing the connections between ourselves and the other animals living on this planet with us. It is a dangerous part of our society’s value system that continues to minimize this connection and inflict this unsustainable world view on the natural world.”
Everyone who bought a Denman Island Chocolate “Grizzly Bar” took action towards safeguarding the coastal carnivores. Thank you so much to all of you, and big thanks to Daniel Terry, founder of Denman Island Chocolate, for starting and supporting this chocolate-oriented campaign.
Some tour companies got involved, including Bluewater Adventures, Maple Leaf Adventures, and Ocean Light II Adventures created P2P online donation accounts and raised money in their networks.
Some folks were even thinking about our conservation mission on their wedding day! Erin and Andrew requested donations for Raincoast instead of wedding presents. Laylí and Niño used the Denman Island Chocolate “Grizzly Bars” as centerpieces on their special day.
Luke Wallace spent two evenings performing in Sidney and Tofino in support of Raincoast. Each song he performed, all of which are on his album Us, highlighted a community of people committed to protecting their homes.
Lush Cosmetics were massive supporters of our fundraising efforts, and our parallel efforts to raise awareness. They made a documentary film, Trophy, and allies of the coastal carnivores flooded to the Vic Theatre to contribute and learn.
Artists from around the world have helped out, including this incredible artist, Angela Gnyp, from New Zealand, and Alena Ebeling-Schuld who made these beautiful art pins.
Faye Timbrell graciously dedicated her 13th birthday to fundraising because she loves coastal wolves.
In September 2018 Suze Cumming, founder of The Nature of Real Estate, sailed with Realtors from Bella Bella through BC’s Coastal Waters to raise money to protect the Great Bear Rainforest.
We are deeply thankful for the individuals and organizations who have given their time, thoughtfulness, creative energy, and money to our Safeguarding Coastal Carnivores campaign.
To join our efforts, and the efforts of these incredible folks, create your own peer to peer fundraising page or make a donation.
You can help
Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
