PINTALES. Ducks Launches New Volunteer Microsite. Your volunteer microsite. This Issue. It s your one-stop shop for everything Ducks!

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1 This publication is distributed free of charge to all volunteer chapter members, staff and directors in Alberta. Issue 1 Year 2009 March Ducks Launches New Volunteer Microsite Your volunteer microsite. It s your one-stop shop for everything Ducks! Managing your fundraising activities and staying connected to what s happening in the world of Ducks just got a lot easier. With Ducks new volunteer microsite, all the resources you need are at your fingertips. visual presentations to help make your event a success. Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign and how you can help plus much more! for volunteers. ers. Visit volunteer.ducks.ca and see for yourself! This Issue

2 A message from your Provincial Chair by Jeff Commins With all the events occurring in the world today, it should not be surprising that Ducks has been impacted. The year ending 2008 has been one of upheaval and disruption. We had some changes in our staff, with Emil Johnson leaving in March, Ken Risi leaving in May and Patrick Fulowka leaving in January. In the past year, high staff turnover was simply part of the Alberta reality in many sectors. We have been fortunate to recruit some great new fundraising staff. Welcome to Archie Balaski who had an outstanding year in southern Alberta. Archie brings with him over 30 years of experience on the conservation side and strong relationships with many volunteers in southern Alberta. I had the pleasure of meeting our newest staff member, Larry Schroeder, in Slave Lake this past summer and I am confident the Golden Harvest district will fly under his leadership. Larry has been passionate about wildlife and habitat his entire life and has an impressive network of friends and acquaintances which he is actively leveraging for new events. While last year was a strong fundraising year, clearly, the economy is now in rough shape and its uncertain how this will affect Ducks. Early indicators are that our events are still very well attended and lucrative. Whether this sustains itself is unknown, yet, we do know that our event is a critical part of the social fabric of most of our rural communities. In tough times, people still want a social evening, and I think that is a positive way for us to look at Let s keep it fun, let s keep it positive and give the community what it has come to expect from us. Our organization has been around for over 70 years and we plan to be here for at least 70 more. We have been through tough times before and they will come again. If we keep this long term view in our mind, we will raise as much money as the economy allows and still save critical habitat. We are here for the long run, make it fun and everything else will fall in to place. Have a great fundraising year ahead. Archie Balaski, Editor Phone: (403) jimi@simsfurniture.com PEACE BOREAL BOREAL TRANSITION GOLDEN HARVEST FOOTHILLS PRAIRIE Provincial Council 2009 Chair Jeff Commins Treasurer Charlie Price Secretary John Taggart Major Gifts Neil White SBA Chair Art Chair John Eggertson Greenwing Chair Jim Eccleston Advisory Lloyd Campbel Keith Brady Neil White District 1 Chair John Taggart District 2 Chair Wally Purcel District 3 Chair Larry Kaumeyer District 4 Chair Dave Reidie District 5 Chair Ken Giblin District 1 District Chair John Taggart Archie Balaski Charlie Price Arnold Pederson Lois Rissling Kelly Lewis District 2 District Chair Wally Purcel Dahrlyne Knaus John McKishnie Joe Peskunowicz Wally Purcel Zone 5 Zane Nicholson Zone 6 District 3 District Chair Larry Kaumeyer Larry Schroeder Greg Lemay Colin Saker Zone 5 Zone 6 Roy Mills Zone 7 Greg Gallaway Zone 8 Michael Kaziechko Zone 9 Trevor Matthews District 4 District Chair Dave Reidie Marty VanSloun Greg van Tighem Frank Beck Robert Shaw Zone 5 Zone 6 John Eggertson Zone 7 Lyle Roberts Zone 8 Bob Edgar Zone 9 0 District 5 District Chair Ken Giblin Murray Hampshire Neil White Dave McLaughlin Margaret Carroll Tammy Kaleta NEW FM Announced. We are pleased to announce the appointment of our newest (FM). We are excited to promote Dahrlyne Knaus to the position of FM for District 2 effective immediately. She will be working from the Calgary office. Originally from the Crowsnest Pass, she came to Ducks in an administrative role in November Her 10-year old son, Garrett, is a Legacy Greenwing and her husband, Adrian, has been a Ducks volunteer for over 20 years. Dahrlyne has worked in many capacities as a Ducks volunteer over the years. We are very excited about Dahrlyne s energy, her marketing and presentation talents, and the solid understanding of our fundraising business that she will bring to this position. Please join me in welcoming Dahrlyne to her new role. District Map District 5 District 4 District 2 District 3 District 1 By Dahrlyne Knaus & Wally Purcell Dahrlyne Knaus at (780) or d_knaus@ducks.ca Wally Purcell at (403) or wally.purcell@ama.ab.ca Foothills District Report Please join me in welcoming Dahrlyne as our new FM. This is going to be an exciting year for us was a very interesting year, with a lot of challenges in every area, whether it was changes in where our district boundarys are to finding a new FM. I know the largest challenge of all was the sudden and unexpected down turn in the economy. From an exceptional year in 2007 of revenues over $820,000, our district dipped to what would still be considered a good year with revenues of $640,000 in The net result is a loss of over $180,000. There are various reasons for this down turn. We had to cancel three events, Olds Banquet, Rimbey Dinner and the Airdrie Ladies Night. The most significant factor was our fall events after a major economic change especially in our Calgary Banquet with a net change of over $100,000. On a positive note we established a new dinner in Blackfalds with a great result of raising almost $8000. Establishing new events in new communities with potential for growth is the foundation for the future. In 2009, Ducks is getting back to the basics. We are focusing on people power that s you our exceptional volunteer. I know that each community in our district has the power and passion within to achieve their fundraising goals. More than ever, we need our volunteers to take up the challenge in 2009 to ensure Ducks can continue its important conservation to save watersheds and wetlands across Alberta. My plan is to work closely with our new FM and all of you great volunteers to make to best of what we can for Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 3

3 Peace Boreal District Report Boreal Transition District Report By Murray Hampshire & Jeff Commins Murray Hampshire at (780) or Jeff Commins at (780) or New Grande Prairie Office Clerk By Marty Van Sloun & Bert Hadley Marty Van Sloun at (780) or Bert Hadley at (780) or Mighty Ducks There is no question that Ducks is part of the rural fabric in those communities where we hold our events. We are an important part of the social year, as well as an opportunity to see some truly unique products. Recognizing our sponsors is very important perhaps even more so, when sponsors step up during tougher times. This year, our sponsors have their choice of five sponsor prints with option to frame the print. Chapters can deliver the prints to their sponsors after the event, which is a good way to visit the sponsor one more time and thank him/her for her donation. Spring events last year were strong and held up over prior years very well. For the most part, our fall events did well, however the talk of economic downturn had people a little more cautious at our events. I think this requires we re-evaluate some of our decisions with very high-end items in auction and increase the fun and raffle entertainment at our events. Congratulations to Rainbow Lake, Slave Lake, Grande Cache, Peace River and Grande Prairie chapters for hitting the top 100 events in Canada list. They will all get some very exclusive merchandise at their events to recognize this achievement. Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to all the volunteers in the Peace Boreal District that make this job doable despite the long distances and travel times between us. I know that every one of you have busy lives and often personal challenges that arise from time to time and I always feel humbled that you freely give your time for Ducks and me to accomplish our goals. There is a positive can-do spirit alive in the north that takes pride in getting er done. Thank you. Grande Prairie s newest office worker, Bailey, has won the hearts of all our customers. Every morning, she dutifully greets the Canada Post delivery at the office door and with a little help from her best friend Dean Jewison (who assists with mail sorting), she proceeds to deliver the mail to each office worker on both floors of our office. And, unlike most Alberta placement workers this one comes cheap - one doggy treat per day is all she earns. Just another of the Mighty Ducks in the wonderfully strange world of Ducks Unlimited Canada. Well another year has passed and lots has happened in our district. This year we had a number of successes. Eleven of our chapters made the Presidents Club (top 100 events in Canada). We grew our district by a few chapters and we were very successful in pursuing cash donations and finding underwriters for event merchandise this year. We would love to see new faces join the ranks of Ducks volunteers. We know that there is competition out there not only for charitable dollars but also for volunteer s time. We need to let people know that becoming a volunteer with Ducks does not mean having to commit a great deal of time. Instead of needing people to take on many tasks and give 40 hours of volunteer time, we can grow our chapters and spread the work load by recruiting volunteers to give five or ten hours and perform specific tasks. Many hands make light work! Give it a try and bring a friend to help out! As we face questions about the economy of Alberta, it is time to look at putting the fun back into fundraising, and if we can do that, success is bound to follow. Now more than ever we need to make sure our volunteers and attendees are enjoying themselves, to this end, we hope we will see as many of you as possible at our appreciation event and district meetings. This is an ideal time to view the year s new merchandise, learn some tips and tricks from other chapters, and revitalize ourselves for the upcoming year. See you here! We are looking at getting the Mayerthorpe and Edson events revitalized this year, so if anyone knows of a potential volunteer for one of these events, please give us a (780) Over the past several years Frank (l) and George (r) have gone beyond their work as committee members, by growing our SBA efforts in the Leduc/Nisku area. Frank and George get together every other week to switch prints and cube easel merchandise and collect bid sheets, often competing on whose location or items will have the higher returns. The Leduc event has long been one of the top events in Canada and it is quite an accomplishment to note that Frank and George s efforts have managed to surpass event revenue, making the Leduc chapter one of the top chapters in the nation. Outstanding!! Upcoming Boreal Transition District Casino Yellowhead Casino June 18th and 19th Volunteers needed! Give Tracy a Ducks and the St. Albert community lost an outstanding citizen and volunteer when Bud Gau passed away on Feb 6, Bud was a 24-year member of the St. Albert Committee where he contributed countless volunteer hours for the cause and held many different positions on the committee including chairman. Bud was always more than willing to contact and pick-up merchandise from donors, distribute prints for SBA, help out with fundraising dinners and golf tournaments or organize a Greenwing Day. Bud also actively volunteered for his church and Meals on Wheels or helped out his friends and neighbors. His favorite expression was either What can I do? or I can help out! He always said yes and always had the time! 4 Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 5

4 Golden Harvest District Report Prairie District Report By Larry Schroeder & Larry Kaumeyer Larry Schroeder at (780) or Mighty Duck - Zane Nicholson By Archie Balaski & John Taggart Archie Balaski at (403) or a_balaski@ducks.ca Mighty Duck - Bill Wells Larry Kaumeyer at (780) kaumeyer@shaw.ca John Taggart at (403) or john.taggart@shaw.ca With the help of Larry Kaumeyer and some brand new zone chairman, they have helped guide me through the wetlands without being shot at! I am amazed at the dedication and passion shown from our group of volunteers, event chairman and their teams, our sponsors, the media and new members that we have brought into the fold. Wow, what an exciting year 2008 has been. The dedication and passion for DUC shown by volunteers in the Prairie District is amazing. Both John, Prairie District Chair and myself feel proud to represent this district and appreciated all the time and effort the volunteers in the south have contributed to our conservation efforts. Since I am new myself to this great organization, I do not want to single out any outstanding individual that has helped the cause, which is raising funds and awareness for wetlands. I have enjoyed the company of at least fifteen hundred new friends throughout my area that have all helped, in there own way, to take the message and raise money for wetland conservation that is so critical to humanity and waterfowl. I have recently been asked to speak at a couple of schools - which was a wonderful experience for me personally. Children are our future and they are keen to learn about wetlands. We all want the same thing. We want a healthy wetland ecosystem that provides habitat for waterfowl other hundreds of species of other wildlife. And ultimately, we are the benefactors. We benefit from the clean water wetlands provide and the beauty of nature at its finest. When given the chance, nature and her wetlands make the most loving mother for all animals, human or otherwise. We all benefit! It s that simple! Our job is to get this message out to everyone! That is my goal...whatever it takes. Like many of the hardworking men and women in Alberta, Zane Nicholson has a can do attitude. So when he heard that a wetland conservation organization needed volunteers, he didn t hesitate to volunteer his time. Zane joined Ducks, first helping to organize the Pine Lake fundraising dinner and recently becoming a zone chair in district 2. Zane was recently profiled as one of our star volunteers. Check out his video at ducks.ca under the Volunteer section. I would personally like to thank John Taggart, who stepped up to fill the Prairie District Chair position, Lois Rissling, who followed through to take on John s vacant Zone Chair position, Arnold Pederson and Charlie Price who again agreed to stay on as a Zone Chairs, and Kelly Lewis who accepted the Zone Chair position for the Hanna Area Chapters. The Prairie District is in very good shape under the guidance of these enthusiastic District and Zone Chairpersons. I thank them for all the assistance they have given me over the past year. Ten chapter events in the Prairie District including Brooks, Hanna, Medicine Hat, Vauxhall, Taber, Oyen, Pincher Creek, High River, Lethbridge and Drumheller were named in the Top 100 fund raising events in Canada for What a great accomplishment this is for these Chapters. Our thanks go out to all chapter chairs, treasurers and chapter volunteers in the Prairie District for the successes they have achieved in Their efforts have made a great difference in our ability to secure critical waterfowl habitat southern Alberta. Steak at the Lake Bill Wells (r) joined the Brooks Chapter last year and immediately jumped in with both feet by securing sponsorships for the Brooks event. Through Bill s efforts he arranged to have the Brooks event sponsored for $10,000 per year for five years by the Eastern Irrigation District. Thanks to Bill s efforts and the entire Brooks chapter s volunteers, the Brooks event placed them 9th in the Top 100 fundraising events in Canada. Way to go Bill. Bill is currently co-chair of the Brooks Chapter. We are hoping to start a new event in the communities of Black Diamond/Turner Valley, Olds, and Rimbey. If you know of anyone that could be a potential volunteer for one of these events, please give me a (780) Prairie District Volunteer Appreciation Day - Steak at the Lake will be held on Saturday June 6, 2009 at Enchant Park. Mark your calendars for a weekend of fun, celebration and education. Activities will include: DUC Volunteer Workshop, Youth Fishing Derby, Marsh Walk, Golfing and more! For information please contact Archie Balaski at a_balaski@ducks.ca or call (403) Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 7

5 TIPS &TRICKS Tips &Tricks ideas for your event Out of the Crowd Auction Here is a new idea that adds a tremendous amount of energy to your live auction. Early in the night, the emcee recognizes that the people in the room are the real movers and shakers in the community and they all have special qualities and skills that are valuable. To test that theory, the emcee challenges them all to come up with a service or adventure they might put up for auction. At the break in the auction, collect the pre-printed forms from the table and add them to your powerpoint presentation. At one event (Grande Prairie) our audience donated the following items: $500 gas - sold for $500 Drive a zamboni - $500 Goose hunt for 4 includes breakfast and lunch - $800 Chuck wagon ride with Rookie of the Year at Grande Prairie Stampede $450 4 hour downhill ski lesson - $150 Jet boat to River Rats cabin, includes steaks and beverages - $750 In this case, we added $3,150 to the event with zero cost to Ducks. Runt of the litter We ve all done the pick of the litter for years. Buy a ticket for $20 and winner gets choice of live auction. Another variation, Runt of the litter, allows you to do a second similar raffle. In this case, you reduce the ticket to a $10 ticket and allow the winner to have choice of anything in the silent auction. High Flyer RETURNS We often get pressure from our audience to return some of the 5 or 6 trips from the high flyer raffle to the live auction. Problem is, it is tough to know which trips to return or how many. One way around this problem is to sell pick of the trips mid way through the auction. If the price is good and there is interest for more, ask the Auctioneer if anyone else wants to buy any of the trips at the same price. This speeds up the process and reduces the need to cut-off the trips when the sale price drops too much. Give it a try. High Flyer EXCLUSIVITY Remember, it is very important to keep some of the prizes in High Flyer EXCLUSIVE to the high flyer. That is, do NOT return all the prizes to the live auction. Otherwise, people will stop buying high flyer tickets and just wait for the item in the live auction. Ladies & Men s High Flyer Without question, the high flyer raffle is one of our most successful raffles. Every consider doing it twice? We have several chapters that do just that with one set up for the men and the other set up for women. It has been a great success wherever we have tried it. Just make sure you stratify the prizes so one group of prizes appeals strongly to each group of ticket buyers Alberta Event Ranking Rank Event Name Event Income 1 Calgary Banquet $120,054 2 Deerfoot Casino $78,742 3 Fort McMurray Dinner $77,517 4 Grande Prairie Banquet $64,101 5 Boom Town Casino $63,000 6 St. Paul Banquet $61,399 7 Brooks Banquet $60,873 8 Denim Duck DU $49,987 9 Drayton Valley Banque $48, Medicine Hat Banquet $48, Strathmore Banquet $48, Hanna Banquet $46, Airdrie Banquet $44, Lloydminster Banquet $43, Fort Saskatchewan $43, Rainbow Lake Banquet $42, Rocky Mtn House $39, Bonnyville Banquet $39, Wainwright Banquet $38, Spruce Grove Banquet $38, Okotoks Banquet $35, Vauxhall Banquet $35, DU Rodeo Roundup $35, Taber Banquet $35, Lethbridge Casino $34, Ardrossan Banquet $33, Stony Plain Banquet $32, Provost Dinner $31, Great Outdoors Dinner $31, Lac La Biche Banquet $31, Athabasca Banquet $31, Red Deer Banquet $31, Oyen Banquet $31, Chinook Drakes Banquet $30, Grande Cache Chapter $29, Leduc Banquet $29, Pincher Creek Banquet $28, Westlock Banquet $28, High River Banquet $28, Innisfail Banquet $28, Camrose Banquet $28, Devon Banquet $27, Slave Lake Banquet $26, Barrhead Banquet $26, Drumheller Banquet $26, Peace River Event $25, Bragg Creek Banquet $24, Bow Island Banquet $24, Lethbridge Banquet $24, Valleyview Banquet $23,638 Rank Event Name Event Income 51 Jasper in January $22, Beaverlodge $22, St. Albert $21, Calahoo $21, Ponoka Banquet $21, High Prairie $20, High Level $20, Lacombe $19, Vermilion Dinner $18, Crowsnest Pass $18, Coaldale Banquet $18, Chestermere $18, Vegreville $17, St. Albert Casino $17, Canmore $17, Claresholm $17, Coronation $17, Fox Creek $16, Cochrane $16, Buck Lake $16, Elkwater Banquet $15, Grimshaw Banquet $15, Bashaw Banquet $15, Cold Lake Banquet $15, Lethbridge College $15, Wetaskiwin Banquet $15, Sherwood Park Banquet $14, Pine Lake Banquet $14, Sylvan Lake Banquet $13, Millet Banquet $13, Donalda Banquet $12, Carstairs/Didsbury $12, Wabamun Dinner $11, Fort Macleod $11, Edmonton Ladies Banquet $11, Edmonton Sporting Clay $10, Zama City $10, Edmonton Golf $10, Beaumont Dinner $10, Camrose Ladies Only $10, Verdigris Banquet $9, Smoky River Banquet $9, All Eyes on the Boreal $9, Caroline Banquet $9, New Norway Golf $8, Forestburg Banquet $8, Hay Lakes Banquet $8, Chauvin Banquet $8, Lloydminster Trap Shoot $8, Fort Vermilion Banquet $7,951 As of December 31, Numbers are subject to change. 8 Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 9

6 Valid SBA Bid Slips Save Wetlands Sealed Bid Auction News 2008 SBA Sales When it comes to generating revenue from your SBA site, the winning bid is only the beginning. g. Your collection of SBA bid slips is an important fundraising and recruiting tool. That s why it s so important that you return all valid bid slips to Ducks after your auction closes and the winning ng bidder has been confirmed. Valid bid slips contain the names and addresses of hundreds of potential donors, members and volunteers. Saving these in our system allows us to send bidders a variety of promotional material that encourages them to join the Ducks team. Plus, SBA bidders are entered into your chapter s database, which enables you to invite them to your next local event. Getting the names is the hard part once we have them it s easy to start spreading the word about wetlands and the leading role we play in restoring, managing and conserving these vital areas. For more information about determining valid bid slips, please see your SBA volunteer manual. Send in your Slips! Chapter Valid SBA bid slips save wetlands! At the end of your Sealed Bid Auction once the slips to DUC. These simple squares of paper hold the names of hundreds of potential new donors, members and DUC volunteers. Plus, SBA bidders are entered into your chapter s database for invitation to your next event. in all your valid SBA bid slips and help save wetlands one name at a time. Net Income 1 Fort McMurray $77,463 2 Grande Prairie $66,279 3 Leduc $55,677 4 Camrose $38,459 5 Red Deer $25,838 6 Ft. Saskatchewan $25,605 7 Wetaskiwin $19,101 8 Tri-Town $14,923 9 Elkwater $11, Wainwright $9, Airdrie $9, Okotoks $8, Lloydminster $8, Ponoka $6, Provost $6, High Level $6, Lethbridge $6, Spruce Grove $5, CFR Edmonton $4, Strathmore $4,536 By Rosemarie Ferjuc The end of 2008 marks the close of another successful field delivery season for the Alberta Project Webfoot program. This fall, over 2,300 Grade 5 students from 29 communities throughout Alberta had the opportunity to go on a wetland field trip and develop a greater appreciation of Alberta s valuable wetland resources. What is Project Webfoot? Educating youth about wetlands is a key part of Ducks Unlimited Canada s (DUC) wetland conservation mission. That s why DUC has developed Project Webfoot for schools. Project Webfoot is an international, interdisciplinary wetland education program. Its goal is to teach today s students who are tomorrow s decision-makers and conservation leaders about the tremendous value of wetland habitats. Across Canada, Project Webfoot s main focus is Grade 4 to 6. Through Project Webfoot, DUC provides classes with kits of exciting and engaging in-class learning materials, as well as wetland field trips. This is made possible with the support of generous sponsors who wish to help students learn more about wetlands and the environment. Waterfowl Mentoring By Jerry Brunen Last fall in Alberta was an exciting start to our waterfowling heritage program for our youth and first time hunters. Several mentored hunts were held to teach first time hunters about conservation ethics and waterfowl hunting. Many thanks to everyone who helped organize and run the events and to all of the participants. If you want like more information or would like to help organize an event, please contact Chris Benson at c_benson@ducks.ca. 10 Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 11

7 Event Sponsorship Popular Event sponsorship has taken off in Alberta and is fast becoming a popular way for companies to support Ducks and get some recognition at their local community event (see right). Corporate sponsorships of this kind are a great way to increase your overall sponsorship and net dollars to your event. The following guidelines have been developed to date for the $5,000 and $10,000 sponsorships: $5,000 PLATINUM SPONSOR Sponsorship award and pin presented at event Banner with sponsor s name to be displayed at event Sponsorship is used to underwrite dinner expenses Tax receipt Recognition in local paper Recognition in Annual Report as a Platinum Sponsor Entire first page of dinner program reserved for sponsor s use Recognition in Pintales $10, Sponsorship award and pin presented at event Banner with sponsor s name to be displayed at event Sponsorship is used to underwrite dinner expenses Tax receipt Recognition in Annual Report as a Life Sponsor Entire first page of dinner program reserved for sponsor s use Recognition in Pintales Framed print Event Sponsorship Highlights Brooks Banquet Eastern Irrigation District - $10,000 The Eastern Irrigation District (EID) operates an extensive water supply, storage and drainage network. The EID was organized under Alberta legislation in The formation of the District made it possible for the irrigators to take over the irrigation project started by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company in the early 1900s. The vision of these early settlers and agricultural entrepreneurs has created a long-lasting and positive legacy for the region. BFI is one of the largest non-hazardous solid waste management companies in North America and serve the needs of 1.8 million commercial, industrial and residential customers. BFI Canada serves the needs of the country s most populous regions across five provinces. Hanna Banquet ATCO - $5,000 Medicine Hat Banquet BFI Canada - $10,000 With more than 7,800 employees and $8.5 billion in assets, ATCO Group is an Alberta based worldwide organization of companies comprised of three main business divisions: Power Generation; Utilities (natural gas and electricity transmission and distribution) and Global Enterprises, with companies active in industrial manufacturing, technology, logistics and energy services. Got the right logo? It s out with the old and in with the new! Please remember to use the new Ducks logo when advertising your chapter s fundraising events. By doing so, you re strengthening Ducks Unlimited Canada s EnCana is one of the world s leading independent oil and gas companies. Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, EnCana strives to be a trusted contributor in the communities where they work and live. Great Outdoors Event (Edmonton) TransAlta - $5,000 Drumheller Banquet EnCana - $5,000 TransAlta is a power generation and wholesale marketing company focused on creating long-term shareholder value. TranAlta generates electricity fueled by coal, natural gas, water, geothermal energy and wind for customers in various regions of Canada, the U.S., and Australia. 12 Issue 1 Year 2009 March

8 Volunteer Welcome Kit The volunteer welcome kit was created to give new volunteers a bit of an orientation to the Ducks Unlimited Canada. It will be sent out to new volunteers, who are defined as: a) Someone who has never volunteered for Ducks before. b) Someone who has volunteered but for a short period of time (less than 1 year) and has lapsed for 2+ years. a) An introductory letter which includes their Fundraising Manager s name and contact information. b) Brief history of Ducks. c) Facts about our conservation efforts including how we spends its fundraising dollars. d) Brief overview of what volunteers are asked to do including helping with sealed bid auction and a fundraising event. e) Top 10 reasons to Conserve Wetlands - a 3-panel brochure to inform them of the benefits that everyone reaps, due to their fundraising efforts. f) Testimonials from other volunteers. g) Commitment and Expectations Sheet for both the volunteers and the orgainization. h) Volunteer FAQs a 3-panel brochure. i) Wetlands for Tomorrow factsheet to inform volunteers of the Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign. j) Volunteer Code of Conduct. k) Volunteer Acceptance Form. Wetlands for Tomorrow As of December , Ducks Unlimited Canada has raised $328 million* towards its campaign goal of $500 million. The Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign began on April 1, 2005 and will wrap up on March 31, * Actual revenues from April 1, 2005 to December 1, Our success is directly linked to your volunteer fundraising efforts. Your commitment allows us to continue our mission of conserving, restoring and managing wetlands. You may ask yourself: what can I do to help the Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign? The answer is simple. We need you to: 1) Help spread the word Talk up Ducks and why wetland conservation is so important. Get the word out to government, corporations, volunteer groups and people everywhere. 2) Increase fundraising There are lots of ways that you can help: Participate in the Chapter Challenge - check out the tools we have for you on the volunteer microsite Solicit Additional Sponsors - if each volunteer got just one more Bronze sponsor (a $250 donation), that would raise an additional $1.7 million! Put on Additional Events - you don t have to stop at one or two! Manage Sealed Bid Auctions - it s easy and perfect for those who are short on time! It can take as little as one hour a week! Sell Memberships - know people who can t attend a dinner? Ask them to become a member! Ask for Donations - every dollar helps support wetland conservation! December 2008 $328 Million* * Actual revenue from April 1, 2005 to December 1, $500 Million $400 Million $300 Million $200 Million $100 Million Duration of Campaign: April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2011 Prouty Lake The Prouty Lake project was originally built by Ducks in In 2007, we went back to the project and invested an additional $120,000 to enhance and repair the existing structure. This project receives water from the Bow River Irrigation District and is home to a variety of waterfowl and other wildlife. The uplands surrounding the area is native prairie and provides excellent nesting cover for waterfowl such as the northern pintail. Prouty Lake project is located approximately seven miles north of Enchant, Alberta and is locally important for waterfowling and upland bird hunting. Potter The Potter project is a paid conservation easement project located near Red Deer, Alberta. Paid conservation easement means that we will pay the landowner to place a conservation easement on the habitat lands and in turn the landowner agrees to keep these lands intact in perpetuity. This 137 acres of habitat includes 45 acres of wetlands and is located within an area that provides highly productive breeding habitat for waterfowl. The habitat on the Potter project is diverse and provides a home for a variety of wildlife. This project is a showcase for the community and provides an excellent example of a landowner who desired to protect the habitat value of his land for future generations. For more information on these projects, please contact Barry Bishop at b_bishop@ducks.ca or phone (780) Whistling Wings Project In 2008 we received a very generous donation of five-quarter sections of land located in the Hythe area. This project will provide excellent waterfowl habitat with it s native parkland, naturalized pasture and variety of wetlands, including one large water area over 290 acres in size. We expect this project to provide an excellent area for recreational users in the area. It offers biodiversity of plants and animals. Visitors to the project can expect to see all sorts of waterfowl, songbirds, grouse, deer, moose, black bear and coyotes. 14 Issue 1 Year 2009 March Issue 1 Year 2009 March 15

9 Boost Event Attendance with Online Ticket Sales Looking for another way to sell more tickets to your event? Tap into the advertising power of the World Wide Web and sell tickets to your chapter s event online! By promoting your event on the ducks.ca website, thousands of people are exposed to your event and are able to purchase tickets with the click of a button. It s quick, convenient and a great sales tool chapters should take advantage of. In addition to simply selling tickets, promoting your event on ducks.ca allows you to showcase a sample of special event merchandise available for sale and provide all the necessary information (including the date, time, location, contacts and a brief description of the event) attendees need to save the date. These days, more and more people are looking to the Internet for information on what s happening in their community. Promoting your event online is an easy way for you to spread the word and allow attendees to purchase tickets anytime at work, at home or anywhere around the world! And, with our secure website, people can feel safe completing their transaction online. Volunteers like you create great personal relationships while selling tickets in your community. By promoting your event online, you ll have the chance to reach even more people expanding your list of contacts and increasing our flock of supporters. Contact your FM for more information online ticket sales and how to set it up for your chapter s event. The Heart of the Matter The Best Show in Town Everything is set. Tastefully dressed round tables fill the floor. Rectangular banquet tables line the walls, and the exclusive merchandise has been tastefully displayed. The stage holds the premier items being sold this night. Beautiful limited edition prints, firearms, furniture and sculptures sit waiting to be put on the Auctioneer s block. A dozen or so people, all wearing the same shirt, are milling around the hall fussing with this and that. And, a wonderful aroma to coming from the noisy kitchen. It is almost six o clock and soon the doors will be opened. Within the hour the room will be full of local supporters, drinking, laughing, visiting, buying raffle tickets, playing the silent auction and just generally having a good time. A fair bit of volunteer effort has gone into making this event very special. And, when the dust settles a good deal of money goes to Ducks Unlimited Canada. But is the money raised the main reason our volunteer keeps going. Well, the answer is yes and no. Being successful at the event is very important to the our volunteers. If the event is classy, fun and pleasing to be at, the money will follow. Our volunteers get just as much reward from positive feed back from attendees as they do from what is in the bank after the event. We hear a lot of gloom and doom these days about the state of our economy. If you listen to, and watch news a lot these days, it is pretty easy to adopt the attitude that support for our events is going to drop. Well, I think our attendees watch the news as well. And, it is a proven fact that in slower and cooler economic periods, folks will seek out entertaining and fun social activities. The Ducks event is just that. The night s activities have come to an end. The last item has been sold and the final raffle winner has been announced. Smiling and relaxed folks are filing through the treasurers table and getting ready to head home. People are shaking hands and giving warm hugs to those responsible for the great evening, and promises are made to attend next year. Some money has been made for a good cause, but just as important, a great service has been provided to our community. For about five hours people have escaped from the day to day routine of making a living. And this folks may be the Heart of the Matter. 16 Issue 1 Year 2009 March