Lots of options to support community
This article was featured on page 31 in the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce’s November / December edition of the Chamber Advocate. WRCF was also featured in the “message from the president” article on page 5. Click here to view the full Advocate directly on their website.
As I write this, I have been with Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) for about a month. I’m diving right in, looking for every opportunity to meet people through community events (such as the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce AGM) and over lots of coffee. Many common themes are emerging, but one especially resonates with me as it reinforces this community’s spirit of giving and bias for action.
“How can I help?”
“How can I collaborate with WRCF to support people across Waterloo Region?”
“How can our businesses do more good?”
To those questions, I offer the following:
Donate to a campaign supporting local issues. Over the past few years, WRCF has collaborated with local community champions (both individuals and organizations) to help manage donations to support issues they care about. In 2022, Jane Arnold and Allyson Kroetsch saw a need in the region. Local charitable organizations lacked funding to buy necessities - like toothpaste, menstrual products or bus passes – for their clients. Together with a team of volunteers, supported by WRCF, Jane and Allyson created the Essentials Fund and raised over $36,000 and provided unrestricted grants to 17 organizations to provide their clients with essential items.
When partnering with WRCF, a fund is established to support the community’s long-term goals, while maximizing the immediate impact donations can have. The local business community has the opportunity to engage with these campaigns directly, or by encouraging their employees to get involved. And employee donation matching provides additional incentives by doubling the impact!For as little as $500, join others and invest in Affordable Housing solutions. Do you or your employees have money that you would like to invest and make a rate of return? What if that investment could simultaneously address the affordable housing crisis in Waterloo Region? Kindred Credit Union worked with WRCF to develop an innovative solution that has the potential to make a difference locally. Kindred launched an Affordable Housing GIC with deposits earning a competitive rate of interest for the investor, and those funds being directed to loans for long-term, owned or rented permanent affordable housing. Details, including how to purchase this product, are available at www.kindredcu.com/affordable-housing-gics.
Make decisions incorporating the views of people who are affected. If your business is designing products or services that impact people in neighbourhoods across our region, include them in the process. In 2022, WRCF designed an Engagement Toolkit to help others build engagement actively into affordable housing solutions. The tools can easily be adapted to address other issues. Visit www.wrcf.ca/publications to download the toolkit.
Establish a fund for your company. Once you understand what issues matter to your company and your employees, consider establishing a permanent endowment fund in your company’s name, donating now, with the ability to grant forever. Companies can select how donations are made to their fund; what percentage is directed to flow-through donations; how your employees are involved in decision-making; and what issues you want to support. Contact dan@wrcf.ca if you want to learn more.
WRCF’s mission is to bring people together to solve the issues of today and tomorrow by amplifying voices, maximizing resources, and co-creating solutions. We are committed to making it easier for businesses, organizations and individuals to do more good – and drive positive social impact. Running a business after the toll of COVID-19 is challenging. Owners, managers, and employees are re-examining their priorities, and rethinking how to engage with the broader community. If you’d like straightforward, trusted assistance navigating all the charitable and philanthropic options in Waterloo Region, we are here to help. We are your resource, your Waterloo Region Community Foundation.
Reach out if you have questions, ideas or just want to chat. Let’s have a coffee and explore ways we can take action together!
Eric Avner is the President & CEO of Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF), an organization focused on creating and supporting “Sustainable, Equitable, Thriving Communities.” You can contact Eric at 519-725-1806 x 201 or at eric@wrcf.ca.