Getting the message out to the grassroots
WCWC is known for its capacity to mobilize citizen action through grassroots education. With 27,000 member and 40,000 additional supporters, we are the largest membership-based citizen-funded wilderness conservation group in Canada. Over the past 19 years, WCWC has produced over 10 million copies of over 130 different educational newspapers. Our members and supporters respond to our appeals for action. This has allowed us to be consistently effective in generating public input to decision-makers in the form of letters, emails, faxes, phone calls, letters to the media, and attendance at public hearings.
Our membership-continued to grow in 1999 through a targeted strategy of improving membership servicing programs and providing innovative programs to increase member involvement in wilderness saving activities. Our overall rate of membership renewal has increased to 63% from a low point of 19% in 1992.
Door to Door Canvass
Every night in six cities across Canada WCWC's intrepid and stalwart canvassers knock on hundreds of doors to speak with Canadians about threatened wilderness and wildlife. In Victoria, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa, door-to-door canvassers bring educational materials and debate to peoples' homes. Their work helps increase the growing number of voices calling for adequate preservation of Canadian wilderness.
1999 was a difficult year for our door-to-door canvassers with many of our long-time Canvass Directors moving on to other challenging pursuits in their lives. We thank these dedicated individuals for their tireless efforts on behalf of Canada's wilderness! Our team of new Canvass Directors enjoyed a solid Christmas season which points toward a good canvassing year in 2000.
Grassroots Distribution Team
In January 1999 we brought a dream to reality--the launch of a program to provide members from coast to coast with the opportunity to help us get the message out in their communities through the distribution of WCWC's educational materials. Our first call for distribution volunteers was very successful, and over the course of the year this program has grown to include the distribution of 5,000 newspapers every month in over 100 communities across North America. In 2000 we will continue to expand this program.
New and Improved Web Page
After getting stuck in the techno-mud in the mid-90s we finally got our web site up to speed. The new and improved version includes mail-in opinion cards to government, press releases, a "discussion forum", maps, video, and better navigation. In 2000 we will continue to build our web site, focusing on improving our online library, increasing the interactivity of the site and providing a members only chatroom.
