River Voices: November 2018

Welcome to the November 2018 edition of River Voices. We’re celebrating River Network’s 30th Anniversary as an organization, from our humble origins to supporting a thriving network of 6,000+ groups today. Check out the latest webinars, plus our call for River Heroes nominations, due November 10th.

Celebrating 30 Years!

River Network was founded thirty years ago to strengthen local efforts to protect rivers. Over three decades our focus has remained remarkably consistent: We connect people to save rivers. That simple tagline belies a tremendous amount of action to protect and restore waters across the country, particularly at the local level. Today this network is over 6,000 strong. River Network began by helping river and watershed organizations expand protections for pristine rivers. Since then our ambitions, leadership, and programs have evolved to align with our understanding of what rivers need to remain healthy, the challenges of a changing climate, and significant shifts in the social, political, and economic context of water. Read about our history, our aspirations, and the future of River Network.

Meet Our Team

Meet Storey Blackwell, River Network’s Donor Relations Director. Storey has a passion for helping people find ways to connect with and support the causes they care about. She works at our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. Read more about Storey’s work.

Learn This Fall

Start a new chapter for your organization this fall. Developing Effective River and Watershed Organizations is a six-month training series for executive directors and board leaders. The next session—Fundraising Best Practices—is on December 15th. Sign up today.

Nominate Your Hero!

Who is your River Hero? Up to five awardees will be acknowledged on June 22, 2019 at River Rally. The awards recognize individuals whose efforts on behalf of their local rivers and waters have been extraordinary. See the 2019 Guidelines and submit before November 10, 2018.

The idea of voting like a sturgeon to me is to encourage people to learn about these intriguing creatures and to think, what would it mean to have such a long view of our time on the planet?

–Landis Hudson, executive director of Maine Rivers, discussing the Vote Like a Sturgeon campaign with The Times Record

NEW! Emerging Leader Award

River Network is excited to announce the new Emerging Leader River Hero Award. The award provides early-career recognition with the goal of expanding community and recognizing individuals who are working on water and justice.

The Emerging Leader Award recipient will be honored at River Rally 2019. River Network will provide financial assistance to cover travel, lodging, and registration for River Rally. Read the full announcement—and please help us spread the word.

Meet Our Network: Darryl Haddock

Darryl Haddock standing and smiling in front of a rock wall with trees in the background.

From urban water advocates to wild and scenic river champions, we are lucky to know and work with these local heroes who safeguard water for our families and communities.

We invite you to get to know outstanding water champions taking action for clean water and healthy rivers from coast to coast. Click here to meet Darryl Haddock.

Upcoming Webinars & Events

The Strategic Planning Process

November 8, 1:00–2:30 pm EST. Strategic planning is a disciplined approach to deciding what an organization is, what it does, and why it does it, with a focus on the future and the health of the organization. Premium webinar open to paid River Network members only. Register here.

Midterm Elections and Water

November 14, 11:00 am-12:00 pm MST. Learn from bipartisan panelists about the results of the election and their impact on water. Explore what practical and policy impacts might result from these changes in the federal government and in the states. Hosted by the U.S. Water Alliance. Free. Register here.

Games for Better Water Management Outcomes

November 14, 2:00-3:30 pm EST. Games engage creative problem-solving skills in order to achieve a clearly defined goal. Join us for an interactive webinar led by U.S. Corps of Engineers staff about how they are developing games to help communities across the country accomplish water management goals. Free. Sign up.

Fundraising Best Practices

December 13, 1:00-2:30pm EST. Fundraising offers donors the opportunity to invest in the change they want to see in the world. This session will explain the fundraising cycle, the importance of planning, fundraising strategies, and tips for building a strong development program. Premium webinar open to paid River Network members only. Register.

Member News & Tips

Are you planning, designing, or implementing on-the-ground restoration projects that will restore river flows and/or recharge ground water? Would you like the opportunity to share your projects with businesses who may be interested in providing support for your projects? If the answer is “Yes!” be sure to check out the Business for Water Stewardship Project Bank, an opportunity for paid members of River Network to use a national platform to attract funding.

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Teaming Up for Cleaner Rivers

River Network collaborated with outdoor brand Cotopaxi to host a volunteer cleanup challenge as part of the Questival 24-hour adventure race in Boulder, Colorado, in October. More than 70 teams helped collect 625 pounds of litter from creeks and divert 24% from the landfill by sorting out the recycling. Check out these photo highlights—and look for more to come in 2019!

Writing Your Case for Support

In this webinar short River Network staff explain the basic elements of a case for support and why you should have one. This webinar short is part of our Leadership Development Institute – Fundraising Essentials Series. Watch the video.

The Fundraising Plan

In this webinar excerpt, River Network staff explain the basic elements of a fundraising plan and why you should have one. This webinar short was taken from our premium webinar series for River Network Paid Members: Leadership Development Institute – Fundraising Essentials. Watch the video.