Engage your local community to make an impact on lives around the world.

Regional Planning

Guide

An Initiative of

watermission.org

Register your event at watermission.org/walk to receive access to the Walk for Water Resource Page!

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your interest in changing lives through the provision of safe water! As you know, the fight against the global water crisis is both urgent and enormous. It is urgent because every 21 seconds one child under the age of five dies from a completely preventable, water-related disease. It is enormous because every day 1.8 billion people suffer from its crippling effects.

The statistics are staggering, but the good news is that together, we can make a difference to fight this injustice. By hosting a Walk for Water in your community, you are giving a megaphone to our neighbors around the world who cry out for the most basic necessity of safe water. In this guide, we've broken down the Walk for Water planning process into four steps:

Form Your Leadership Team

Set Date, Route, Goals

Spread the Word

Walk for Water!

Every step you take, bucket you carry, and dollar you raise will radically transform lives. Safe water not only builds health, it also fundamentally changes the future of its recipients. On behalf of the men, women, and children you will reach through your efforts, we extend a heartfelt thank you for investing your time, talents, and treasure in making an impact on the global water crisis!

Sincerely,

Bonnie Hanna Regional Walk Coordinator Water Mission

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Roughly 1.8 billion people wake up every day to a life without safe drinking water. Children are sick and weak. There is a constant struggle to find the most basic of necessities. The lack of safe water and adequate sanitation worldwide is a very real and present crisis.

This crisis steals the lives of thousands of people each day – more than war, natural disasters, AIDS and hunger combined. Despite its enormity, the global water crisis rarely makes the headlines. It is today’s silent killer.

WATER MISSION

Water Mission is a nonprofit Christian engineering organization that designs, builds, and implements safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions for people in developing countries and disaster areas. Since 2001, Water Mission has used innovative technology and engineering expertise to provide access to safe water for more than three million.

Water Mission believes safe water is the basis for physical life. The global organization's scientists, engineers, and professionals are motivated by faith in Jesus Christ, the Living Water, as they serve all people, regardless of age, gender, race, or faith.

WHY WE WALK

In some areas where Water Mission works, women and children spend 2-3 hours walking to collect water every day. In most cases, the water source is one to four miles from their home. To make matters worse, the water they collect is usually not safe for drinking.

Imagine dipping a bucket into a lake where others are bathing, washing clothes, or disposing of waste, and then taking that water back to your family to drink. Not only does it make people sick, it also takes a significant amount of time to collect. There’s not much time left for school, work, or quality time with friends and family.

We walk in honor of those who walk to collect water every single day. We walk to raise awareness of the global water crisis and funds that support solutions. We walk so that one day these women and children will have safe water that is close to home, giving them more time to study, tell stories, love and care for each other — more time to think about something besides where their next sip of water is going to come from.

The Global Water Crisis

Go to watermission.org to learn more about Water Mission's work.

1 Form Your Leadership Team

Your Walk for Water Leadership Team will develop and cast the vision for your Walk. Water Mission recommends dividing the responsibilities and tasks of planning and implementing your Walk amongst seven committees. It's wise to assign a chairperson for each committee as early as possible in your planning process.

• The primary job of the Event Chair is leadership development. The key to success lies in recruiting, organizing, and motivating your leadership team.

• The Logistics Chair is responsible for overseeing all details from pre-event preparation to day-of logistics. This includes securing the Walk site, organizing the route, and managing set-up and tear-down.

• The Recruitment Chair is responsible for getting people registered for your Walk and engaged in fundraising. This includes calling on schools, businesses, and churches for team participation.

• The Sponsorship Chair is responsible for securing support from businesses and organizations to help offset the cost of your event in exchange for valuable brand exposure.

• The Activities Chair oversees the planning and implementation of all activities and entertainment that take place at your event.

• The Publicity Chair is responsible for developing a marketing plan for your Walk that will drive awareness, participation, and fundraising efforts.

• The Finance Chair is responsible for managing the overall event budget and for properly handling all money collected through fundraising efforts.

Please reference the Walk for Water Resource Page for more detailed information on the roles and responsibilities of each chairperson.

Committee Chairperson Phone Email

Event

Logisitics

Recruitment

Sponsorship

Activities

Publicity

Finance

Register your event at watermission.org/walk

to receive access to the Walk for Water Resource Page!

SAMPLE WALK FOR WATER COMMITTEE STRUCTURE

This structure is very flexible and depends on your event objectives. You can have a fantastic event with a core Leadership Team of seven people in the positions listed in the dark blue boxes. If you are looking for ways to involve more individuals in the planning process, feel free to expand the Leadership Team to include the roles listed in the light blue boxes.

" Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much"

— Helen Keller

Volunteers In Kind Sponsorships

Children's ActivitiesRegistration

Financial Sponsorships EntertainmentFundraising

Refreshments

Logistics Chair

Sponsorship Chair

Finance Chair

Recruitment Chair

Event Chair

Activities Chair

Publicity Chair

2 Set Date, Route, Goals

As you prepare for your Walk for Water, this summary timeline will help you stay on track. Remember, frequent communication amongst the Leadership Team is extremely important.

A detailed event timeline can be found on the Walk for Water Resources Page.

6 MONTHS OUT Recruit a reliable, passionate Leadership Team

and set a meeting schedule.

Secure site location and date of event.

Create event web page so that participants can register. (See sidebar for instructions.)

Develop a financial plan and fundraising goals.

3 MONTHS OUT Hold a Kick-Off event in your community.

Recruit sponsors and establish fundraising teams.

Plan event details to ensure a successful Walk for Water.

Start promoting your event.

3 WEEKS OUT Promote your event enthusiastically!

EVENT DAY Join your community as you walk together to

make a difference in the lives of people in need around the world.

POST-EVENT Ship financial packets to Water Mission .

Thank your Leadership Team, participants, and sponsors.

Share stories and photos with participants, Water Mission, and local media.

Creating your event web page is easy! Just follow these simple steps:

1. Register your event at watermission.org/walk.

2. Enter your event name and fundraising goal. (You can edit this goal later if needed.)

3. Register yourself as a participant.

4. Customize your event page and invite others to join!

CREATE YOUR EVENT PAGE!

3 Spread the Word

Getting the word out about your event is key to your Walk's success! Officially, these responsibilities will belong to your Publicity, Recruitment, and Sponsorship Committees, but your entire Leadership Team will need to leverage their connections and reach out to their networks.

Go to the Walk for Water Resource Page for templates and tools that will help you spread the word!

PROMOTING

Think creatively about ways to reach different audiences!

• Build a Publicity Committee of creative, committed, marketing-savvy individuals.

• Use cost-effective email and social media to drive traffic to your event page.

• Post your event on free online community calendars.

• Take advantage of all speaking opportunities.

• Hang flyers around town, send PSAs to your local radio station, send out press releases... just get the word out!

Tip: Flyer templates, sample press releases, and more can be found on the Walk for Water Resources Page.

RECRUITING

Every person that signs up for your Walk is a potential advocate and fundraiser. To effectively recruit participants:

• Build a Recruitment Committee of enthusiastic, friendly, and determined individuals.

• Set a recruitment goal and develop a strategy.

• Make it easy and accessible for participants to register and get involved.

• Inspire and support groups to achieve their goals.

Tip: Think about creative ways to recognize top fundraisers!

FUNDRAISING

There are several ways to raise funds through your event:

• Mobilize walkers to fundraise using their Participant Center on the event web site.

• Recruit sponsors to offset the cost of your event. Use the Sponsorship Booklet located on the Walk for Water Resources Page.

• Encourage donations for participation.

Tip: For more ideas, check out the Fundraising Best Practices guide on the Walk for Water Resources Page!

Register your event at watermission.org/walk to receive access to the Walk for Water Resource Page!

4 Walk for Water!By walking, you are acting in solidarity with those who are forced to make the dangerous, time-consuming trek every single day to provide water for their families. Through the funds and awareness raised by your Walk for Water, entire communities will be transformed through the power of safe water!

FAQsWho should I contact with questions about planning a Walk for Water?

Contact the Water Mission Regional Walk Coordinator at walk@walkforwatermission.org or 843.769.7395.

How will Water Mission use the money raised through our Walk for Water?

Funds raised by your event will be used where most needed in the following areas: • Country programs • Advocacy • Research and development • Disaster relief

Charity Navigator has awarded Water Mission its top, 4-star rating ten years in a row, a distinction shared by only one percent of charities rated by the organization. For more information, please review our financials online at watermission.org.

How do I edit the templates provided on the Walk for Water Resource Page?

The Resource Page provides you with many useful templates.

To edit Microsoft Word templates: • Replace all highlighted text

with details about your event. • Save the document on your

computer so that you do not lose your changes.

To edit Adobe Acrobat PDF templates: • When you open the PDF, you

will notice some text fields highlighted in light blue. Your pointer will change to a text icon as it moves over the highlighted fields.

• Enter details about your event into the highlighted fields.

• Save the document on your computer so that you do not lose your changes.

• Having trouble? Go to https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/filling-pdf-forms.html for more info.

Can event donors get tax receipts?

When donors give directly to Water Mission, whether online or by using the paper donation form, they will receive a tax receipt from Water Mission.

Will event donors be contacted by Water Mission or anyone else?

Donor names and contact information will never be sold or shared with other organizations. Donors who give directly to Water Mission will receive information about how their donations are being used to provide safe water around the world.

Register your event at watermission.org/walk to receive access to the Walk for Water Resource Page!