A series of lawn signs appearing across Moose Jaw is encouraging residents to think about the future of charitable giving.
The campaign, led by the Saskatchewan Community Foundation, aims to raise awareness about legacy giving and how donations can support communities for generations.
Luke Schenher, the Local Marketing Student Lead with the foundation, said the campaign was designed to create curiosity and start conversations.
“It’s really to create a shock factor, get people thinking, get people curious,” Schenher said.
The campaign began three years ago in Regina before expanding to other communities, including Moose Jaw.
Campaign highlights legacy giving
Schenher said the lawn signs were intentionally created without immediately identifying the organization behind the message.
The goal was to encourage residents to learn more about the foundation and the work it does across Saskatchewan.
“We didn’t include our company name on the signs kind of on purpose, so that people went and looked them up on their own,” he said.
The campaign focuses on legacy giving, which allows individuals to create long-term support for causes that are important to them.
Schenher said a common misconception is that legacy giving is only available to people with significant wealth.
"Legacy giving really is for everyone,"
He said a legacy fund can begin with a pledge and grow over time through smaller contributions.
Schenher said funds can begin granting once they reach $10,000, allowing donations to support community causes in the future.
“It can be something that you pledge just to do over your life in small chunks, and eventually it’ll get to that stage where it’s ready to grant,” he said.
Merica Weslowski (photo credit: Saskatchewan Community Foundation).
Connecting donors with community causes
Schenher said the campaign is not intended to compete with other charities but rather connect donors with causes that are meaningful to them.
The Saskatchewan Community Foundation works with donors to support charitable organizations and community initiatives across the province.
According to Schenher, the foundation distributed more than $7 million last year to more than 200 charities across more than 400 communities.
"Our purpose is to help you build a lasting legacy in your community, something that you can pass down to your children and pass down for generations,"
Luke Schenher going door to door (photo credit: Saskatchewan Community Foundation).
Student-led community outreach
The Moose Jaw campaign has been largely organized by summer students, who helped design materials, plan outreach routes and connect with residents.
Schenher said the student-led approach is similar to other community initiatives, including the Heart of Moose Jaw event held earlier this year.
He said both projects gave students the opportunity to take an active role in community engagement.
“It’s really exciting just having this opportunity as someone in university to be able to have that trust where people trust you to plan something out,” he said.
Schenher said the campaign is ultimately about showing residents that charitable giving can take different forms and create a lasting impact.
Merica Weslowski (photo credit: Saskatchewan Community Foundation).