Good News for the Bad River

The Bad River Watershed Association (BRWA) protects a pristine watershed in a relatively poor rural area on the southern shore of Lake Superior.

Founded in 2002 at the urging of the Bad River Tribe and the local chapter of the League of Women Voters, BRWA began to plan for future growth in 2005 when it developed and implemented a fundraising plan with the help of River Network’s Watershed Support Network. Too reliant on a few grants, it began soliciting individual gifts, despite the fact that much of the area’s population is poor; within a year donations had begun to flow.

BRWA leaders looked for guidance from River Network and Watershed Support Network partner, River Alliance of Wisconsin, as they hired their first executive director and began to install professional systems. The group soon acquired a reputation for solid technical work, and the demand for its services grew. In 2008, the Executive Director focused part of her time on organizational development. She made use of resources from River Network and River Alliance of Wisconsin, both coordinated through the Watershed Support Network (WSN), and hired a Citizen Involvement Coordinator and Watershed Action Director. The organization also received its first private foundation grant in 2008.

By 2011, the organization netted its first contracts for services from local governments, which themselves have little expertise in water quality, and continued to bring in more private foundation dollars. Thanks to grants from Wisconsin DNR and River Network, BRWA implemented a new donor, member and volunteer database. Recently, the Executive Director raised individual gifts from the Board of Directors to jump-start a new fundraising initiative. Today BRWA has a diverse fundraising plan with income from a number of sustainable sources.