CURRENT SITUATION

The mission of the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary is to prevent the loss of life and injury at sea through SAR response, prevention and safety-related activities.

The demand on the CCGA continues to rise at a rate of 2% per year since 1993 (ref. 1999 report to the Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard). This growth is expected to continue. A number of new CCGA units are planned to help cope with this including in geographical areas outside of the traditional CCGA territory.

Strategic Challenge 1 is to improve SAR coverage and response in order to provide both a better quantitative and qualitative service, i.e. greater cover and an ability to achieve more in SAR and Boating Safety activities.

PROGRESS MADE IN 1999-2000

The CCGA-N supports capacity enhancement of Auxiliary units by providing them with equipment and by co-ordinating the development of training standards and of a SAR reference manual. Organization of National SAR competitions also contribute to better training, pride of membership and teambuilding.

Training must still be improved in order to ensure that each crewmember is demonstrably fit to do the tasks they are required to undertake. This needs to be done recognising the time demand on volunteers.

PRIORITIES FOR 2000-2001

Development of criteria and funding guidelines allowing CCGA regional associations to evaluate feasibility and viability of expansion projects.

Develop an expansion policy in inland waters and in the Arctic.

Implement Awards Program in order to promote recognition of auxiliarists.

Regional associations should work with regional CCG and forecast the growth rate of the Auxiliary in coming years and make this information available to the National Office. Relevant information will be required in order to renew the Contribution Agreement.

CONCERNS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Increase in funding from the Contribution Agreement has been justified with the increasing demand on services provided by the CCGA. This is why the annual compilation of SAR taskings and safe boating activities is so important. The CCGA must make sure it is reporting accurate figures that depict the true demand on the organisation.

At the same time, a trend seems to be developing where regional CCG reduce their support to the CCGA (scaling down of loan programs, less training and exercises, vessel inspections conducted by CCGA employees rather than CCG employees, etc.) This trend represents additional recurring costs to the CCGA even before an increase in caseload happens.

Recruiting CCGA members is left to the discretion of regional Associations. Because of a significant variance in recruiting strategies, and because of costs associated to membership increase, members of the National Council should discuss this issue with CCG representatives to ensure proper planning in the medium to long term.

Strategic Challenge 2

TO CLARIFY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AMONGST CCGA BOARDS AND STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CCGA AND ITS PARTNERS

CURRENT SITUATION

The National Office works closely with members of the CCG and other partners on matters of common interest.

National Office is involved in the following activities :

Collaborate with CCG in order to negotiate and purchase insurance coverage, establish reimbursement rates, update National Guidelines and establish budget allocations. Maintain & cultivate relationship with the office of the Commissioner and with the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS).

CCGA-N also supervises the following programs:

Policy development

National Awards Program National Training Standards Fundraising Guidelines Uniform Guidelines

Activities

National Fundraising Programs International Relations (USCGA, RNLI, AFRAS, etc.) Operator Proficiency Card National SAR skills competition Communication, Marketing & Public Relations

PROGRESS MADE IN 1999-2000

Activity reports to the Commissioner Annual Report to the Commissioner Mandate given to R. Petitpas & S. Daoust (Identify Respective Responsibilities) Mandate given to Harry Strong (How to improve relationship with CCG)

PRIORITIES IN 2000-2001

Develop business plan for national office. Require a statement of actual expenditures at year-end as part of Business Plan preparation.

Improve communications, develop synergies & co-ordinate fundraising efforts with regional business managers.

Conduct exploratory work to renew Contribution Agreement with the Canadian Coast Guard.

Conciliate national and regional priorities. Identify areas where joint efforts will be beneficial to all parties.

CONCERNS AND UNCERTAINTIES

As indicated during the FOCUS SAR 1999 meeting, CCG HQ and CCG in the regions need to be clear and consistent when identifying what it expects from the Auxiliary.

Strategic Challenge 3

DIVERSIFY AND EXPAND FUNDING BASE TO GENERATE NET INCOME AND MEET INCREASING NEEDS

CURRENT SITUATION

Part of the mandate of the National Office is to contribute to the financial needs of the CCGA by developing & cultivating long term and high quality relationships with its partners and supporters:

The Canadian Coast Guard (Contribution Agreement) (Increase of $1M in 2000-2001, Projected increase of $500K in 2001-2002) The National Search and Rescue Secretariat ($825K 3-year NIF Proposal, SARSCENE, etc.) Private Corporations (Sponsorship Agreements, etc.) etc.

PROGRESS MADE IN 1999-2000

Plans to raise supplemental income targeted at developing and sustaining a steady growth. The largest source of income will continue to be the Contribution Agreement with the Canadian Coast Guard. Capital appeals and corporate support will be pursued as an additional source of revenue. The CCGA needs to plan its long-term future which means to build a support base and also gather sufficient financial reserves to be able to maintain its services in the face of any fluctuation in government funding.

The CCGA National Office aims at collaborating with the regional CCGA Associations to raise funds from a diverse range of sources to contribute significantly to the financial needs of the Auxiliary in the short and long term.

Examples of newly introduced programs:

• PCOC public training program implemented in the Laurentian region 
• Sponsorship campaign for the CCGA National Competition;
• Government Workplace Charitable Campaign;
• Creation of CCGA Endowment Fund ($5,000.00 donation from CCG); - etc.

PRIORITIES IN 2000-2001

The priority for the current fiscal year is to implement sustainable fundraising programs & strategies in order to achieve optimal levels of income in the long term and develop a diverse base of funding sources to reduce dependency on government funding.

To support the development of individual donor lists, a new CCGA leaflet will be developed that would include a registration coupon for those interested in getting info from the CCGA. Respondents information would be used in developing a prospect list and used in national/regional direct mailing programs.

A number of strategic initiatives are underway and new ones will be implemented.

The main challenges to be addressed by the National Office fundraising efforts in 2000 include:

1. Development of a mix of fundraising activities in order to generate a durable net income for the Auxiliary.
2. Diversification and Experimentation: the period of initial implementation of fundraising programs provides opportunities to test new techniques, products, methods and media as well as identifying markets.
3. CCGA Identification: We need to establish a clear distinction for the public between the CCG and CCGA and to change the perception by the public that CCGA is entirely dependent on government funding. We need to make the case for additional financial support from the public and corporations.
4. New markets. We need to raise the profile and visibility of the CCGA outside the boating community in order to be successful when making appeals for donations.

CCGA Fundraising Key Targets

1. To initiate sustainable revenue generating activities
2. This will be achieved by working to :
    2.1. Encourage regional fundraising activities
        2.1.1. PCOC Program
        2.1.2. Regional SAR Competitions
    2.2. Initiate personal donor program
        2.2.1. Develop policy (National vs. Regional Programs) to ensure appeals are not conflicting with each other
        2.2.2. Recruit new supporters by direct mail or door-drops
        2.2.3. Develop mailing lists of target groups (rescued mariners, people attending boat shows, etc.) Analyse feasibility of identifying prospects using CCGA safe boating activities.
    2.2.4. Target cost-effective response rates in the near term
    2.2.5. Test and update recruitment materials as appropriate by continually reviewing their performance
    2.2.6. Develop program to convert new donors to regular giving
    2.3. Initiate corporate fundraising activities
        2.3.1. National SAR Competition Sponsorship
        2.3.2. CCGA Awards Sponsorship
    2.4. Evaluate feasibility of Associate Member status and dues
    2.5. Introduce advertising revenues in the Auxiliarist & CCGA National Website
    2.6. Initiate CCG-CCGA Merchandising Program
    2.7. Prepare proposals to Foundations

CCGA Fundraising Key Tasks

National Business Manager
1. To manage national fundraising programs and meet fundraising targets
    1.1. Manage national appeals
    1.2. Manage national sponsorship campaigns
    1.3. Make contact and establish relationship with prospects (major donors)
    1.4. Retain and upgrade donors to higher values of involvement
2. To support regional fundraising programs and regional business managers
    2.1. Support development of regional volunteer fundraising programs
    2.2. Support development of fundraising products for volunteers
    2.3. Support development of regional appeals
3. To manage and co-ordinate marketing activities
4. Maintain a proper cost ratio for all national fundraising activities
5. To engage the CCGA with selected companies through sponsorship, licensing and promotional activities in order to enhance the image and brand values of the Auxiliary and to create opportunities for the CCGA to raise funds. Specifically:
    5.1. To investigate corporate partnerships that will enhance the image and brand values of the CCGA
    5.2. To reduce the cost base of certain CCGA procurements through sponsorships
    5.3. To develop and manage an advertising and insert strategy for The Auxiliarist and the national WEB site
    5.4. To develop and manage a member benefit strategy related to corporate relationships
6. To improve the effectiveness of CCGA fundraising through development of accurate and appropriate information, specifically :
    6.1. Development of fundraising performance indicators
    6.2. Co-ordination and collation of business plans, budgets and forecasts for all national and regional fundraising programs

CONCERNS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Assess internal readiness. Evaluate if and how CCGA members are willing to contribute to fundraising activities.

Time constraints: due to limited resources at the national office, all programs cannot be initiated at the same time. Unless regional Associations commit to support and lead some initiatives, an order of priority will have to be established.

Strategic Challenge 4

TO ENHANCE THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC AWARENESS AND THE PERCEPTION OF THE CCGA BY THE PUBLIC, AND TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE ORGANISATION

CURRENT SITUATION

The CCGA needs to create a high public awareness and a propensity of people to give support to the Auxiliary.

Internally, one of the roles of the National office is to keep members of the National Council informed of trends, changes and current affairs.

The following programs are currently in place or will be in the near future:

• Press Clippings
• The Auxiliarist 
• Corporate Video 
• Marketing Brochure 
• Public Service Announcement 
• National WEB Site

Public Relations

In line with the requirement to build long-term support for a service facing growing demands into the foreseeable future, the CCGA public relation programs have ambitious targets to raise awareness of the organization.

PROGRESS MADE IN 1999-2000

Presentations at NACON, SARSCENE, RNLI, etc. Development of marketing tools (video, brochure, PSA, media coverage at competitions, etc.) Memorandum of Understanding with USCGA.

PRIORITIES IN 2000-2001

Investigate feasibility of PSA or insert in newspapers Investigate feasibility of sponsored Ad for Safe Boating Week 2001 Fundraising Newsletter (Insert in The Auxiliarist + prospects list) Initiate preparatory work for CCGA 25th anniversary (major awareness campaign) Initiate preparatory work for first national Awards ceremony (2001) Investigate development of tools to measure CCGA’s level of public awareness

CONCERNS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Raising the profile of a non-profit organisation must be viewed as a gradual, step-by-step process. In the context of the competitive environment in which the CCGA intends to fundraise, it is important that a highly visible identity be promoted and the good things Auxiliarist do, to obtain the best media coverage possible.

The CCGA should investigate and discuss with the regional associations the possibility of issuing regular press releases on the SAR cases it handles and appoint in each region a spokesperson in charge of media relations. Without visibility, any fundraising effort targeting individuals or corporations will be of limited effectiveness.