Friends,
Jeff Chase, VP of Philanthropy, and Camille Rodriquez, VP of Marketing & Communications, have put together this update as a form of “looking back and looking forward” related to Watershed Weekend.
First, let’s do some “looking back.” As we have heard, the first Watershed Weekend event in May was a huge undertaking, and we have shared and celebrated the funding that resulted from this unique event. But we have heard some of you ask, “What has happened since?” regarding our donor relationships. Great question!
In addition to the fundraising value, the other benefit of a Watershed Weekend event is the hope for deeper connections and community-building among our supporters, both with us directly, and also amongst the attendees themselves. Here are a few examples of how we have seen this happen since our first event:
One couple was so compelled by the story of the dry corridor shared at Watershed that they arranged and hosted a “Ripples of Hope” event at their home in July. To date, it has raised $40,000, generating additional “above and beyond” funding from this couple, and brought several new donors into the organization. They have also shared a referral for this next Watershed Weekend in May 2025.
July 2024 Ripples of Hope gathering hosted generous Living Water supporters
Another donor has felt enough connection to Living Water as a result of the Watershed event that he agreed to go through the process to become an Advisory Board member. While this is still in its early stages, it shows his desire to help at another level beyond his generous giving!
Two sisters-in-law who attended Watershed Weekend said they were extremely blessed by the event. They are working hard to coordinate schedules to get their husbands there this year, as well as additional contacts that could impact the mission.
We also know that other attendees exchanged contact info and are connecting on their own to maintain the relationships that were formed during the weekend!
In the spirit of “looking forward,” here are some updates on the next Watershed Weekend event, planned for May 1-May 4 at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina.
An early “Hold the Date” card went out this summer, and we’ve already seen a few registrations come in from that early mailing. It’s exciting to see such enthusiasm because our first round of official invitations go into the mail this month!
Something new this year is the creation of a Host Committee. Host Committee members are supporters who attended last year and have agreed to help us bring in new guests who might not have heard of Living Water before but could make a transformational impact in the work that we do. Yesterday was our kick-off call, and we are excited to have this additional level of support from these donors this year.
Montage Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina
We are also finalizing our speaking lineup this month, but this is looking to be another outstanding event! We are excited to share that our keynote speaker will be Jon Acuff, a recent GLS speaker and author of several books including Soundtracks (one that many of you have mentioned really enjoying!). Stay tuned for other updates regarding our staff speakers and full lineup in the coming month.
Our goal is to have 60-70 couples registered for Watershed Weekend by the end of January. This is an aggressive goal, but with the enthusiasm we’ve seen from last year’s event, the creation of a Host Committee to support our efforts, and God’s favor, we believe this is possible!
Please join us in continued prayer for those who attended in 2024 and for the Lord to bring the right people to the 2025 event. Blessings!