Introduction To The Chapter Coordinator Onboarding Course

First of all, thank you for being you, and wanting to be part of a growing nonprofit that helps everyone who feels a connection with our community to build their confidence and community through adventure.

You have been chosen to be a part of our team of chapter coordinators, and we are very excited to work with you.

This course will help answer your questions and provide guidelines about your new position. Whether you’re holding meet ups or fundraisers, we want to ensure that we are all consistent, inclusive, and providing the same meaningful experience to everyone in our global community.

In this role, you will positively impact lives, and your life will be positively impacted.

The more ladies we meet, the more we realize that this is more than an adventure; it is a community where women+ can be themselves and discover life-long lasting friendships. We chose you to be a chapter coordinator because we feel that you represent everything we stand for and will help share the love we have for our community.

We look forward to working with you.

Note: Completion of this course is mandatory for the role. Once you complete this course, you will be gifted access to all of our other courses as our thanks to you for being a part of our family.

What does this course include?

This onboarding course is the heartbeat of our family. This course helps us ensure our methods are consistent across the country, and that our values are reflected within each chapter. This course will become your key to developing an extraordinary chapter that works, supports our Foundation’s goals, and builds confidence and community through adventure.

The instruction that we are sharing with you in this course will help you build a chapter that is engaged, excited, passionate, and inclusive. The checklists involved in creating an event have been trialed, tested, adjusted and constantly improved to help you create your perfect event.

We have spent years hosting free and paid events, countless hours building and now rebuilding this course, and time reviewing your application to ensure that you have the best experience hosting your events and building your chapter.

We care. A whole heck of a lot. We hope that you go through this course with excitement and motivation, taking the tips and tricks you learn here into your Facebook groups, and into your events to help you create a successful chapter.

Our systems, our checklists and our growth strategies are important to us – and with these strategies in place plus your motivation and hustle we look forward to watching you succeed.

This course goes through the following:

Introduction of the L. A. Foundation, including definitions, our mission and vision, collaborations, legal and things we need to mention
Allyship training and land acknowledgement guidance
Guided tutorials on how to create and market your events
Examples on how to build and grow your local chapter
Legal documents
Scripts for introducing events
Safety, including safety at indoor events, outdoor events, hiking safety in the winter and summer, bear safety, avalanche safety and wilderness first aid*
Guidance on how to work with media and apply for funding
Access to a resource library, tools, and other resources that will aid in your creation of your chapter.

*Note: We are not licensed to teach first aid – this is not formal first aid instruction. This is a collection of quick tips and a guide to find courses that can help you grow in this area.

We want this course to be something you visit repeatedly. Each time you have a question, need guidance or seek ideas for growth, we want this course to be your first stop. Please ensure you bookmark this course to help you easily access it’s guidance each time you create an event.

Before we begin, let’s make sure we are all connected:

You’ve already met her, but let’s ensure you are connected with our Foundation CEO and Chapter Coordinator Manager Kieren Britton on Facebook and Instagram. All chapter related questions should be sent through Facebook Messenger or through email to kieren@theladyalliance.com
You will see some communications come from our Amplify Director, Christina Radvak. These are usually in the form of feature social posts on our brand partner pages. Christina is in our group chat, and will every so often request videos, photos and content. You are not required to take part in these requests, but it’s a fun way to have your events showcased on our partner’s social accounts. Christina also takes care of our fundraising, so any donations or donation based questions should be sent to them at amplify@theladyalliance.com.
Don’t forget to join the following Lady Alliance channels

Let’s grab a cup of your favourite hot bevy, cuddle up in a blanket and let’s dive in to this review of your new volunteer position – a Lady Alliance Chapter Coordinator!

Shall we begin?

The History Of The Lady Alliance

After being told too many times that she was “brave for a girl”, Kieren Britton, founder of The Lady Alliance Foundation, had had enough. We have this bravery in all of us, it’s not restricted by gender. Kieren was determined to bring this to light.

The Lady Alliance started as an Instagram gallery in December of 2016. As our social media accounts grew, so did the demand for in person adventure. By July 2017 the demand was strong enough that The Lady Alliance opened registration to our first long weekend mountain retreat in British Columbia thanks to the help of our sponsors MEC and the Alpine Club of Canada. Only two weeks after the launch, the capacity of 30 spots was filled, allowing for our community to meet in person and spend a weekend hiking together.

Foundation Definitions

To ensure consistent communication across the country, we have developed a Lady Alliance Foundation definition sheet. These definitions tend to be common questions from your community members. Reviewing these definitions will help you share our values within your chapter.

Act: means the Societies Act of British Columbia as amended from time to time; relevant to our Foundation Bylaws, in our Resource Library.

Affiliate Link: This is a link we set up for you to complete, allowing you to make money on sales you bring to The Lady Alliance (think commissions). Affiliate links are available only for our apparel. The affiliate link helps us track where sales are coming from. A customer will click your link, and be directed to our sales page. Behind the scenes our payment processor is tracking that sale, knowing that it originated through your link. Once they purchase, our payment processor will automatically set aside a portion of the customer’s payment for you to receive. We wait 7 days to be sure their credit card goes through properly, then the payment is sent to you automatically.

Board: means the directors of the Society and any ex officio members of the Board; relevant to our Foundation Bylaws, in our Resource Library.

Bylaws: These are the rules that govern our nonprofit. Bylaws are altered from time to time, and when altered all voting members of our society will be able to vote on changes. These are found in our Resource Library.

Chapter Group: These are your local adventurers within your area, or Chapter. You will communicate to your chapter group through you local Facebook chapter – a Facebook group that is location specific – as well as through a monthly newsletter to your location specifically. For those who choose, you can set up an Instagram page for your local chapter as well.

Collaborations: The action of working with someone to produce or create something. These are partnerships with local groups, businesses or individuals that are mutually beneficial. We go through a chapter on how to plan collaborations.

Executive Director: means the founder of the Society, or the person appointed or elected by the Board to fill that role if the founder resigns.

Global Event: This is an event planned and hosted by the global team.

Organizational Structure: An organizational structure is a system that outlines how certain activities are directed in order to achieve the goals of an organization.

Society: means The Lady Alliance Foundation. Interchangeably “Foundation” or “The Lady Alliance”.

Supporter Dashboard: This is a digital panel that allows you to access the benefits of being a member, and the tools of being a Chapter Coordinator. Depending on the viewers access they will see what they need to see. Subscription based donors will see our online courses, opportunities for public voting, and a calendar of events. Chapter coordinators will see all of that, plus your onboarding course and resources.

Unity Collective: Unity Collective is a collaboration effort led by our founder Kieren to unite outdoor and empowerment communities such as Colour The Trails, Women Who Explore, Indigenous Women Outdoors, Mountain Girls, She Jumps, Women Who Hike and more. We do not see similar communities as competition, rather we identify ways in which we can collaboratively and mutually grow together.

Waivers: These are legal forms that release the liability of mishap from us for each attendee. These forms protect you – the Chapter Coordinator – as well as the community.

Roles + Memberships

Directors: Directors are responsible for managing and supervising the activities and affairs of the corporation. Generally, the directors are elected by the members, and the members are admitted by the board (in accordance with the articles and conditions set out in the by-laws).

Committee Members: These are volunteers with a specific role within the Foundation. Committee members fall within a certain committees and volunteer their time each month to help provide monthly emails, fundraise, contact companies, plan scholarships and more.

Voting Members: These are members that have opted in to vote on our large company changes. These individuals comprise of ex-directors, committee members, chapter coordinators or highly involved community members that would like to be involved in the large decisions related to our Foundation.

Chapter Coordinators: This is you! You are a volunteer that feels a connection to our values, and wants to create a customized Lady Alliance chapter in your hometown. You create monthly events for your local voting and non-voting members to attend. As a chapter coordinator you have access to our online course dashboard for free, and you are a voting member helping direct the growth of our community.

Non-Voting (Active) Members: These are the individuals that attend your events, apply for scholarships, engage with our content and are involved in The Lady Alliance Foundation without taking an active role in The Lady Alliance’s growth or progression.

Types of Donors + Supporters

Subscription Donors: Subscription donors are the individuals who have subscribed to one or more of our courses through our course platform. These can be voting or non-voting members.

Direct Scholarship Partners: These are brands that want to support an entire group through a course. For example: MEC is the Direct Scholarship Partner of an Avalanche Safety Training Course. That means MEC has sponsored all 6 people’s full cost of registration for that course.

One Time Donors: These are one off donors that have donated through our website.

Event Attendee Donors: These are the donations that come through Eventbrite from your events. Some people register for free, some people choose to become Event Attendee Donors and choose to donate to attend that event.

Educators: Educators are our course instructors or facilitators that have worked with us to provide our scholars with their course.

Most important definition of them all…

Woman+: an inclusive term which the Society uses to recognize different identifies pertaining to the socially defined gender spectrum, including all those that see themselves as women or nonbinary individuals, as well as those exploring gender identity and who feel safety and solace within our community; this can include, but is not limited to: transwomen, femmes, 2-spirited people, genderfluid people, gender nonconforming people, nonbinary people, cis women, transmen, cis-adjacent individuals, and anyone who identifies with our community in a way that is significant to them.

You will most likely see us use the term women+ in a sentence that reads “women+, nonbinary adventures and allies” to ensure that we encompass everyone.

These definitions will help you with each of our events moving forward! Let’s jump into chapter one – Organizational structure, legal and the stuff we’ve gotta say (but wish we didn’t).

Organizational Structure

Mission, Vision and Our Brand

Our Vision

Our vision is to create an outdoor industry with a diverse representation of leaders, allowing for everyone to see themselves outside. By creating free, inclusive, supportive and engaged local communities for women+ worldwide The Lady Alliance Foundation will create experiences, positivity, a sense of belonging and empowerment through social events around Canada.

Our Mission

The Lady Alliance Foundation aims to break down barriers to the outdoors by providing scholarships to help change the face of leadership in the outdoor industry, and build confidence and community through adventure.

Ladies in front of the A O Wheeler hut at a retreat in 2018.

Our Brand

Our brand is unique because of our dedication to mental health and adventure. Finding a balance between both mental health and adventure within your chapter will help us continue to set The Lady Alliance Foundation apart from other outdoor communities.

Protecting our brand is something we take seriously. Our trademark, name, logo and taglines produce a brand image that our community has come to know and love. We believe that you share the same values and will represent us well. Logos are available for you to use. If you plan to print banners or marketing material using our logo please submit a proof for approval to kieren@theladyalliance.com or use the templates provided in our resource library.

Let’s dive into The Lady Alliance even more and learn about our organizational structure.

Foundation Organizational Structure

Our organizational structure will help you understand who you report to, and how we plan to grow. As a nonprofit we are a team. Each board director is equal. Each committee member is equal. Each Chapter Coordinator is equal. Below is a definition of each role:

Committee Members: These are volunteers with a specific role within the Foundation. Committee members fall within a certain committee and volunteer their time each month to help provide monthly emails, fundraise, contact companies, plan scholarships and more.

Subscription Donors: Subscription donors are the individuals who have subscribed to our monthly donation platform. As a thanks for their donation they have access to our online course dashboard. These can be voting or non-voting members.

What you may see is that our different positions overlap with each other. A chapter coordinator is also a voting member. A chapter coordinator can also be a voting member as well as a committee member that has a specific role within the foundation. A director can be a voting member as well as a subscription donor, and chapter coordinators can also be one time donors as well. You are going to see a lot of these roles overlapping within one individual.

As a chapter coordinator, you are running your local community either independently or with a local team of chapter coordinators. You have monthly events, and are the heartbeat of our community.

Let’s dive into some of the things we wish we didn’t have to say…

The Legal

The Legal Side of Our Foundation

Before we go further, this course is not a contract nor a document outlining compulsory activities. It is a guideline for you as a chapter coordinator to better understand The Lady Alliance Foundation.

That being said, if we do hear that you are operating outside our values or not upholding our community standards, we will be reaching out. We see this course as a vital part of becoming a chapter coordinator.

You are responsible for each decision you make as a Chapter Coordinator. We have chosen to work with you because we trust you to make good decisions. If you have questions, reach out to our team and make a collaborative effort to feel confident in the decisions you make. But just like your attendees fill out a waiver releasing you of the liability – you are fully responsible for each of your actions as well.

*Note: Chapter Coordinators are covered under our insurance WITH WAIVERS IN PLACE. Without proper waiver execution, our insurance policy is not guaranteed. More on waiver execution in our Waiver chapter.

How long will I be a Chapter Coordinator?

We hope our relationship will be long term, and have signed a one year contract together. However, The Lady Alliance Foundation or you can end the relationship at any time with or without notice, with reason, to the extent allowed by law. We hope you see the value of staying on long term, as we have dedicated time and resources to your training and see you as family.

We encourage open communication. We are here to provide you the support you need to run your events and answer any questions that you may have, and hope to be a part of the local communities that you create.

The longer you stay with The Lady Alliance Foundation, the more you will see change and growth. The guidelines in this course are subject to change as the community grows. From time to time, you may receive notice of new or modified policies, procedures, and events. Any changes or important information will be communicated to all our chapter coordinators through email or through our Chapter Coordinator Facebook group.

Non-Compete, Non-Disclosure, and Confidentiality Agreement

You have signed a non-compete, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement. If you have not yet completed your contract, please do so here.

Below we explain all three agreements, but keep in mind the agreements are not limited to what is described here. Refer to your contract for further explanation.

The Non-Compete is relatively general. We have joined forces with you because of your passion for building confidence in women+ and your excitement towards adventure and mental wellness. If you have held events for women+ prior to The Lady Alliance Foundation, or want to continue holding events for women+ after your time with The Lady Alliance Foundation, we commend you and encourage you to do so. We will not limit you from creating and hosting events after your time with the Foundation.

Additionally, during your time with The Lady Alliance Foundation we hope that our local reach and community can help grow your own personal initiatives. If you currently write a local or travel blog, or teach yoga classes, please bring the entirety of you to our community. We love celebrating all that you do.

This non-compete is asking that you do not replicate the private information you are privy to with your new position as a chapter coordinator, and that you respect any proprietary information shared with you. This includes direct contacts to our key sponsors, duplicating our waivers, utilizing our name for growth, renaming and/or taking our community upon dissolution of our partnership.

To further clarify, upon dissolution of our partnership we would discuss your final goodbye post within your local chapter prior to your posting it and we would keep the local chapter Facebook group. If you chose to create an Instagram account for your local chapter you would get to either keep that local Instagram account yourself (removing all ties to The Lady Alliance Foundation) or hand it off to the next chapter coordinator in your area.

In our Non-Disclosure we ask that our model is not copied. We ask that unreleased events or our strategies, internal documents and formulas are not shared with other companies or your own upcoming ventures. We ask that you do not share our business growth strategy, or other business growth opportunities.

However we hope that you learn a lot through your partnership with us, and hope you use your general learnings to expand your own lives during and after your time with The Lady Alliance Foundation.

Our confidentiality agreement is primarily focused on the information you will receive from participants. Emails, addresses, names and other personal information must remain protected with The Lady Alliance Foundation. Any emails or data copied, stolen, or used after termination is illegal under the Personal Information Protection Act, and can be legally prosecuted.

This is one of the two we-hate-that-we-need-to-say-it sections. There is one more final section on these topics, let’s continue.

Unfortunately We Have To Say It…

There are some things we don’t want to say, but do need to cover. These next few points help us provide you with a clear understanding of what is expected of you, and what the consequences are if these expectations are not followed.

These are in no way threats, or are being used as intimidation deterring you from enjoying your Chapter Coordinator position.

These are just reminders so that you can anticipate issues and less discussions before they need to happen, ensuring we are all being accountable for ourselves.

Please remember:

1) We are anti-discrimination, and are always inclusive. Though our name discourages other genders from joining our women+ events, anyone that comes is included and felt welcome.

We only use our title and our advertising as deterrents. But will never exclude anyone seeking community.

Remember, there is always more to their story. We do ask that you do not outwardly invite men, and if your male friends ask if they can come you make an educated decision based on the comfort levels of the new women+ and nonbinary adventurers joining your community. Our overall goal is to ensure no one feels excluded, but we protect our attendee’s needs for privacy, safety and comfort levels all at the same time. Delicate balance, isn’t it?

2) Adhere to site regulations. On a trail? Check dog and leash regulations. At a venue? Follow the venue rules. Whether its a venue or mother nature, always follow your host (or Mother Nature’s) on-site rules. We pick up during and after the event, follow all COVID restrictions locally, and respect the trail.

3) Dress appropriately for the event you are attending when representing The Lady Alliance Foundation. Whether that means being prepared for the weather, or in a way that respects the brands we are hosting an event alongside or any fundraising brand recognition… your image is the image of The Lady Alliance Foundation.

4) Be punctual. It will build your community’s trust in you.

5) Avoid conflict. Customers are not always be right. But it is our job to make them think they are. Every concern comes from a kernel of truth. As leaders we get to objectively determine how large this kernel is. But remember, safety always comes first.

6) Use appropriate language and tone. You will put a lot of passion and effort into events, yet you will not make everyone happy. And sometimes that is a tough pill to swallow. Your perceived tone and proper response is crucial in order to retain the respect of your community.

7) Be kind, and share positive, relaxed energy. Remember if you are stressed, others will feel it. Take a breathe and execute your event as planned or adjust as needed. And always, above all else, be kind and enjoy your own event!

8) Waivers and submission of waivers are an absolute must. Waiver guidelines must be followed. We have automated this process as much as we possibly can, but we need to trust that you are reviewing the waivers and confirming everything has been received. Without the submission of waivers you are no longer covered under our insurance AND it is grounds for immediate contract dissolution.

9) If used, incident reports must be submitted properly, and a notification texted to Kieren immediately after the event.

10) Land Acknowledgements, as well as our introduction script provided, must be properly delivered upon the introduction of your event. Land Acknowledgements are a baseline value of ours, and must be properly researched, pronounced and delivered with respect.

And lastly, and very importantly 11) Please stay in communication with us. If we do not see events happening in your chapter, or have not had communication from you we will assume you are no longer with us. In the past we have spent countless hours chasing down volunteers. These hours could be dedicated to helping our chapters grow or providing the best scholarship opportunities. Time we take chasing you down is time stolen from the foundation. Keep us posted on your events, be real with us regarding your needs, and stay in communication.

Warnings

Unless your actions are considered extreme and in need of immediate termination, you will receive 3 official warnings prior to action being taken.

Upon a warning we want to encourage an open discussion. We will seek to understand before we seek to be heard. We will open a dialogue with you to see what your reasons for the action were. If still deemed appropriate, you will receive a warning.

These three warnings will come from your Coordinator Manager. Waivers or incident reports not being used properly, location based restrictions or rules not being followed, no events or a chapter coordinator disappearing on us, or Land Acknowledgements not being said will jump you to a final warning. These five elements are considered our top priorities.

Remember, you are our family. First and foremost we have your back, and want to hear you out.

Termination

After 3 warnings, or when an occurrence is deemed extreme, our partnership will be terminated. In the case of termination, you will be removed from our group chats and chapter coordinator facebook group, our dashboard, and will need to donate to receive access to our courses. You are welcome to stay a part of the group if you would like, as well as attend future events. You can also choose to remain a voting member to be involved in the direction of the foundation or to step away fully.

You will continue to be legally bound to our Non-Disclosure agreement (indefinitely), our Non-Compete clause (for one year) and our confidentiality agreement (indefinitely).

If you choose to end your contract with us as a Chapter Coordinator

If you choose to end your contract with us as a Chapter Coordinator, you will also be removed from our dashboard, and removed as an admin from your local chapter as well as our chapter coordinator Facebook group. Again, you are welcome to stay a part of your chapter, attend events, and be involved.

As with termination you will continue to be legally bound to our Non-Disclosure agreement (indefinitely), our Non-Compete clause (for one year) and our confidentiality agreement (indefinitely).

Note: Being a Chapter Coordinator means that we have trust in you. To show you this trust we have added you as an admin to your Facebook groups. Facebook groups are tracked and if “stolen” you will be charged $500 CAD for any group under 750 members, and $1500 CAD for any group over 750 members. We have placed this trust in you. We know you will not do this. But, that’s why this paragraph is in this lesson. Because we don’t want to have to say it!

Well, that was not nearly as fun as our other chapters. Ready to continue?

Allyship – Our Fundamental Value

The Actions of Allyship

The practice of allyship is a verb. It is actionary, always growing and always improving. In this chapter we will have one assignment for you to fulfill, and some reflection on how we can make your chapter a more inclusive place.

As our friends at Colour The Trails has helped us understand, community starts with an invitation. Representation, verbal and written invitations, and inclusive conversations are so important when we create and market our events.

In our next lessons we will dive into a Lady Alliance example of allyship, adjusting to always improve, dimensions of difference, privilege, advocacy, and your assignment. But first, let’s go through some definitions regarding allyship.

What is an ally?

An ally is any person that actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.

Remember that everyone has a power within them to uncover, but some individuals have more societally based layers covering this power.

Everyone has the ability to be an ally as privilege is intersectional – white women can be actionable allies to people of color, men can be allies to women, cis people can be allies to members of the LGBTQI2S+ community, able-bodied people can be allies to those with different abilities, economically privileged people can be allies to those who are not, the list goes on.

Everyone has privilege in some way or another, therefore everyone has the ability to be an ally.

What is allyship?

Allyship looks like:

a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and/or groups of people.
not self-defined—work and efforts must be recognized by those you are seeking to ally with.
an opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves, whilst building confidence in others.

Allyship is determined by the receiver more than the giver. If someone believes they are your ally, but unconsciously limits your ability to grow and flourish they are not truly being your ally.

Becoming actionable allies

To be allies, words and action must be in sync. Words without actions are detrimental and work against the practice of allyship.

To be a true ally, you should:

Lift others up by advocating,
Share growth opportunities with others,
Not view venting as a personal attack,
Recognize systematic inequalities and the impact of micro-aggressions,
Believe underrepresented people’s experiences, and that not all experiences are like your own, and
Most importantly – listen, support, self-reflect & change.

Small actions, big impact

Allyship is a continual investment of time in supporting others, holding ourselves accountable when mistakes are made, apologizing and being prepared to rework the approach towards allyship as needs change.

Diverse teams have the ability to make full-bodied solutions for society. It is of utmost importance to The Lady Alliance Foundation to build a team of diverse leaders.

Through personal actions, a more inclusive environment can be fostered by:

Calling out inappropriate behavior
Using proper land acknowledgements and learning the proper pronunciation of your local acknowledgements
Using inclusive language – Be aware of gendered terms, and use language which embraces all walks of people. For example, using “partner” instead of gendered terms such as “girl/boyfriend” or “husband/wife” to be more inclusive of those in the LGBTQ community.
Trying different recruitment and inclusion methods – To attract and retain different kinds of people into your community use different recruitment methods. Partner with organisations which actively push for equality in the outdoors, be present at conferences with your booth, and reach out to underrepresented people for their honest feedback on what they would look for in your local community to help build events that feel welcoming to everyone.
Recognizing our personal privilege and use it to amplify underrepresented voices – Understanding and recognizing privilege can be a daunting and uncomfortable task. Having uncomfortable conversations with yourself, understanding the systematic and societal issues which may have played in your favor is eye opening and allows you to use this privilege to amplify those who do not have it. Together we jump into privilege in the next chapter so that we can see this as a less daunting word.
Following an array of voices – Learning and growth will not happen without being challenged. Follow different people and listen to them. Challenge yourself to cross-examine your bias after learning from different voices.

In conclusion, a true ally must regularly listen to those around them, adapt their thinking, rework what they believe to be correct & become comfortable in being uncomfortable. That’s our Foundation’s goal.

What Is Privilege

Releasing The Ick We Feel With “Privilege”

Our tendency when we hear the word privilege is to become defensive, and think of all the times we have struggled or been wronged. How can someone of privilege have had all of that happen to us!?

Your right – that might not be where your privilege lies.

Privilege lies in the areas we are grateful.

Privilege lies within different layers of our socio economic systems.

Privilege lies within different areas for every single person.

But most importantly, privilege lies in the lacking of barriers. And how do you see something that is not there?

Socio-Economic Influences on Privilege

Privilege, or maybe the opposite – barriers – can be seen within each layer of the socio-economic system.

The lack of privilege for some can be affected by multiple facets of someone’s life.

Most people can only see within their micro and meso system. As soon as I start to say “It’s not MY fault I am a white passing mixed race woman” I start to lose the ability to see the way that racism functions beyond the structural barriers created by the Exosystem biases, and limit the change that could be created by utilizing the power in your privilege.

Ultimately, privilege is not a concept designed to make people feel guilty or to diminish their achievements. Instead, waking up to how you may have certain privileges is an essential first step towards being able to decisively act, in small and large ways, to use your privilege and make the systems we were born into fairer.

Identifying My Privilege

I encourage you to take a moment to reflect and see where your privileges – or lack of barriers – may lie. Do you resonate with any of these statements?

I can talk about my partner without worrying it will affect my colleagues’ attitudes towards me
I often see fair, positive, and nuanced depictions of people like me in the media
I can travel to other countries without worrying about personal risk
My partner and I can be affectionate in public without fearing for our safety
If I choose to raise children, I can be confident of general support from the community
I know where my next meal is coming from
I know that seatbelts, air-conditioning, and most medications are studied based on my body’s needs, hormones and average size and weight distribution so I have a larger chance at survival
When I go out I know I can find a washroom that I am comfortable in and feel safe to use
I have always known there are people in the world like me
I can move about my community without fear of harm, prosecution, mistrust, assistance, or ridicule
I can use my name without having to explain/change it to make it easier for others
I can access healthcare easily and without stress or worry
I can interact with police and other authorities without fear
I am able to engage in conversation easily and have someone understand me without extra support
I have a safe place to sleep tonight
I know that I can access a storefront that I choose to shop at
I can shop
I have the love and care of people around me

If these statements, or some of these statements, felt right to you, how can you become a better ally for those who may not resonate with these statements?

Allyship Is A Verb

The Lady Alliance’s Journey In Allyship

The Lady Alliance has had a journey of growth when it comes to allyship and the use of the word “WOMAN”.

In 2019 we started the Women’s Empowerment Festival. It was an incredible success, but we couldn’t help but see that by trying to create an inclusive outdoors by promoting and amplifying women, we were becoming exclusive. Using a gender binary term we were excluding some of the individuals whose stories we wanted to amplify. We wanted to celebrate women, nonbinary adventurers, those exploring the gender spectrum.

We lost track of the number, but a handful of times, at multiple different locations, we were asked in some way or another if other genders were welcome to our events. ⁣

This was primarily a conversation around the nonbinary community. Was this an event they could even attend?⁣

⁣The answer was a blatant, enthusiastic ABSOLUTELY. Every person is invited. Many genders have spoken at the events. And we wanted to be better at representing everyone – because let’s face it, we as a community had some growth in the DEI space to do back then – and continually.

So, we sought lived experiences and education in this area. We wanted to find a term that best suited our goals.

Though it is not our founder’s personal lived experience, she sought the perspectives of nonbinary friends, transwomen and leaders in the industry to help ensure we could cultivate a space that was safe for everyone involved. ⁣After searching for a more inclusive term, we were suggested to use the term womxn. Our understanding at the time was that this spelling of women with an x shifted the word women to a less gender binary term, expanding it’s inclusion.

We recognize that nonbinary individuals may not feel at home within a female spectrum – and in no way are we forcing feminism or a gender binary perspective on anyone. We want to amplify the lived experience of individuals experiencing patriarchal barriers through the creation of a community that if someone so chooses, they can feel safe within no matter who they are.⁣

It is their choice whether the feminine leaning representation within this community resonates with them, or not.

In 2020 we named the festival the Womxn’s Empowerment Festival.

Shortly after our first adjustment to “xn” and launching there was discussion around how the term womxn was an exclusionary term for some women because it was thought that this term specifically excluded transwomen. Transwomen are women, that are exponentially affected by a patriarchal system, and who’s stories deserve to be heard by the masses.

After having a thorough discussion with transwomen within our community and our consultant Amil we all felt as though this term was not used in an exclusionary manner, and actually the opposite – as at the time our feature speaker at the festival was a transwoman. Instead it showed our community that all women and beyond were included. But that did not deter us changing and improving.

After that festival we felt as though we needed to do better with our verbiage. Exclusion was never once considered, nor was our intent. But quite honestly, that’s in huge part due to the privilege we hold, something we are constantly unlearning to ensure we are unpacking power dynamics and their effect on our community. We wanted to adjust alongside the verbiage that was expanding.

But that is the beauty behind a collaborative effort in DEI and growth. It means we are always learning, always growing. That’s allyship.

The Lady Alliance Foundation practices active allyship. And in doing so, that means that we are always open to learning and growth. We made a switch, after a year and a half it was no longer the perfect fit, and now we shift again – always ensuring that we are creating an inclusive and safe space for all.

The festival is now managed by Unity Collective Media, and we changed the festival name to The Empowerment Festival, helping us all uncover our own power within.

Allyship is a Verb

When something no longer includes us all or is no longer appropriate, it’s time to shift.

Shift, change, growth, these terms show us that allyship is a verb.

It’s our egos that hold us to something. Allyship and ego do not go hand in hand. We need to set aside our ego to see what barriers are present for other individuals.

Everyone is different, barriers represent themselves differently for every individual. We want to do our utmost to eliminate barriers to entry, and align everyone together.

Women+

Today we use the term ✨WOMEN+✨. By definition in our bylaws, Women+ recognizes different identifies pertaining to the societally defined gender spectrum, including all those that see themselves as women or nonbinary individuals, as well as those exploring gender identity and who feel safety and solace within our community; this can include, but is not limited to: transwomen, femmes, 2-spirited people, genderfluid people, gender non-confirming people, nonbinary people, cis women, transmen, cis-adjacent individuals, and anyone who identifies with our community in a way that is significant to them.

Women+ describes our community as a space for all women, non binary adventurers and our allies – anyone else that feels a fit. Our hope is that no matter who you are, you feel at home here.

Our Allyship Values

Our Values

Below is a list of allyship values that are important to the Foundation.

1) Compassionate Action

We are always thinking of as many dimensions of difference when we take action.

2) Curiosity over Judgement

Curiosity is based in love. Judgement is based in ego.

3) Own Impact, Assume Best Intent

It takes two to tango. If one owns their impact, and the other assumes best intent there is very little that can come between us. If we make a mistake we own our impact. Just as if I make a mistake, I hope that you assume my best intent.

4) There is a seat for everyone – both physical and energetically

Everyone should feel as though they have a spot there with you. Have the yoga mats ready, or a spot for everyone to fit within your group.

5) Flexibility for each event

Each time you host an event it will be unique, depending on who you have showing up and their present energy. Recognize how the weather, the environment and even the current news could be affecting everyone in that moment and be flexible with what your intentions were. If you had plans to have a grueling hike, but people show up after a global news announcement that holds weight – be flexible.

6) Post event connection

Connecting with your group after an event shows them that they are welcome next time. Utilizing our other values, let’s ensure we connect with the entirety of our group after each event.

Assignment 1: Circle Of Influence

Who is in Your Circle?

Our circle of trust, and circle of influence heavily impact our lens and lived experiences. Who we spend our time with and how those people interact with the world around them can help shift our lens significantly.

For example, if we spent our lives living an able-bodied life but then had a child who needed assisted access or moved through life with a wheelchair, we may never look at sidewalk curbs or shoveled sidewalks the same again. Prior to having that child we were unaware of the impacts lack of access may have. But now our perception has widened.

This next assignment will have you thinking about who you have in your circles, and how you can work to widen your circle of influence.

Assignment #1

First, either print out our template found in our resource library, or get a pen and piece of paper. If you are drawing, let’s draw two circles – one larger circle, one smaller circle, with 6 lines inside the smaller circle. The larger circle we will name “Circle Of Influence”, the smaller circle “Circle of Trust”.

It will look like this:

Inside the circle of trust, please name the 6 people you are closest to in your life. These should not be family members, but rather the friends you choose to spend your free time with. These are the friends you have great conversations with, go on adventures with, role models in your life, and would ask to be a part of your wedding party (if you’re the wedding type!) If you are struggling to think of 6 people, add your favourite podcaster, educator, influencer or a leader you look up to. The goal here is to have 6 people that have huge impact on your life.

Once you know your 6 people, bring forward a new page of paper. Put all 6 names across the top, we are going to make a grid. The vertical access (y axis) will have 8 lines, and will be the following 8 points listed below.

Now, let’s see who these 6 friends include:

1) Gender: Are these individuals within the same gender as you? (We say within as we recognize gender is a spectrum). If yes, they are the same, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

2) Sexuality: Are these people of a similar sexuality? If yes, they are the same as you, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

3) Race: Do these people have the same cultural experience and race background as you? (If they are of an extreme cultural mix, Ie. Half Black, Half Caucasian, do not check this box. Mixed race individuals have a unique experience apart from both racial backgrounds) If yes, they have the same racial background as you, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

Please note: here in Canada, caucasian mixes are common. Unless the individual is dedicated to their racial background, (ie. a part of the Ukrainian community, etc.) we would consider caucasian individuals of the same racial background.

4) Do these people have the same first language as you? Or is english a second language for them? If yes, they have the same first language, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

5) Were they born in the same country as you? If yes, it is the same, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

6) Though ability is a spectrum, do they have similar abilities as you? If yes, they have the same abilities, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

7) Are these individuals within the same socio-economic standing as you? (This one is difficult to distinguish, however if you know they cannot travel or avoid certain activities that you would normal take part in, or they are more frivolous with their spending you can estimate where they lie, and if it is similar to your current financial standing) If yes, you can approximate that they are the same and have similar spending pattersn, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

8) Are they within an 8 year difference of your age? If yes, they are within 8 years, put a check mark under that individual’s name.

Now that we look back on our graph, do we see a lot of checkmarks? Or just a few?

It is completely normal to see a whole heck of a lot of checkmarks. Usually we lean towards the people that look like us, act like us, and have the same experiences as us.

However if we want to be leaders in our community, we need to actively work on widening our lens.

Widening our lens involves widening our circle of influence.

Let’s head back to your circles. Within the larger circle, we would like to see you actively widen your circle of influence.

Within this circle, please list a minimum of 10 individuals you will absorb content from to help you widen your lens. If you enjoy podcasts, which podcasts will you be listening to? If you enjoy social media, which influencers will you follow? If you like film, which films will you watch?

Your minimum of 10 should cover:

Gender
Sexuality
Race
Country
Ability
Age

💡Pro Tip: Head to our Resource Library and use the resource Further Allyship Learnings to find some ideas on how you can widen your influence.

Once you are done your 10 influential additions, your assignment is complete.

Assignment 2: Building Your Land Acknowledgement

Let’s Build Your Local Chapter’s Land Acknowledgement Together

Acknowledging the land is an Indigenous protocol used to express gratitude to those who reside here, and to honour the Indigenous people who have lived and worked on this land historically, presently and yet to come.

Historically Indigenous People preformed land acknowledgements at each trade or interaction with another tribe. Now we all do it as an act of respect, to recognize that the land we are guests on is and was the home of someone else, who have been disproportionately impacted by colonial practices.

Land acknowledgements are crucial to every Lady Alliance event. This is how we start each event, how we show respect to our chapter, the land, and the recipients of many of our scholarships.

Who’s Land?

To build a successful land acknowledgement you must have 3 elements.

Confirmed Nation/Nations names
Pronunciation
Care for and interest in your community and EVERYONE that calls it home

Let’s dive into our first assignment together:

Assignment #2

First, head to Native-Land.ca and search your location in the search bar on the left hand side.

Click all of the local nations Native-Land encourages you to verify with (located below the search bar). This will provide a nation-specific map for you to look into.

Once you identify the nation (or nations) who’s land your events will be on, head to the nation’s website to do further research.

Your goals are to answer the following questions:

How do you pronounce the nation’s name? Can you find videos or audio that can help guide you on pronunciation? Pronunciation is very important and a sign of respect.
What is one interesting fact that you have found about this nation/these nations? What resonates with you?
Can you find examples of other land acknowledgements for guidance? Universities and colleges are a great resource for this.

Having this information will show your guest attendees that you can speak to the history of the land, and know about the nations past and present who reside there.

Your last step to this assignment will be to download the png template below, and add your land acknowledgement to the script provided using Canva. You will overlay the text on the image.

This script is further described in Chapter 6: Planning + Executing Your Event. We have a consistent script at each event across the country. The only change is the nations that are named in the land acknowledgement.

Here are your canva steps:

Download the template below
Open Canva.ca (you do not need to pay for Canva, but you will be using Canva – or something similar for each event, so signing up for this free product is a great idea!)
Create a new design
Type in US Letter Document to open an 8.5×11 document
Upload the template to Canva as an image file
Put the template in the background of your new document
Fill in the blanks of your new local script! (Font: Open Sans size 12)

Once you are done, send jessie@theladyalliance.com your script. Once approved you’re ready to host your first event.

Dashboard and Communication

Our Dashboard

Once you sign our Chapter Coordinator Contract, you will be given access to our main dashboard. We will send you an automated email from within our platform that will encourage you to log in and set up a user.

Once you are set up as a user, we will label you as a Chapter Coordinator in the backend. Once we do that on our end, our dashboard will automatically open up to you! Our Chapter Coordinator dashboard extends past our regular dashboard to include all the links you need and this course! So scroll down on the regular dashboard to see it all!

When on our website, you can log in to the main dashboard using this login button on our menu:

From this main dashboard you can access our courses, which have a separate dashboard. You will have free access to all of our courses for the duration of your time as a Chapter Coordinator.

Chapter Coordinator Facebook Group + Chat

Let’s stick together.

There are three methods of communication with our Chapter Coordinator Team.

1) Our Facebook Group – titled The Lady Alliance Chapter Coordinators

This is where important changes, updates and announcements are posted for future reference.

2) Our “Important Info” Facebook Messenger group chat

This is where we announce quick changes and new information (this will also be posted in the Facebook group). We will not be introducing you within this group, but rather only sharing urgent information.

3) Our “Coordinator and Alumni” group chat

This is where we will announce you as a new addition to our chapter coordinator family! This is a relaxed chat where you can pull from the experience of multiple chapter coordinators both past and present, and enjoy fun banter between us all.

Communication in our Chapter Coordinator’s Facebook group and “Important Info” group chat is mandatory. Communication in our “Coordinators and Alumni” group chat is not mandatory, but encouraged to help you connect with more like-minded leaders!

We strongly suggested to set up notifications so that you receive notifications of when we post in the group so that you can keep up to the fast paced changes that can occur.

Becoming a Chapter Coordinator means that you have become one of the team. Make sure you keep yourself accountable to your team and keep the lines of communication open.

Speaking of communication – let’s talk about direct communication with board directors…

Communication with Board Directors

Reaching Out With Questions

Now that you’ve added our CEO and Chapter Coordinator Manager (Jessie), our Founder (Kieren) and our other board director emails to your phone, you’ll need to know how and when you should reach out to each of us!

Note: If you haven’t already done this, head back to the first lesson in the first chapter and add us!

All communication regarding chapters, events and your role as a chapter coordinator would go to Jessie through Facebook messenger. Please allow for her to review and respond, as Jessie works directly with all of the other chapter coordinator during her free time, and needs a minimum of 48 hours to get back to you.

Urgent, midevent questions should be made by phone call to Kieren directly, then followed up in a group facebook message to both Jessie and Kieren. Please call Kieren at 306-715-3313 for any onsite urgent questions or concerns.

Every month our marketing committee will be sending out an email to your local chapter email list. Any marketing needs should go to the Marketing Director.

Opportunities to grow your chapter, outside the normal growth strategies should be discussed with our Director Of Growth.

Hosting Your Pie n’ Chat

The Monthly Pie n’ Chat

Currently on pause:

Each month we have a fun, non-work related chapter coordinator gathering. Our monthly Pie n’ Chat rotates through each chapter coordinator, board and committee member so that everyone has the opportunity to host.

With such a large team you may only host one every two years! But these calls are a great way to connect with others in the same role as you who have hilarious stories, and tons of laughter to share.

💡Pro Tip: Pie n’ Chats are easy to host and have no required structure. One fun way to bring everyone in is to bring conversation starters or games to the Pie n’ Chat

Pie and delicious beverages are optional – but always encouraged. 😊

Jessie will send you a calendar invite as to when your pie and chat should be hosted.

Social Media

An Overview Of All Our Channels

As a modern community and nonprofit, social media is our most important method of communication and marketing. That means that alongside running events, you will have tasks involving social media.

Here is a quick overview of all of our channels, their goals, and how they interact.

Instagram

Goal: Advertising, announcements, inspiration, community shout outs, thank you’s to donors.
Run By: Marketing Committee

The Lady Alliance Foundation Instagram account is run by The Lady Alliance Foundation Marketing Committee. This is where we celebrate large donations, advertise our dashboard subscription, feature local adventurers and members and celebrate scholarship winners. There could be opportunities for you to take over our story or be featured.

We encourage you to use our tag (@theladyalliance) and hashtags (#theladyalliance + #confidenceandcommunity). We encourage you to engage with our followers, interact positively with our comments, and follow the hashtag #theladyalliance so that you can like and comment on photos that interact with our account.

When you launch your events, share them on your Instagram story and tag us (@theladyalliance) so that we can share your upcoming events on our Instagram stories, and bring our global Instagram followers to your local chapter.

Instagram – Local Chapters

Goal: local event announcement, local event celebrations, inspiration, community shout outs
Run By: You (Optional)

You are welcome to create a local Instagram account for your local chapter. Some examples are our Vancouver Chapter, Vancouver Island chapter and Shuswap chapter have excelled.

We encourage you to create, build and grow your chapter on Instagram, and link your Eventbrite events in your Instagram stories so everyone can attend.

Your local Instagram chapter is yours to manage. Upon dissolution of your contract with The Lady Alliance (once you are no longer a chapter coordinator) you are welcome to keep the account that you have grown, however we do ask that you remove all posts, bios and handles that relate back to The Lady Alliance.

You can also choose to hand off the Instagram account to the next chapter coordinator in your area.

Facebook Page

Goal: Advertising, announcements, inspiration, community shout outs, thank yous to donors, longer posts, events
Run By: Marketing Committee

Our Foundation’s Facebook Page is where we will be celebrating large donations, advertise our dashboard subscription, and automatically posting our Instagram posts with more detail. This is also where Eventbrite automatically connects your events, and shares them with our Facebook community.

We love when you share posts, tag our page and comment on our posts. The more natural engagement the better!

Eventbrite

Goal: Events, Event Attendee Donations, data collection
Run By: You (Mandatory)

We will go over how to use Eventbrite in more detail within the Planning and Executing Your Event chapter. But for an overview, Eventbrite is our Chapter Coordinator’s most important social media channel. This is where you post your events, where everyone purchases tickets, and the link that you would send everyone to register.

Eventbrite automatically posts your event to our Facebook page, and is also a method for bringing in one off donations from our event attendees.

Learning the ins and outs of Eventbrite is important for your role, and is fully described in the next chapter.

Facebook Group – Your Local Chapter

Goal: Events, advertising, inspiration, community conversations, community connection
Run By: You (Mandatory)

Your local chapter is your Facebook group to grow.

This group is a community of local ladies close to the city or within your area that would want to meet up, adventure and grow together.

For privacy sake, this Facebook group is also a closed group. This means that only members of the group can see the events and posts cannot be shared publicly outside of the group. It also means that each member must be approved in order to join the group.

As a chapter coordinator you are responsible for this group. Whether you are the first coordinator in your chapter, or there is a team of you – you are responsible for maintaining, growing and approving members for this group.

Successful Facebook groups have created a space where group members feel comfortable posting comments, questions, photos and polls. Encouraging your friends and family to post frequently will help break down the barriers of self doubt within other members, helping your group become an engaging community.

A great example of an external involved group is Women Supporting Women. In this group there are a handful of posts a day. Our goal is to have community members comment, post and feel welcome to ask questions.

Note: Do not approve anyone entry into your group. We have a virtual assistant doing this for us so that we can properly record their email addresses. Once approved we cannot gather their email information again, so please do not approve anyone entry into your group.

💡Pro Tip: Pre-schedule conversation starters into your Facebook group once a week so that your posts are automatically going out. Be sure to check back and comment on your posts to ensure everyone feels engaged with.

Goal: Advertising, announcements, milestones, new company donors, thank yous to donors.
Run By: Marketing Committee, Fundraising Committee

This is where our fundraising and sponsorship requests will live. Our Fundraising and Marketing Committees will be using LinkedIn to celebrate milestones, request fundraising, and connect with brand partners. We would love it if you connected your LinkedIn to ours by celebrating that you are a volunteer for the Foundation!

Let’s dive into your tasks regarding these social media channels, and how you can work to grow your local chapter!

Your Tasks Related To Social Media

Your Social Media To Do List

We have created you a To Do list for social media. Dividing your tasks down to weekly and monthly will help you navigate your social media tasks as you move through your time with us.

Facebook Group – Local Chapter

Weekly

Our request is that you post once a week on the community Facebook group. If you are not able to brainstorm some ideas for posts, here are a few:

weekend recaps
polls for preferences on gear, hikes, etc
inspiring women+
quotes on women+’s empowerment or mental health
blog posts featuring fem writers
must read books

As a chapter coordinator you will be part of the team responsible for maintaining the content posted on the group’s discussion board creating a safe, positive and open space for women to share and connect. Your job, and our goal, is to encourage engagement so that we can create a group that people think to search, engage, post on and follow conversations.

We want ladies in our group to feel comfortable enough to post questions, share their adventures and talk about what matters to them.

How do we do that?

Invite everyone you know!

The more close connections we have in our community group, the more people will recognize you when you post. These people will feel comfortable posting as well, and all of their connections will become comfortable as well.

So invite friends and family members to join your group. Invite them to the events we list, tag them in posts, and make this community your community.

Monthly

Every month we post our events, photo recaps from our events, and anticipations of new events. Another great practice is to welcome new members once a month. This helps encourage a welcoming community where everyone can celebrate new friends.

Eventbrite

Monthly

Once a month you will be creating your events. It’s very handy to pre-schedule emails ahead of time so that you do not have to revisit Eventbrite.

Instagram – Local Chapter (Optional)

Weekly

If you have chosen to create a local chapter Instagram account, we encourage you to be involved in posting on your story a minimum of weekly. This can include shares from members of your community, registration links for the next event, events in your area not associate with The Lady Alliance Foundation (ensure that our lack of association is clear) or inspirational quotes.

Monthly

We encourage you to try to use a posting software that can help you fulfill your Instagram posting for free. We love Planoly, but you can find others that work best for you. We encourage you to keep this free as it is not reimbursable.

Once you have a posting software you can spend a couple hours once a month uploading photos and planning your posts, eliminating from the daily work Instagram encourages.

Planning and Executing your Event

Inventing Your Event

Let’s Brainstorm Your Next Event

The purpose of hosting meet-ups in your local community is to provide opportunities to encourage everyone to meet each other, get outdoors (or in, but together), build confidence, and plan further outings with like-minded and adventurous women+.

Your single day event should be free for you to host. These are events that you are volunteering your time to. These are not compensated by The Lady Alliance Foundation. Additionally, we do not want you putting your money into deposits or holds and cannot support if deposits are not returned. You should not be the middle person for any funds for your event.

Choosing Your Event

Activities do not have to be specifically related to the outdoors. Our goal is to unite mental wellness and adventure, so we encourage you to be creative.

“Adventure” can include hiking, paddle boarding or climbing. But it can also include trying a new restaurant. Adventure is for you to define.

We welcome and encourage your creativity! If you have any questions on the type of meet-up you would like to plan, please post it in the chapter coordinators Facebook group!

Some events our chapter coordinators have hosted in the past have included:

Hiking
Walks
Beach Sunset Meetups
Cold Water Dips
City biking tours
Paddleboarding
Parent+Tot Hikes
Museum meetups
Escape Rooms
Climbing Gyms
Coaching Sessions
Dance lessons
Cross Country Skiing
Local Farm Harvesting
Campfire and s’mores
Paint nights
Manifestation Circles
Full Moon celebrations
Movie Theatre
Silent discos
Yoga
Book, puzzle or gear exchange
Building a terrarium or a new crafting activity
A cooking class
Seasonal activities like visiting an apple orchard or pumpkin patch

Note: Please do not go white water rafting or mountain biking as it is excluded from our insurance. Insurance is scheduled to change, we will notify you if our event possibilities become restricted.

Don’t hesitate to host a poll within your local Facebook chapter to engage your community when selecting an event!

💡 Pro Tip: Still struggling to create an event? Head to Eventbrite, cruise the large cities around the world with similar outdoor weather to you in that time of year, and pull from event ideas that are in there! Eventbrite is a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.

The Year Overall

It is required that ambassadors run 10 local meet ups throughout the year (preferably one a month). The majority of these should be free for attendees (not all events should be hosted at a climbing gym where there is a drop in fee).

If you host a Lady Alliance Foundation event with the global team (such as a fundraiser event or festival) you do not need to host an event that month.

There is no limit to number of chapter coordinators within a chapter. If you choose to work collaboratively with another coordinator, one event would be one event for each of you.

Our hope is that each chapter coordinator brings a unique set of events, a new audience and growth to each chapter.

We do encourage communication to ensure events are not on the same date, or repeated within chapters where chapter coordinators are autonomously creating individual events.

Building A Collaborative Event

Collaborate and Grow!

As individual chapters, we encourage you to reach out and make connections for collaborations. Attend those women+ film nights as a group, work with a local life coaches that will do an hour workshop on confidence, bring in a running coach and go for a group run. Start brainstorming those local connections that can benefit from your community! Here are some examples of people you could reach out to:

Life coaches for an hour introduction to one of their workshops
- Did you know Kieren has 6 workshops that she regularly provides companies and groups? Kieren provides all chapters one free two hour session for an online event option. Her session for your community covers Imposter Syndrome and Expanding Comfort Zones or unpacking unconscious biases. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Kieren to book an online event!
Avalanche safety or wilderness first aid instructors for a one hour refresher course
- Remember to use this to tease their full course so that it is mutually beneficial.
Climbing gyms
Local adventure gear stores
Fundraisers or volunteer initiatives (foodbanks, etc)
Running or athletic coaches
Local events for group pricing on tickets
Coffee shops for local gatherings
Local comedian or presenter

Find those mutually beneficial partnerships with other companies and communities, and coordinate events together to help both grow.

As long as you are not paying out of pocket, we are comfortable with you collaborating with other groups for events.

In the past we have had chapter coordinators request e-transfers from attendees to help cover the cost of booking transportation or covering their fees. These types of events are no longer encouraged as no personal e-transfers should be made to our chapter coordinators. This creates an accountability nightmare on our end and is not our nonprofit model. Please stick to simplifying the events for your local chapters.

Some things to keep in mind:

1) The graphics and visuals for the event should have The Lady Alliance logo on it, and your group should be visually represented as an equal on the event.

2) Pre-plan the event as a partnership to ensure the overall tasks and benefits are equal. If you are bringing a large audience, maybe your partner company does more of the work. Or if your audience is smaller, you do more work and they bring the people. Be sure you are not doing all of the planning and execution, as well as bringing all of the people.

3) If it is not a fit, you are able to say no. Don’t put yourself in a difficult position because you don’t want to say no. If you struggle with saying no, don’t hesitate to put it on your chapter coordinator manager or Kieren as the founder. Saying something like “though our founder loves what you do, they want me to hold off on this for now. I am not sure when or if it will be a go, but I will let you know if things change.” takes the pressure off you, and puts you in the driver’s seat.

4) Communication in writing is important when collaborating with other individuals or businesses. Any in-person conversations or phone calls should be recapped through an email to ensure both parties are on the same page. Even when bringing on friends you should outline tasks, responsibilities, benefits and event overviews in writing. Leaving a paper trail saved The Lady Alliance in our early days. 🎧 Head to Kieren’s story time in our Audio Resources for this story.

Let’s dive into the creation of your event!

The Devil Is In The Details

The more you can do ahead of time to plan and prepare your event, the easier your event will be at the time of execution.

Whether it’s printing off materials, getting there early, planning your “bear safety” talk, pre-scheduling your reminder messages in Eventbrite and social posts promoting the event in your chapter – the more done ahead of time, the less you have to worry.

Here are some steps to help plan your event:

Decide on the activity for the event.
Reach out to the venue (if necessary) and make reservations or discuss group discounts
Remember to identify pricing needs – do your attendees need to pay the climbing gym upon arrival?
Plan your RSVP end date to match the needs of your event registration and payments
Market the event within your local chapter, on Instagram, through friends, and with other local groups
Scope out the location ahead of time if needed.
Meet the venue staff and talk about the itinerary or flow of your event.
Notify the venue or host that The Lady Alliance does have a waiver for everyone to sign before attending, and that they will also sign any onsite waivers if needed. The goal is to eliminate confusion here, do not amplify confusion.
If needed, print out a paper waiver ahead of time, just in case
Send the waiver to the attendees who have not yet completed it
Double check your gear/first aid supplies/apparel for the event

Size of the event:

We encourage that you limit the size of attendees for the monthly meet-ups to the size that you feel capable and confident in handling. Keep in mind any permit requirements for public gatherings. Limited space or limited equipment will also affect the size of your group.

Listing “SOLD OUT” on an event is a great thing – no matter the size. Our primary focus is the safety of our group. If you need to limit the size of your meetup to remain safe please do not hesitate to do so. If 8 is a safe number, but 20 looks awesome in a photo – stick to 8.

💡Pro Tip: Anticipate a few no-shows on free events. If you would like, you can create a waitlist option within Eventbrite – you will have to be involved in the RSVP confirmations.

COVID Considerations

Here, at The Lady Alliance Foundation , SAFETY is our NUMBER ONE concern.

Optics is our number two concern. Because for those who watch what we do, optics and safety are one in the same.

Each chapter coordinator will need to be aware of the COVID restrictions in their local area, and have a discussion with the chapter coordinator manager and/or Kieren if there are any concerns.

If cases spike the day before your event, we may have to cancel the event. So your planning must be fluid.

All of these planning steps can be found in our resource library, under “Event Planning Checklist”.

Our Backbone: Eventbrite

Eventbrite is the root of all our event registrations. Though we use platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to advertise, Eventbrite is the birthplace of your monthly events, the location we bring in donations from event attendees and the registration link we share everywhere.

When you create an event in Eventbrite, reminder and follow up emails are pre-scheduled, a Facebook Page event can be linked and created, and our donations go straight to The Lady Alliance Foundation.

We wanted to eliminate how much detail we get into here. We have a full Eventbrite walk through in our resource library, as well as a video tutorial on how to set up your next event on Eventbrite. When you are ready to start, head to the resource library to dive in. In the meantime, let’s go over some of the basic fundamentals with creating your event on Eventbrite.

Creating The Event Pricing

All events should be a combined ticket offering of both donation based tickets and free tickets. We want everyone, regardless of financial ability, to be able to come to each one of our events. Additionally we want those who love our events and want to support our community to have a chance to do so through attending events.

Eventbrite gives us the ability to sell a max quantity of 20 tickets, and have two ticket types: Free and By Donation. The free ticket is completely free and is an option to everyone. The By Donation ticket is based on the amount they would like to donate.

More on this is in your Eventbrite resources in the Resource Library.

Event Banner

Your event banner can be created in Canva. We encourage you to use our logo (found in our resource library) and create something that is eye catching, and easy to read. Having a consistent imagery helps your audience recognize your event banners.

Event banners are pulled from Eventbrite into our dashboard in with a width of 320 px. When creating your Eventbrite banner make sure you keep the information centered to ensure it is not cut off.

Event Copy

Your event copy should motivational, encouraging, inclusive and exciting. Sharing inclusive terms such as “Parents” instead of “Moms” or “bring your partners” instead of “bring your husbands” can help widen your reach, make the event more welcoming, and brighten someone’s day.

Remember to launch your event saying what, where, when, why and who is invited. The more excited your description sounds, the more exciting the event will be for those who are looking forward to joining you!

The Must Have:

Each event description must contain the following:

This is a non-guided, COVID-aware event. Please note that by joining this event, you have read, signed, and understood our digital waiver, linked here: [Link the waiver].

Tickets for this event are free or by donation, either type of ticket brings to you the same experience. If you are able to donate, your donation helps support our chapter events and we are so grateful for your support!

By registering for this event, you understand that The Lady Alliance Foundation provides non-guided events. This means that these events are lead by people in your community just like you! No guides or medical assistance will be present, and safety while attending this event will be the responsibility of each and every participant.

We ask that if you have experienced any cold or flu symptoms, such as; fever, dry cough, unusual tiredness and aches and pains, sore throat, a loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, or loss of speech or movement that you do not attend this event, and seek medical help.

Please be aware that limited spots are available due to COVID-aware restrictions. If you are unable to attend this event please let us know so we can fill your spot with our waitlist!”

This blurb is an insurance ask, and must be present within each and every event listing created.

3.2.1…Published!

Prior to publishing the event, one of your tasks (located in the Resource Library) will be to schedule the emails that automatically remind your registrants of the event.

Once your event is published these emails will automatically go out. Eventbrite helps you keep everyone in the loop if there are any location changes or adjustments, you are able to email all of the attendees prior to the event.

After publication, you will want to share the Eventbrite link across your personal social channels, your chapter social channels and anywhere you are able to! (See the chapter Growing Your Local Chapter for more ideas!)

T’was The Eve Before Gathering…

If your event is not yet full, it is the day before the event that becomes crucial.

Many individuals are last minute RSVP’ers who may not yet have decided to join or not.

If you have not yet filled your event, don’t hesitate to blast your event across all of your channels. It is said that on average people need to see an advertisement 7 times before taking action.

For those that have registered, it will be important to convey as much information with your event attendees as possible, without overloading them with unnecessary information. You don’t want them to disregard your email or post because it is too long.

Jot notes are your friend the night before! Listing who can come, where, when, and what they need to bring can help you share the must need information without burying the information in distraction.

Additionally, the night before your event you will be in Smart Waiver checking everyone’s signed waivers and reaching out to anyone who may be missing.

Here are some things to do the day before your event:

Double check all RSVP’d attendees have signed the waiver
Send the waiver out if necessary
Save the link for the waiver in your phone OR have a paper copy
Post on the local Facebook chapter to remind everyone of the event
Post on your own social media
Post on Instagram if your chapter has an account
Message the individuals you know personally to remind them to come and pump them up for the event

Sometimes our community can begin to doubt their capabilities the day before or the day of the event. Here are a couple quotes you can use to motivate ladies to join you at your event!

We are excited to have all [# RSVP’d] of you who RSVP’d to this event join us tomorrow!

Did you know that across Lady Alliance events over 70% of attendees attend alone? You will be amongst friends tomorrow!

Nervous about attending tomorrow? An attendee recently left a testimonial said that “Everyone was there for the same reasons which made it really welcoming for individuals. Everyone was really nice and encouraging. It’s like summer camp but without the fear of being left out.” – we cannot wait for you to have an incredible experience with our community!

Or if you have a personal experience you would like to share, that works too!

For group hikes:

If you are leading a group hike, you can eliminate your attendee’s self-doubt by sharing the following tips with them:

What’s in my pack?
Our founder Kieren shares some items you may want to consider bringing in your day pack:

Snacks – Trail mix, granola bars, fruit, tuna cans to go, veggies and crackers are awesome snacks. Keep in mind any utensil needs (eliminating as much weight as possible).
Water bottles – for the day hike I will bring two full water bottles. Remember, water = life. But water also = weight. So bringing one water bottle and filling it up on the trail (check if there’s opportunities ahead of time) and using water purification is an awesome option.
A whistle – 3 whistle blows is an SOS sign
Bear spray – If you are comfortable bringing bear spray, bring it! Please know how to use it or hand it off to someone who does.
First aid kit – I personally like a full first aid kit when hiking with lots of people, MEC has a great mini kit that has a lot of what you would need!
A warm layer for the summit – I love my down jacket for the top. A gear swap store is a great place to find second hand down jackets.
Sun Protection – because wrinkles and sunburn.
Headlamp – there would be nothing worse than being stranded and the sun setting leaving you in the dark. Headlamps are always in my pack.
A source of fire – waterpoof matches or a lighter are a great back up in a dire situation.
Emergency shelter – I usually like to keep a small bivy on me just in case I spend the night outside accidentally. MEC has a cheap bivy, that reflects body heat and is bright orange for rescuers to spot.
Kula Cloth – I haaaaaate hiking somewhere and seeing old toilet paper. 🤮 Whether you’re new to hiking or an veteran hiker, we want to help you prepare for this adventure!

Hiking Tips:
1. Cut your toenails! We don’t mean to sound like your mother, but this tends to be forgotten before hiking. Long toenails while hiking back down the mountain can turn downhill fun into downhill pain really quick!

Socks on socks. Double socking helps with blisters. Wearing a thin, high hiking sock underneath a second, lower hiking sock will help transfer the rubbing off your foot and to the two socks. The inner layer should be higher than the outter laver so that you can pull the sock tight if need be.
Layer, so you can de-layer. Hiking should start a bit cold, get warmer, and get cold at the top. So layer up to prepare for it. Depending on the weather, it is not a bad thing to start a bit chilled in shorts, a t-shirt and a long sleeve or flannel, then delayering as you climb. Your legs warm up as you climb, leaving you at the perfect temperature to enjoy your hustle.
Hiking poles for knee support. If you have bad knees, downhill can be painful! Support your knees with hiking poles to help alleviate the pain.
Bring a down layer or a warm layer for the top. Down jackets or vests are light and easy to pack. Once you are at the top, the elevation, wind, sweat and lack of physical activity will cool your body quickly. A new layer for the
summit is always a great idea.
Expect rain. There is nothing worse than being caught in a storm, everything wet, cold, and miserable.
Leave no trace. Products such as Kula Cloths, anti bacterial camp towels, waste containment pouches, and other items can help eliminate waste on the trail.

Knocking It Out Of The Park

The day of your event will be busy! As we mentioned before, the more you can prepare the night before, the easier it will be on you the day of!

Be sure to pack what you need for your event and head to your event location around 30 minutes early. This will help you feel comfortable with your events, and give you time to prepare or finish last minute preparations if you need to. As you become more confident in the execution of these events they will become second nature, and you will not need to arrive early. But in the beginning it gives both you and your attendees confidence in your events.

Set up what you need, and consider sending one more email, post or message if your meeting location has changed. You can also take a picture of where you are waiting for your group, and post this in your Facebook group so everyone knows where you are. A post such as “the calm before the storm” on Facebook can help generate conversation for those who are going to show up soon (if they are not currently in transit!).

Once everyone has arrived you will begin the introduction…

Our Event Introduction

Each of our events across the country have a consistent introduction. The script starts with your local land acknowledgement. This is the portion we built together in Assignment #1 in the Allyship chapter. Then, we discuss the release of liability, covid and photo waivers and a welcome.

We encourage you to head to our Resource Library and download the script. Upload it into Canva and add your local land acknowledgement and print it off so that you have it on hand.

Note: The reason we wait until the event begins to say these two statements is to ensure that you make everything clear with ample witnesses.

Please keep in mind that the waiver process, including this speech, is mandatory as it protects both you and The Lady Alliance Foundation if something were to happen. And trust me, things can happen!

If paper waivers have been used, or some people are working through the digital waiver upon arrival, you can start the introduction as they go through the waiver. Be sure to store the paper waivers safely until the end of the event. Make sure they are stored away in a closed folder or zipped somewhere safely and not left behind as they must be sent to Kieren post event.

Then, the event begins!

Introduction games are fun! Something quick, like name + one weird thing about themselves, or Name and favourite ice-cream flavour… you get the idea! Then carry on with your event!

Remember to enjoy your event! Even if you are stressed, an excellent event leader will not show others the stress. Your attendees will receive the event energy from you. So keep calm, and keep Kieren on speed dial – just in case!

Be sure to capture photos of everyone having a blast so that you can share the photos in your local chapter!

Wrap Up

When ending your event, thank everyone for coming, encourage them to come to the next event, share contact information with other ladies, etc. Expect the wrap up to take some time, we don’t want to rush everyone away.

These ladies will be the most motivated to sign up for your next event immediately after experiencing the fun of your current event. It helps to promote one event after another, so try to always have the next event planned and in the books so everyone can go to their phones and RSVP right away. This is an incredible opportunity to build the stoke.

💡Pro Tip: Before you head out, be sure to post the photos you took. People love seeing those photos right away. If you wait a day or two to post most people have already lost interest and are on to the next thing, so be sure to post as soon as possible!

Our goal is to leave the event location better than you found it, each and every time. Please keep this in mind.

The Day After the Event

Helping Us Recap

The day after the event is easy, quick and painless. But very necessary for our Foundation.

First, we encourage you to take the time to send a thank you to everyone for coming on behalf of your local Lady Alliance chapter. Encourage them to bring their friends or colleagues next time and share the local group with their online community. In this email, message or post you can list your next local event and encourage them to register, or add one Lady Alliance Foundation product that you may want to sell (remember to add YOUR affiliate link so you get the kick back! $$$) so they can further support our cause.

Don’t forget to remind them of our scholarships – everyone can apply!

Additionally, any paper waivers need to be sent to Kieren, and any additional waivers in Smart Waiver need to be organized to be labelled under your chapter.

Lastly, we need your help with our year end report.

At the end of the year we want to share with our global community how many souls were positively impacted by our foundation. This number is very important as it impacts the donations, grants and fundraising success and ultimately shows how successful our Foundation has been each year.

The day after your event we need you to fill out this form and share with us your success!

The Most Important: Waivers

Our waivers are now digital, helping eliminate a filing nightmare, and save you time during your event.

Just because they are digital does not mean they are hands off. It is your responsibility to double check that all attendees that have RSVP’d have filled out the waiver, and that all attendees who show up without RSVP’ing have access to a waiver on site.

During your onboarding process with The Lady Alliance Foundation, our Chapter Coordinator Manager will add you as a staff member to our waiver system. Once added you will be able to access our waivers, copy the link for waivers, send waivers via text message, organize your attendees and create events!

All participants must sign before they participate in any event with The Lady Alliance Foundation. This is a very important process, and a very important lesson of this course.

Let’s walk through the waiver, and the steps involved with using the waiver.

The Waiver Content:

The waiver covers three key elements;

1) The release of liability for The Lady Alliance Foundation and all volunteers included in our community

2) The understanding and confirmation that the attendees are COVID free

3) The media release form

There are three places to sign the waiver, and an area where each attendee enters their personal information. All elements must be filled in order to submit the waiver digitally.

Sign the waiver here to check it out (and to actually sign the waiver to attend your events!)

The Media Release Form:

Please take note of who has not signed your media release form, and avoid taking photos or videos of them on your hikes.

Every so often Christina or Kieren will request photos and videos from your hikes, and if you have done your due diligence in avoiding taking photos or videos of these individuals, you will not have to worry about what you send to Kieren and Christina.

Please note, the content you send Kieren and Christina can be featured on our main social pages OR the pages of our brand partners, sometimes reaching hundreds of thousands of followers. Please be sure to only capture images and videos of those that give approval.

Managing your waivers:

Once someone submits the waiver, you will be able to navigate the Smart Waiver dashboard and organize their submission.

Every attendee must fill a waiver per event.

First, head to “View Signed Waivers” and find the individuals that have RSVP’d for your event.

Go through each attendee and be sure that everyone that RSVP’d have completed the waiver.

Then, click each of your participants and be sure to categorize them within your own chapter, such as “Victoria Chapter” or “Calgary Chapter” as seen in this screenshot:

Once everyone has signed your waiver, you are good to go!

What if they do not sign the waiver?

If they have not yet signed the waiver, I would suggest texting them the waiver directly, using “Send Your Waiver” or sending them a message on Facebook with the link of the waiver, using “Add to your website” (see two screenshots up for these sections of Smart Waiver).

If they still have not filled out the waiver by the day of the event, I would suggest sending them a message reminding them that they can only participate if they have signed the waiver, and their submission has not come through. I would encourage you to assume that they might need help in submitting the waiver or that there was a technical difficulty, vs. using a forceful tone.

💡Pro Tip: Keep the waiver link in a note on your phone so that it is easy to access, or text yourself from within Smart Waiver so that you have the digital version of the waiver on your phone. That way anyone arriving at the event without RSVP’ing will have the ability to sign the waiver, as you can text them on the spot.

If they outright refuse to sign the waiver, they cannot participate in any in-person event.

What if I am out of service and not everyone has signed?

That is where the paper waiver becomes useful! We suggest having a paper copy of the waiver handy for any event where service is questionable.

The Paper Waiver:

The waiver has 4 pages. Pages 1 – 3 are mandatory. Page 4 is optional. Downloadable paper waivers are located in the resource library.

This is the front page of the waiver. You will list the advertised name of the event, the location (or locations) involved in the event, the date, your name, and all activities involved. Please be sure to list ALL locations and activities for that one event. You will also write the date in the white portion of the yellow box, and will do this on each page following.

Attendees will sign and date the third page of the waiver. If they are under the age of 19 they will need their signature as well as their parent’s signature. This page is mandatory for all attendees.

This is the body of the waiver. In here we talk about who is involved in the waiver, the activities included, and the release of liability of that said activity. Attendees are stating that they are of proper physical condition to participate, and they take on the assumption of risk. This protects you as the chapter coordinator, as well as The Lady Alliance community.

This is a second signature by all attendees. This is an optional page, releasing any photos that include them to us for us to use for marketing purposes.

Submitting the Paper Waivers to The Lady Alliance

Digital waivers are automatically submitted. However if you need to use paper waivers you are responsible to retain a copy of the completed document for each event, as well as submitting their completed waivers with The Lady Alliance. This can be done in hard copy or electronically. To submit a waiver, please send Kieren a photo of the waivers signed (all pages included) through Facebook messenger.

Our suggestion is to immediately take a photo of the waiver (all pages!), and message Kieren or your Coordinator Manager the images so that you do not lose the waiver before you submit it.

We highly suggest storing the hard copy somewhere safe, or mailing the hard copy to Kieren for safe keeping. Message Kieren for the address for mailing.

Storage of the signed paper waiver

If you choose to store your waivers yourself, we suggest keeping them in a filing system that makes sense to you – by date, by activity, etc.

Keep them somewhere dry, safe, and organized – ready to be delivered to your team upon request.

What if the host has a separate waiver?

The other hosts may also have their own waivers. In this case our waivers are still mandatory, and two waivers will be signed on site. For example, if you are at a climbing gym, they will have their own waivers for your group to complete as well.

All attendees must still fill out our waiver.

However we do not need to store the climbing gym waiver – only ours.

Let’s move on to incident reports, which unfortunately sometimes go hand in hand with waivers.

What to do if an Incident Occurs

If an incident occurs during your event, there are actions you must take to ensure that everyone remains safe. We encourage you to follow these steps without fail in the case of an incident:

Ensure everyone is in a safe location.
Ask your group to remain together and wait for you. Do not have them carry on on the hike until you are sure it is safe for the entire group to do so.
Double check to see if you have any high level medical professionals in the group.
Before you touch the injured person, ask them if you can help them.
Offer to call for an emergency response, no matter where you are located.
- If you are in a city, offer to call an ambulance.
- If you are out of the city or on a hike ask if they would like an evacuation – this should be their decision and we should ask regardless of how minor we perceive the incident to be
Assess the injury. Ask them where it hurts, how it hurts and if they are able to take weight or stand autonomously.
- Do not ask the person to stand if a head or neck injury is suspected.
- Do not use these questions as pressure for a person to stand, these questions to identify the possible need for support in evacuation.
Prepare yourself for a self-evacuation. Do not split up the group. If you need to send a group to gain cell service to call for help do not leave the injured person alone and do not let one person go off alone (try to hike in groups of four or more).
- The individuals going to call for help need to be prepared to hike back up to the injured individual to relay information to them.
Once safe to do so record the incident in full detail on an incident report sheet (either digital or paper copy). Your incident report must include the following:
- Injured FULL name
- Date and time of injury
- Activity or event
- Full description of the incident
  - Include any warnings or reservations given, such as footwear issues or unsafe behaviour prior to the event
  - Include any natural feature issues, such as roots, rocks, etc
- Response of injured individual
- Location of injury on the body
- Head and neck concerns
- Injured’s decision on assisted evacuation (ambulance or search and rescue)
- Injured contact information
- Witness contact information (at least one)
- Witness statement
You absolutely must stay with the injured person until they have made it safely back to their home or to receive further help.
If the incident involves a head injury the injured individual cannot drive home, you must help them arrange to transport their vehicle home safely.
The evening of, and the day after, please contact the injured to check in on them and ensure they are still okay after the incident

Incident reports must be completed in full detail.

Submitting an Incident Report

All incident reports must be submitted through our Incident Report Form, as well as texted confirmation of submission to both Kieren and Jessie.

💡Pro Tip: We encourage you to save this link on your phone – this will be your incident report submission if there is ever an issue: https://ladyalliance.typeform.com/to/eUAFQdRO

Once you submit the information, Facebook message both Kieren and Jessie so that we know that there was an incident and the form has been submitted.

Though Kieren will also contact the injured attendee if the injury is significant enough, please be sure to contact the injured person the evening of the incident and the next day to check on them as well.

🎧 Listen to Kieren’s Story Time on an incident hiking, involving a hospital visit in our Audio Resources to hear a first hand account on how an incident was handled by our founder.

Safety Is Always First

Whether you are hosting a community tea party, happy hour drinks, or taking a group hiking safety is our number one priority.

Though it is not mandatory, we encourage you to seek further education to prepare yourself for possible safety related issues during your events. First aid courses, wilderness first aid, serving it right or food safe courses and outdoor courses are encouraged.

Remember:

If it doesn’t feel right – don’t push it.
Waivers, Waivers, Waivers
Always use the script at the beginning of your event to state that your events are “non-guided community meet ups”.
And always be prepared.

We are not experts in safety or first aid, and the next few lessons should not be seen as an exchange for a first aid course, but we hope that the next few lessons can help refresh your memory, and encourage you to pursue further education.

Safety Tips for Indoor Events

It is a good practice to have a first aid kit with a current Emergency Information Card (in our Resource Library) in your event supply bag
In any situation, know the location of fire alarms and extinguishers in and around your venue, and know how to use them.
Address emergency exits and muster station for your group at the beginning of your event
Extension cords, used in accordance with the fire code, should be properly taped to the ground to reduce tripping hazards
If there is alcohol involved at your event you must have a liquor license on site (The Lady Alliance does not cover liquor licences), and there must be a written and verbal announcement made stating the event is for [drinking age] and over attendees, and that we ask everyone not to drink and drive.

Safety Tips for Outdoor Events

Have a Spot, In Reach or Garmin device on you when out of service
Check to see local fire regulations before hosting an event with an open flame, fire pit or barbecue
Stay on designated trails
Portable cooking booths must be located a minimum of 20 feet from any permanent structure, and have a fire extinguisher on site
Tripping hazards should be cleared or pointed out
Proper footwear is a must
If the group has a large in number of attendees, plan to bring a friend that can be either help by splitting the group into two smaller groups or be a second person on site. Preference is to have no more than 8 attendees per 1 leader
Utilize walkie-talkies if necessary
Read bear or animal sighting reports ahead of time
And again, it’s good practice to have a first aid kit with a current Emergency Information Card in your event supply bag

Safety Tips For Your Summer Hikes

Proper planning is important. Obtain trail maps, guidebooks, trail distance, estimated time required and any other information before you leave on a hike.
Keep trail maps and guidebooks in a waterproof ziplock bag (or buy waterproof maps).
Consider using a GPS or communication device.
Check weather conditions and forecast prior to the hike – don’t be afraid to call off the hike due to weather.
Consider the ability level of everyone in your group when choosing a hike.
Consider the buddy system with a large group of hikers.
It’s very important to tell someone of your plans and when you expect to return. In case of an emergency, this could help with the rescue. Check in with them when you get back.
Never let anyone hike alone.
Don’t pack too heavy.
Consider packing purification tablets in case you need to purify water.
The temperature is always cooler in the mountains. Encourage your group to plan and dress accordingly. Dress in layers.
Start early so that you have plenty of time to enjoy your hike and the destination. Plan to head back so you finish your hike well before dark.
Hike only as fast as the slowest member of your group. We encourage the “talking pace” allowing for everyone to bond on the hike. This also helps deter animals.
Pace yourself. Don’t hike too quickly. Save your energy.
Stay on trails.
Never approach wild animals. They may look cute and harmless but they are very unpredictable and can be very territorial and protective. Always be alert and aware of your surroundings. In most cases, the animals are more afraid of us and will run away. Never attempt to feed wild animals. Most injuries occur when people try to feed them. Your group may want to take the opportunity as a photo opportunity. Assess the situation and keep everyone – including the animal – safe.
Look out for snakes, spiders and other critters local to your area. Watch where you are walking, be careful when picking up sticks or rocks and look around before taking a seat. Again, snakes are usually more afraid of us, but if they feel threatened or if you make sudden movements they may strike. Stay calm and slowly move away from them.
Be careful where you are walking. Watch out for low branches and loose rocks. Take it slow through mud and water and be careful of loose leaves on the trail. Stay away from steep cliffs and other drop off areas. Look out for brush with thorns and learn to identify poisonous plants.
On long hikes keep track of your progress so that you know where you are at all times.
Pack high energy snacks like granola, energy or fruit bars, gorp trail mixes, fruit, candy, beef jerky, bagels, or pita bread, etc.
Don’t drink soda or alcohol when hiking. They will dehydrate you (and impact your decisions).
For blisters or hot spots use moleskin or bandages immediately to stop further damage and to relieve pain. Keep your feet dry – change socks often.
Hiking sticks or poles may help make your trip a little easier by giving you some stability on wet trails, and reducing strain on your legs when going up or down slopes. These are handy for sore knees on the decent.
Be aware of your increased exposure to ticks when hiking in the outdoors.
Protect yourself against other insects such as bees, ants, mosquitoes, flies, etc. Not only can they be annoying, but they can cause quite a bit of pain and discomfort. Many people have severe allergic reactions to their bites and need to carry necessary medical supplies or seek medical attention. Again be aware of your surroundings.
Bring a whistle on your hike. Three short whistles is an SOS call.
Know the bear activity in the area of your hike prior to your event.
Be sure to double check if dogs are allowed on the trail you choose. If so, dogs should be on leash at all times.

If an attendee chooses to break these safety guidelines making you uncomfortable – such as they insist on hiking with their dog off leash, or hiking alone and faster than everyone else – feel free to release the pressure and blame The Lady Alliance Foundation by saying that these are community guidelines that we insist are followed for participation in our events. You do not need to be seen as the “bad guy” but we do want to ensure everyone is safe.

Never a Winnie The Pooh situation…

Though they seem cute and cuddly, bears are no joke.

It’s important to review bear safety information prior to going out on a hike with your group. We encourage you to review this information privately prior to hikes, as well as verbally with your group to ensure everyone is prepared for possible encounters.

Bears generally prefer to avoid people. However, encounters between bears and people do occur, as we are in their home. Knowing how to avoid an encounter with a bear is the best way to enjoy your event safely.

In the event you do come across a bear, it is important to know a bit about bear behaviour. How we respond in an encounter with a bear really depends on the type of interaction that is taking place.

AVOID an encounter: the best approach

Bears are extremely sensitive to the stress of human activity. You can help protect these animals by avoiding encounters with them. Very rarely is a bear actually looking for you. Most encounters are due to surprise.

Here are some tips!

Make noise! Let bears know you’re there. Call out, clap, sing or talk loudly especially near streams, dense vegetation and berry patches, on windy days, and in areas of low visibility. Bear bells are not enough.
- In large groups this is much easier, so encourage everyone to chat, motivate your group along the trail as you go, shout to the front lead “how’s it going up there?!”, or yell to the back of the group “how’s my pace?!” Keep the conversations flowing.
Watch for signs a bear is around. Fresh tracks, droppings, diggings, torn-up logs and turned-over rocks are all signs that a bear has been in the area. Leave the area if the signs are fresh.
Keep your dog on a leash at all times or leave them at home. Dogs can provoke defensive behaviour in bears
Larger size groups are less likely to have a serious bear encounter. We request group hikes in high bear areas be of groups of 6 or more.
Use officially marked paths and trails and travel during daylight hours.
If you come across a large dead animal, leave the area immediately and report it to park staff or rangers.

Bear Spray

Carry bear spray with you at all times on the trail, and know how to use it.

Bear spray can be effective with bears when used properly. Be aware that wind, spray distance, rain, freezing temperatures and product shelf life can all influence its effectiveness. Familiarize yourself with the proper use of bear spray (including the manufacturer’s specific instructions) and keep it readily accessible.

Do not keep bear spray in your backpack, or in a hard to reach place (like on the face of your backpack). Keep it easily accessible and the storage strap open for quick release.

💡Pro Tip: Keep your bear spray on your hip belt, or shoulder strap on your non-dominant side so that you use your dominant hand to retrieve the bear spray.

If you SEE a bear

Stop and remain calm. Get ready to use your bear spray. Do not run away.

🎧 Listen to Kieren’s Story Time on her hiking group’s run in with a bear in our Audio Resources!

Is the bear UNAWARE of your presence? Move away quietly without getting it’s attention.

Is the bear AWARE of your presence? Bears may bluff their way out of an encounter by charging and then turning away at the last second. Bears may also react defensively by woofing, growling, snapping their jaws and laying their ears back, or sometimes they will just stand there, trying to identify you.

Stay calm, and keep your group calm. Your calm behaviour can reassure the bear. Screams or sudden movements may trigger an attack.
Speak to the bear. Talk calmly and firmly. This lets the bear know you are human and not a prey animal. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you.
Back away slowly. Never run! Running may trigger a pursuit.
Make yourself appear BIG. Pick up small children and stay in a group.
Do not drop your pack. It can provide protection.

If you must proceed, make a wide detour around a bear or wait at a safe distance for it to move on.

If the bear APPROACHES

Stop and remain calm. Get ready to use your bear spray. Do not run away. Assess the bear’s behaviour and determine why it is approaching.

Is it DEFENSIVE?

The bear is feeding, protecting its young and/or surprised by your presence. It sees you as a threat. The bear will appear stressed or agitated and may vocalize. Keeping calm in this situation is crucial. You will react much differently to a defensive bear than a nondefensive bear.

Is it NON-DEFENSIVE?

A bear may be curious, after your food, or testing its dominance. In the rarest case, it might be predatory–seeing you as potential prey. All of these non-defensive behaviours can appear similar and should not be confused with defensive behaviours.

The bear will be intent on you with head and ears up.

Talk in a firm voice.
- Move out of the bear’s path.
- If it follows you, stop and stand your ground.
- Shout and act aggressively.
- Try to intimidate the bear.
- If it approaches closely, use your bear spray.

Handling an ATTACK

Most encounters with bears end without injury. If a bear actually makes contact, you may increase your chances of survival by following these guidelines. In general, there are 2 kinds of attack:

1) Defensive

This is the most COMMON type of attack.

Use your bear spray.
If the bear makes contact with you: PLAY DEAD!

Lie on your stomach with legs apart and position your arms so that your hands are crossed behind your neck. This position makes you less vulnerable to being flipped over and protects your face, the back of your head and neck. Remain still until you are sure the bear has left the area.

These defensive attacks are generally less than two minutes in duration (everything would feel like an eternity in the case of a bear attack, but defensive attacks are meant to protect, not to eat). If the attack continues, it may mean it has shifted from defensive to predatory—FIGHT BACK!

2) Predatory

A bear could start our defensive and switch to predatory if it thinks you are dead. If this seems to be the case, it’s time to fight back.

Try to escape into a building, car or up a tree. *Bears can climb trees, better than we can – this is a distancing technique but not a lifesaver
If you cannot escape, do not play dead.
Use your bear spray and FIGHT BACK.

Intimidate that bear: shout; hit it with a branch or rock, do whatever it takes to let the bear know you are not easy prey. This kind of attack is very rare, but it is serious because it usually means the bear is looking for food. And you’re food.

Note: It is very difficult to predict the best strategy to use in the event of a bear attack. That is why it is so important to put thought and energy into avoiding an encounter in the first place.

Because you are with a group there is less likely of a chance that there will be a bear attack. But it is important to know this information and learn and understand bears prior to going out with a group. We are not bear instructors. We encourage you to seek further information and get to know bears if bears are a threat in your local area.

Remember, we are joining them in their home, and we need to show them the respect.

Running or biking on the trails

Your speed and quietness put you at risk for sudden bear encounters.

Slow down through shrubby areas and when approaching blind corners.
Make noise, travel in groups, be alert and always watch ahead.
Carry bear spray with you at all times on the trail, and know how to use it.

Bears are incredible animals. When you cross their paths, they need their space, and they need respect.

Note we say “when” not “if”. If you are in a bear populated area, mentally prepare yourself with “when” statements as much as possible. The more you mentally prepare yourself for all of the possible situations mentioned above, the more instinctual your response will be when you encounter a bear.

Try to learn this information well enough to explain it to your groups before you hit the trail. As always we let the attendees know that “we are not guides and that this is not a guided hike, but here are some bear tips to remember!”

Bears Aren’t The Only Concern

All animals are to be respected. This becomes even more important when out with a group as The Lady Alliance Foundation.

The last thing we want to hear is that our community groups were involved in crowding a deer, stopping traffic on a highway to take photos of elk, or feeding the cute chipmunks at the park.

Each animal encounter could be potentially damaging if humans become too involved. Smaller animals and rodents could bite, and have diseases. Larger, even seemingly docile animals can charge, protect their food or young, or be more aggressive depending on the time of year.

Additionally, food given to animals could be damaging to the animal. For example, bread expands in bird stomachs, food given to small rodents can contain too much salt and be damaging to their organs, or it can create a food aggression within the animal which would mean that rangers would need to put the animal down.

We ask that all animals be respected and admired from a safe distance.

💡Pro Tip: Larger animals, especially animals with racks, cannot get around a tree. If you are charged by a large animal keep a stronger tree between you and the animal. Careful of the rack poking out beyond the tree though!

Safety Tips For Your Winter Hikes

Additionally to what was previously mentioned for summer hikes, there are three primary concerns for hiking in the winter:

Warm layers
Snow knowledge
Proper gear for the conditions

Warm Layers

Dress like an onion. Lots of layers. Thinner layers close to your skin, thicker layers as you move out.

Having a variety of insulating clothing will help you regulate your body temperature and stay comfortable. Your base layers should be sweat wicking. As you move outward your outer layers should allow for air insulation. Your warmth will be in the air trapped between or within your layers. So having a down jacket or something similar can help keep you warm. Stay away from cotton.

Our founder Kieren shares her preferences with us:

I like to wear a layer of sweat wicking long underwear (I love my Helly Hanson sweat wicking shirt – pretty sure it’s for a hockey player but I have had it for 11 years and it’s still in tip-top shape), a t-shirt or light long sleeve over top of it, a light fleece or soft shell jacket, and waterproof pants. I keep an insulated jacket (I love my down Arcteryx jacket), fleece pants, and a waterproof shell jacket in my pack just in case.

I am always cold at the summit, so my down jacket stays packed away until I am at the top. I put my down on before my sweaty layers freeze (aka before I am cold).

I also carry a beanie (toque), mitts and extra socks on me. My hiking socks are usually double layered to avoid blister rubs, and my winter socks are rated for colder weather.

Sharing your preference for layers (or mine if you need to borrow it) can help new hikers feel welcome to join your group hikes. If you can eliminate barriers of self-doubt it will help them feel confident in what they pack.

Snow Knowledge

We will break this section into two subsections.

1) Reading the snow conditions for avalanche safety.

2) What gear to pack based on the snow conditions.

Learning The Current Snow Conditions

Leading up to, as well as the day before the event you want to check for possible avalanche conditions. Check Avalanche Canada for avalanche conditions in your hiking area. Do not go on the hike with a “considerable” or “high” risk warning.

We suggest reviewing Avalanche Canada’s tutorial here.

Once you are done that tutorial, head to our Dashboard for more avalanche safety instruction, and we always encourage you to follow up with an avalanche safety training course if this is relevant to your events.

Gear:

You will need to know what the snow conditions are so that you know what to pack. Crampons (microspikes) vs snowshoes will be an important decision, and your guidance can help ladies show up for your event.

If you understand your local weather patterns, the snowfall expectations and the current snow on the ground you can help give your group a couple day’s notice on whether they should pack crampons or snowshoes. Some ladies will need to rent – and possibly your guidance finding a rental location – so it is important to assess the situation as early as you can.

💡Pro Tip: Snowshoes are usually for flotation, whereas crampons are for traction and grip. If you find yourself in 4″ or more of snow, then each step you take sucks energy out of you and the snowshoes are great! But if it’s icy or you’re unsure crampons are great for traction.

Refreshing Your Wilderness First Aid

We are not Wilderness First Aid Instructors. We are not instructors of any type. But this is where we do a plug for any of your local Wilderness First Aid course providers in your local area.

First aid is great. And we highly recommend you having your first aid for your events.

However, Wilderness First Aid is a game changer.

Wilderness First Aid offers relevant and realistic first aid training for seasonal outdoor activities or short term wilderness pursuits. It gives you a further understanding of potential injuries with certain outdoor sports, and how to best manage these injuries with the supplies in your pack.

In the meantime, take a look through Youtube and look for tips and tricks on how to deal with the following injuries so that you can be better equipped to deal with potential injuries on your hikes and outdoor activities:

Something you may want to consider is taking this online course Wilderness First Aid Basics that Backpacker Magazine offers for only $149 USD.

Please note: This online course is not mandatory, but we do encourage you to have basic knowledge of first aid. We are not affiliated with this course, nor do we make commissions on encouraging you to take it. We hope that you further your knowledge in the area of first aid.

Click the red text below to view this course.

https://www.aimadventureu.com/courses/wilderness-first-aid-basics

What To Have In Your First Aid Kit

As we grow, we hope to be able to provide you with a first aid kit, but until then we ask that you ensure each of your events has a first aid kit fully stocked and ready for possible action.

Here is an example of what you should have in a first aid kit.

Antiseptic wipes
Antibacterial ointment
Assorted bandages
Gauze pads in various sizes
Medical tape
Moleskin or another type of blister treatment
Ibuprofen (or another preferred pain-relief medication)
Insect sting treatment
Antihistamine for allergic reactions
Non-stick pads
Butterfly bandages
Tweezers
Safety pins
Multitool
Finger splint
SAM splint
Rolled gauze
Elastic wrap
Cleansing pads
Blood-stopping gauze
Liquid bandage
Triangular bandage
Hand sanitizer
Poison ivy / poison oak treatment (if necessary in your area)
Rehydration salts
Duct tape
Small notebook with pen (to record vitals, etc.)
Headlamp (or flashlight)
Whistle
Heat-reflecting emergency blanket
First-aid cards that include instructions on how to use the items if you are not familiar

Or, you can grab one from one of our donors, like MEC!

Tips for Growing Your Local Facebook Group

1) Invite everyone you know!

As we have said before, the more close connections we have in our local groups, the better.

Invite female friends and family members to join your group. Invite them to the events we list, tag them in posts, and make this community your community.

Most importantly, invite everyone that comes to your Evenbrite events to the group. Send them an email reminder through Eventbrite, invite them in person and post photos of the event in the group so everyone can head there and check it out!

2) Collaborate With Like-minded groups for event shares

Search for other local groups on Facebook where you can share the link to your local Facebook events. i.e. community pages, outdoor/adventure groups such as hiking, camping, backpacking, climbing, etc. These events will bring more people to your local group.

Please be mindful of the type of group you are posting in, and be respectful of the rules in that group if you are sharing the local Lady Alliance group link. Post only where allowed and saying “admin delete if not allowed” if you are not sure.

3) Business Posts

Allow for business posts once a week on your page. As your group grows business owners will want to post on your group to advertise their products. Restricting this completely is fine if you choose to do so, however if you allow for businesses to comment once a week providing them a platform, it may help grow your group.

Celebrate this as a “support local” post to help encourage less of an advertising and more of a supportive feel for the post.

Business owners should not be posting their own post, but rather they should comment on a thread that you set up for them to promote themselves.

4) Cross-promotion

Find similar groups on Facebook or other social media platforms and ask them if they are up for cross-promotion. This can be an extremely effective strategy for quickly building your audience, you just need to find the right groups to pitch this idea to.

5) Linking

Always make sure you insert the link leading to your Facebook group in your: newsletters, icon bars, email signatures, Linkedin bio… wherever you think it might be useful in terms of promotion.

6) Ask Influencers to Endorse you

Find influencers who are extremely relevant in your locations and ask them to share your Facebook group among their many followers. Offer them something in return, of course (attending an event, co-hosting an event, etc.)

7) Incentive Programs

You can provide rewards for the top users in your Facebook group and each month announce who the most active and most contributing members are. This is an awesome way to motivate your members to participate in discussions, make them support one another and feel like they are truly part of a family, which can eventually turn them into potent advocates of your The Lady Alliance.

You are welcome to give 3 people the following Lady Alliance items for incentives:

10% discount on apparel – discount code: ISUPPORT

8) Content Content Content

Quality content should be the fundamental building block of your Facebook chapter. Only with the right, original content will you be able to build a healthy community that will grow organically, have value and stay engaged.

Creating original content is a must, but make sure you don’t steer clear of posting and sharing attractive and engaging content from other sources as well.

As your group grows, keep track of the metrics, discover what type of content works best for your members and pivot your posts in that general direction. Locating that content sweet spot will encourage conversations and interaction among your group members and will trigger them to share it beyond your community.

9) Engage with your Group Members Daily

Find out what time of day is most optimal for your members (when most of them are online) and try to post your best content then. Most Facebook users are online around 11 am and 7 pm, but this can vary quite a bit, though.

Be sure to stay well-organized and keep your activity consistent by scheduling your posts via Facebook (you can also use one of many social media scheduling tools available online).

Daily interaction is key to keeping your Facebook group alive and growing. Chapter Coordinators should pack the group with regular and positive interaction and engagement. Don’t be too lazy to like and comment on your members’ posts regularly and make sure you answer most (if not all) of the questions or comments your members post.

We will be helping you grow.

As we grow we will be sponsoring ads in each local area to help grow your chapters. You do not need to pay for any ads for your chapter’s growth.

But we need you to be very involved your chapter on Facebook.

How To Reach Out To Media

Local media love feel good stories that are home grown. They would love to hear of your new chapter. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them once you have established your community.

Using the email template in our Resource Library, you can customize an email to contact local media in your area.

Be sure to show the connection to the local area, and your connection to the larger global community! They want to see local ladies making a difference – that is YOU!

Media Releases

Media (press) releases can be found within your Resource Library. We encourage you to use these releases as a guideline for announcing your local chapter to the media.

To use this media release download the image, head to Canva, and place a textbox to write about your chapter.

The font we used was Open Sans size 11 for the body of the press release.

Be sure to review the document and fill in all your required portions. Review and proof as much as you can prior to sending your release in to media outlets.

Tips For Interviews

Here are some interview tips for on and off camera interviews!

Look at your interviewer, unless otherwise instructed to look into the camera.
Try not to fidget with your hands. Speaking with your hands a bit can help with this, but no need to over do it.
Sit up straight. As though someone has a string pulling you up from the top of your head. Pull your shoulders away from your ears. This helps show confidence on camera and is very noticable when you do so.
Smile while you are not talking. Sometimes the camera will cut to you or pan out during times you are silent – you don’t want to stare your interviewer into the ground!
Make sure to be very high energy and speak with a lot of intonation, more than you would do in a normal conversation. You may think you are overdoing it, but on camera, it does not look that way at all. If in doubt, use your phone to film a practice round first. When you play it back, you will see that your high energy works well on film.
If you are a blogger, think about your answer like a blog posts — outline your talking points, summarize them by number and be succinct. Use pauses to your advantage, and speak confidently. If it is a short interview answer the questions efficiently and effectively.
Know what you’re going to say. Think about the questions you might get asked and prepare some answers ahead of time. Practice your short 10-30 second soundbites so you don’t need to think before you answer, the answer is already in your bones.
Think of the interviewer as your best friend who wants to just catch up on all the wonderful things you’re doing in your life. You’ll feel less scripted in your responses and will come across more natural to the audience.

Looking for some Lady Alliance facts? Here are some tidbits that can help answer questions during an interview:

The Lady Alliance began as a social media and blog platform in December 2016. By September 2017 there was a demand to meet in person, so our first event was arranged, and sold out to 30 women+ in just two weeks time.
Our first event was a hiking trip during a long weekend at a backcountry hut in British Columbia Canada.
We have hosted events such as Avalanche Safety Training, guided and non-guided hikes, surf and yoga retreats global, navigation courses, and in 2018 we sponsored two women to become interpretive guides.
Our headquarters is Victoria BC
The goal of The Lady Alliance Foundation is to build confidence and community through adventure, aiming to change the face of leadership in the outdoors
Local chapters host free events for everyone to join
Our nation wide nonprofit helps by providing scholarships to those who need our community’s assistance in breaking down financial barriers to getting outside
There are 24 chapters Canada
Over 6,000 women+ have attended Lady Alliance events

Share Your Local Grants With Us!

We are always on the lookout for local grants! If you hear of any local grants, please submit them to info@theladyalliance.com. We will involve you in the local application process to ensure we have accurately shared your vision for your chapter when applying to this local grant.

Welcome to your resource library!

This area of the course is set up as a repository for all the best resources made available to you as a part of your role. We encourage you to explore this library, access its resources and download them where we’ve enabled you to.

If you have any questions about how you can make the most of your resources after downloading it, please don’t hesitate to contact kieren@theladyalliance.com

◀ To get started, click on a resource in the table of contents to the left.

Important Checklists

Below is a collection of checklists that will come in handy during your time as a Chapter Coordinator.

Note: All Eventbrite registrations must include the following script (copy and paste):

Make sure to complete the waiver linked here before attending the event. Waiver completion is mandatory! https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/5f5a75b860d9b/web/?fbclid=IwAR2lh3SFsMUnYhJC72KsQFlM3ooBEZpDmw5vKtOckC1VnXcwazzRkGoozjY

Please be aware that this is a non-guided, COVID-aware event. By joining this event, you have read, signed, and understood our digital waiver linked above. By registering for this event, you understand that The Lady Alliance provides non-guided events. This means that these events are lead by people in your community just like you! No guides or medical assistance will be present, and safety while attending this event will be the responsibility of each and every participant. We ask that if you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms, such as: fever, dry cough, unusual tiredness and aches and pains, or sore throat that you do not attend this event.

Please be aware that limited spots are available due to COVID-aware restrictions. If you are unable to attend this event please let us know so we can fill your spot with our waitlist!

Working With The Media

Below are some documents that can help you work with the media. These include Nonprofit Transition Press Release Templates, New Chapter Press Release, and our letterhead.

Use these templates in the following ways:

Download the template below, upload it into Canva.com and cover the highlighted portions with a white square and the text of your chapter city or location. Be sure to make it look cohesive by using Open Sans size 11 font.
Download the letterhead and create your own press release with ours as a guideline.

Email Copy

Here is some inspiration for an email:

Hi __________,

My name is ________ and I am a long time _[Listener, watcher, audience member]_ of _[local news station]_. I am emailing with a good-news story that I know your local audience would love to hear!

The Lady Alliance Foundation, a Canadian nonprofit and community based initiative, is now in _[local city]_.

The Lady Alliance Foundation is a nonprofit that helps build confidence and community through adventure. Across Canada The Lady Alliance Foundation has local communities providing free and donation based events to help introduce individuals to new adventures and friendships. Any optional donations given go towards our scholarship programs which help change the face of leadership in the outdoors so that everyone can see themselves as adventurers.

I have been a resident of _[local city]_ for ______ years, and I cannot wait to bring this nonprofit into our community.

Attached is a press release with more information on our upcoming events and the foundation. We would love to share this new local chapter with your audience to help inspire people across Canada, especially within _[local city]_.

Thank you for your consideration

_[Name]_

_[Cell contact]_

_[Email Contact]_

The Time Has Come

You’ve battled self-doubt, maybe some imposter syndrome, and have done the hard part – you’ve applied to become a chapter coordinator. But your first event is on it’s way, and the nerves are real. Kieren joins you to help relieve the stress, share some of the important next steps and help you make sure you are ready to go for your first event.