$400K raised after Canadians donate one day’s wage on Truth and Reconciliation Day

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — What started as a Vancouver man’s plan to donate his pay on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has grown into a campaign raising $400,000 for Indigenous-led organizations.

Josh Hensman felt conflicted about getting a paid day off on Sept. 30. Unsatisfied with just taking the day to reflect, he decided to take action, and encouraged others to do the same by launching the One Day’s Pay campaign.

But he didn’t expect the outpouring of support from coast to coast to coast.

“The idea came from a sense of conflict or dissonance with what the day was meant to be for, and a lot of the people that were actually benefiting from it. That is something that I think has really resonated with a lot of Canadians,” he explains.

Did you know: Less than 1% of philanthropic contributions in this country go to Indigenous orgs? On Sept 30th #TruthandReconciliationDay you can take action & mobilize your networks to #GiveOneDaysPay to an Indigenous org.https://t.co/YGm9RXW1UV#ReflectThenAct #OneDaysPay pic.twitter.com/OEMH6slGNp

— One Day's Pay (@GiveOneDaysPay) September 29, 2021

All the money raised is being given to three organizations; The Indian Residential School Survivors Society, Orange Shirt Day Society/Every Child Matters Society, and the National Association of Friendship Centres. Hensman has described the campaign as ‘by settlers for settlers,’ something non-Indigenous Canadians can do to mark the day.

“So far, a lot of the work of reconciliation has been done by Indigenous people. I think it’s really important that Canadians step up. Our main goal is to get money in the hands of Indigenous people, and then let them do what they think is best.”

On Tuesday, $40,000 had been raised. By Friday that amount had increased ten-fold to $400,081.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it,” Hensman says, adding the entire team was flabbergasted when they saw the total.

“Is this real? Are these actually the numbers? We were super excited and just a little bit astounded at Canadians’ reactions and responses to this.”

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By and large, Hensman says the total is made up of smaller donations — with many using social media to motivate people to join in.

“It has mainly been individuals, which is fantastic,” he says.

“It’s a simple way to give, it’s a simple way to take action. That’s really, I think, why we’ve seen the response that we have.”

This guide was created by @TheCircleCanada to help settlers engage, connect, share, give, and discuss #TruthAndReconciliation Please share widely #ReflectThenAct #OneDaysPay
Link: https://t.co/Sk72I9VjiE pic.twitter.com/senCSxWTif

— One Day's Pay (@GiveOneDaysPay) September 25, 2021

The website will stay up, and donations can still be made through October. It was important for Hensman to work with an Indigenous-led group to make sure the online campaign also connected people with crucial information and resources.

“I think there’s a lot of information on the internet and at times it can be hard to negotiate that, to know where to start and what the important things are to learn,” he says.

The campaign partnered with The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples, who helped curate the educational content on the site.

“Feeling proud as a Canadian requires a willingness to face the harm that this country has done and continues to do — pride is a more powerful motivator for change than shame,” says Kris Archie, CEO in a statement.

“One Day’s Pay came to us and said they were going to raise money for Indigenous-led organizations. They are willing to face the truth and invite others to do the same while taking action by giving cash back. It’s a first step and a captivating idea that we’re glad to support.”