You are here: 
Street fundraising - Devon Wildlife Trust
Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) was formed in 1962 to conserve the wildlife and environment of Devon. It strived for years to build a membership of 5,000 people, which was achieved in 2000. Mailings and other promotions were tested to expand the number of members further, but the high costs of running these campaigns on a relatively small scale far outweighed the extra income they generated.
It seemed the charity had reached an impasse and was unlikely to be able to grow the membership base much further, which in turn hampered DWT’s ability to achieve its charitable objectives through purchasing land for nature reserves, providing advice to landowners and educating future generations to respect wildlife and the Devon countryside.
In 2001 DWT tested street fundraising, using a specialist agency that had worked with a number of the other countywide wildlife trusts in the UK.
The technique worked well from the beginning. Passers-by were attracted by the idea of a local conservation organisation, by the publications they sent to members, and by the activities that were available for children to take part in. The charity paid the agency only when a new member was signed up, and reached an agreement that DWT would be reimbursed if any of the new members cancelled their donation within three months.
At the beginning of 2006 DWT’s membership stood at just over 30,000, and it is still growing.
