Beyond the crisis: sustainable funding for wildlife conservation

Anna Hunt Tusk Philanthropy Manager

Beyond the crisis: sustainable funding for wildlife conservation

We were overwhelmed by the response to our Covid-19 Crisis Appeal, and other fundraising initiatives in 2020 and 2021. Thanks to the support of our donors, Tusk's income increased by a remarkable 35%.

Although the situation across the charity sector was fairly bleak, with over 60% of charities in the UK experiencing a drop in income, one-off donations by individuals actually increased. People wanted to do something positive. For Tusk, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge was a huge success building on the support of the Scheinberg Relief Fund who, motivated by the plight of wildlife rangers across Africa, invested in wildlife conservation. At the same time, membership of Tusk’s Patrons’ Circle doubled in direct response to the crisis.

Our challenge now is to maintain momentum and encourage continued investment into wildlife conservation. Research by the UK’s Environmental Funders Network shows that donations from charitable foundations to environmental causes represent just 5.8% of overall giving. The figure in the US is even lower. Traditional fundraising, particularly with the growth of digital fundraising platforms, is a crowded marketplace, with approximately 169,000 charities registered in the UK. Charities need to be innovative to reach new audiences and raise sustainable funds.

Maintaining fundraising success after a crisis appeal is a particular challenge. It’s difficult to uphold the sense of urgency, especially for projects that take time to demonstrate impact. Achieving an upward trend in a population of an endangered species takes generations, relying on sustained investment.

It’s encouraging for Tusk that the narrative following the recent COP26 conference has moved from a climate change focus to one encompassing biodiversity loss and the need to preserve nature. Tusk believes in protecting wildlife not just for its inherent value, but also because maintaining healthy ecosystems is vital to the protection of the planet and for our own survival.

Tusk funds 90 projects across Africa, but our mission extends beyond financial support. As an advocate, we aim to use our platform, together with our ambassadors, to highlight the importance of conservation and the urgent need to reverse biodiversity loss to inspire greater philanthropy and sustained investment. As a convener, we bring our network of conservation partners together to encourage collaboration and innovation to find alternative, sustainable funding mechanisms for their programmes.

But as a fundraiser, we need to continue to maximise opportunities that can increase our investment into the field. We play to our strengths as a nimble, connected organisation and will strive to find ways to work positively with the corporate sector, particularly through Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable finance models, broadening our networks to appeal to new audiences across the globe.

The threat to nature is growing, but together we can demonstrate resilience, optimism and innovation to find solutions.

Above

A ranger on the Borana Conservancy, Kenya Credit: Stevie Mann

Right

White rhino in the Waterberg, South Africa Credit: Save the Waterberg Rhinos