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Why do people donate to conservation? Insights from a ‘real world’ campaign

Veríssimo, Diogo, Campbell, Hamish A., Tollington, Simon, MacMillan, Douglas C., Smith, Robert J. (2018) Why do people donate to conservation? Insights from a ‘real world’ campaign. PLOS ONE, 13 (1). ISSN 1932-6203. (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191888) (KAR id:65987)

Abstract

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a key role in biodiversity conservation. The majority of these organisations rely on public donations to fund their activities, and therefore fundraising success is a determinant of conservation outcomes. In spite of this integral relationship, the key principals for fundraising success in conservation are still guided by expert opinion and anecdotal evidence, with very few quantitative studies in the literature. Here we assessed the behaviour of monetary donors across twenty-five different species-focused conservation campaigns organised by an NGO conservation and environmental society. The Australian Geographic Society (AGS) carried out fundraising campaigns over a five and half year period using an identical methodology in thirty-four of its country-wide network of outlet shops. AGS owns and operates these shops that sell toys and games related to science and nature. We tested how the following factors influenced monetary donations from members of the public:1) campaign duration, 2) appeal and familiarity of species, 3) species geographic distribution relative to the fundraising location, 4) level of income and education of potential donors, 5) age and gender profile of potential donors. Contrary to past research, we found most of these factors did not significantly influence the amount of donations made to each campaign by members of the public. Larger animals did elicit a significantly higher amount donated per transaction than smaller animals, as did shops located in poorer neighbourhoods. Our study findings contrast with past research that has focused largely on hypothetical donations data collected via surveys, and demonstrates the complexity and case-specific nature of relationships between donor characteristics and spending patterns. The study highlights the value of assessing real-world fundraising campaigns, and illustrates how collaboration between academia and NGOs could be used to better tailor fundraising campaigns to maximise donations from individual citizens.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191888
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH75 Conservation (Biology)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Depositing User: Bob Smith
Date Deposited: 11 Feb 2018 15:37 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 08:17 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/65987 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Tollington, Simon.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

MacMillan, Douglas C..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2573-5049
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Smith, Robert J..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1599-9171
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