First of all a big THANK YOU to everyone who has already signed up to our #BigWildWalk and set themselves their own walking challenge, to raise vital funds for our conservation projects, right here in Northern Ireland.

Top 10 Tips For Fundraising

Here’s our top 10 tips to make the most of your fundraising efforts and JustGiving page. Follow these and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a wildlife hero!

1. Be Brave

Set yourself a realistic, but challenging, goal for your walk and fundraising amount. Not only will you be raising money for important conservation work - you will be improving your own health at the same time – it’s a win-win!

2. Shoot for a target

Add a target to your JustGiving page. Pages with a target raise 46% more. Aim high and tell the world. 

3. Be creative with your fundraising

Sponsor the kids a penny for 10 steps they take, or a penny for every new species they can identify on their walking challenge. Make it fun and a creative.

Working from home? Challenge yourself to a step challenge every lunchtime, no matter what the weather!

Kids at a loose end? Get them to plan a route, pack a picnic and make a day out of it (socially distanced of course).

4. Tell them why

When you are asking for support for your challenge, tell your family and friends why nature conservation is so important to you - maybe it’s an encounter you've had, a place you want to protect. Adding this to your fundraising page is a fab way of getting more support.

You can add a summary of the projects we are working on to your JustGiving page:

Ulster Wildlife is working hard on a variety of projects to kick start the great green recovery, preventing nature loss in Northern Ireland. Donations raised will go towards local projects including:

• Protecting under-threat native wildlife, here in Northern Ireland, including  barn owls, hedgehogs and red squirrels
• Restoring degraded peatlands to help them lock-in carbon to tackle climate change
• Supporting our Sea Deep project – an initiative to champion endangered sharks, skates and rays in our local seas

5. Encourage others

Convince your friends to take part and raise money as well...as it makes the experience more fun! Plus the more people who take part, the more money we raise!

6. Share, share and share some more!

Share your fundraising pages with family and friends on Facebook, social media, WhatsApp and email - we all love to support each other when doing something worthwhile. Plus it helps raise more money! Don’t be afraid, people want to hear about the good things you are doing. 

7. Update your JustGiving page

Let supporters know how you are doing by updating your page often, they will enjoy following your progress and you can even do it from your phone.  

8. It's not over 'til it's over

Approx. 20% of donations come in after an event has ended, so make sure you follow up the event with an update about how you did. 

9. Thank & challenge

Don't forget to thank anyone that sponsors you, and why not challenge them to join in too.

10. Don't want to fundraise? Donate instead

Some of you may not have time to set up a JustGiving fundraising page and ask people to sponsor you. If it’s easier, you can take on your challenge donation yourself. For example, walking 32,000 steps for wildlife? Make a £32 donation. 

Let Us Know What You Get Up To

Don’t forget to show us how your walk goes by tagging @UlsterWildlife #BigWildWalk in your social media posts. We’d love to see what you get up to and share your walks on our social media channels.

It’s Still Not Too Late To Take Part

Help us kick start the great green recovery and sign up on our website and start fundraising today. Set up a JustGiving fundraising page or simply complete your walking challenge and send your donation to us.