Contributing to zoos and charities

I have donated in the past through animal adoptions. A couple of years ago my local zoo had 2 Koalas on loan for a few months from the San Diego Zoo and my zoo had a special adoption package for the occasion. Lowry Park also got a couple of Koalas and had a special package also that came with a neat little suitcase and the "obligatory" literature that comes with adoptions. I've donated to World Wildlife Fund, to my local zoo to help build a new tiger habitat and to a sanctuary to help with an animal's medical expenses. There have been a couple of times when I was thinking about donating to something, then changed my mind when their money requests on Facebook were getting a bit obnoxious. Every single wall post by them was asking for money and that really turned me off.

When I do make donations, I don't care if it's a tax write-off or not because I don't itemize. I donate when I am able and however much I can.
 
RFindlater said:
nanoboy: I thought that might be how it would work; it sounds like it would be much more of an incentive than Gift Aid is. It’s a shame that I couldn't just change things so that the UK get tax breaks instead or as well!

I see, what made you decide on five charities instead of three? Would you ever be interested in something that helped you learn about these?


mazfc: Can you remember what the tipping point was; what pushed you from thinking about it to actually doing it? I haven’t even considered the fact that using cafes and gift shops could be considered as a method of contribution. Why do you go to the cafes/gift shops and what do you buy?

What kind of food do you donate? Does it tend to be food that would otherwise be disposed of or wasted, or is it bought especially for donating?


Taisha: Although I initially had being in close proximity in mind for a definition, your response has shown that close proximity may not be needed for close contact. It definitely seems that being able to donate enrichment objects really helps to engage the public; it’s a real shame that it is no longer allowed. I suppose some of them could have been inspired to donate to their cause through that close interaction, even if it isn’t all of them – I can imagine that well-made information wouldn’t have caused any harm though.

It’s interesting you should say that after OrangePerson’s mention of the adopted animal as a ‘face’ for the species; I wonder if the person knew that it may have been for the best even if it would mean being away from the zoo (e.g. if it was for a breeding pool). Do you know what it was sent away for?


Also, I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their feedback - I’ve received a lot of valuable information and I cannot thank you all enough for it. Although I won’t be as active as I have been I will still be more than happy to continue discussing this with you all. I'll still be on the forums conducting other research; if desired you can follow my project progress at the following site:
Rory Findlater -
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That's disappointing that after collecting data, you will not be posting regularly.
 
RFindlater said:
I wonder if the person knew that it may have been for the best even if it would mean being away from the zoo (e.g. if it was for a breeding pool). Do you know what it was sent away for?


The animal was sent away because she was a hybrid.
There are more animals, who are disposed the same way, when they are too old, or unable to breed.
It is hard to imagine how the adopting scheme could have a long lasting, positive effect on visitors under these circumstances.
Zoos may also be more interested in advertising to increase their number of visitors than trying to raise money for the sake of endangered animals.

Every now and then to have a special day, with focus on a certain endangered species present at the zoo, introducing the zoo group with anecdotes, combined with broader information about the danger of extinction for the whole species, could perhaps help to provide the visitor with a more personalized view (having been given a "face") and turn him into a sponsor.
But how many zoos would be willing to put in so much effort?

One apparently quite successful fundraising campaign was started by Hagenbeck, Hamburg a few years ago, when they proclaimed 'a day of the orangutan'.
There was a huge screen with ever changing information. And a tent, where films were shown. Stalls sold animal related items, other stalls just offered further information. There were special programms for children. And other offers I may have forgotten.
Among the crowd a very engaged director and keepers, who had sponsered their income of the day, all around.
It was the spirit of the whole event, that must have convinced many people.
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My high schoool does a lot of charity even though we have about 200 kids in the whole school which is a small high school in the US. We recently donated 490 lbs of breakfast food to our local children's food basket and the local news station is coming to cover our christmas stocking donations that we are doing right now.
 
JBZvolunteer said:
My high schoool does a lot of charity even though we have about 200 kids in the whole school which is a small high school in the US. We recently donated 490 lbs of breakfast food to our local children's food basket and the local news station is coming to cover our christmas stocking donations that we are doing right now.
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Not really zoo related though....
 
nanoboy: I apologise if I gave the impression that I would not be posting here again; although I’ll be spending less time on research (and working on a dissertation) I can still give updates on my project's progress if desired. I'm currently trying to establish some initial concepts for my project; I’ll update with these by the end of the week.


OrangePerson: That’s a very good point; I didn't think of that! I can’t help but wonder who else hasn't thought of that either…

What if the donor could still have contact with their animal even if it was sent to another zoo/released in the wild? On the other hand it could be difficult for animals that are old or unable to breed as Taisha mentioned. It’s a shame that a lot of zoos tend to be out of the way of the general public – I imagine that cafes would be able to gain a lot more revenue if they were more conveniently located for the public.

It’s interesting that you've mentioned keeper experiences; I’ve been contemplating the possibility of people contributing by being able to volunteer (a lot of students in particular seem keen on the idea) but I have realised that this may be seen as a ‘free version’ of a keeper experience and that the zoo might need this income. How viable would you say it is that people could volunteer at zoos, possibly doing something similar?

I’d completely agree with you on specific conservation projects; it reassures the donor that their money is being used effectively whilst making them feel more involved by knowing exactly what is happening. One of the people I surveyed mentioned something similar where he got to choose exactly what his money went to – in this case it was buying mosquito nets to fight malaria. For my concept I’d be quite likely to include this or something similar.


azcheetah2: I see; did the special adoption package for the Koalas encourage you to donate or was it more to do with the Koalas arriving?
I can see why the money requests would have turned you off. It’s an issue that has come up time and time again in my research; as a result one of the driving issues behind my project is attempting to counteract the “needy” and “guilt-driven” approaches that are sometimes used.


Taisha: It is a very delicate issue; telling the donor that their animal is unable to breed must be difficult whilst keeping animals until they are too old could put off other visitors (I've found that some zoos often have to compromise between what they want and what the public wants – a day out). Although an increased number of visitors would give them more money to upgrade the zoo and therefore take care of their animals it obviously still means less money to spend on conservation projects outwith the zoo - I suppose that is another delicate issue.

Just hearing about what they did for the ‘day of the orangutan’ tells me that it must have been a very special event to go to; I can see why it must have convinced and motivated a lot of people. Like you said it is a lot of effort however. I remember one of the people I surveyed mentioning that they’d feel more comfortable about donating if there was an event made out of it; it seems like your example further proves this. I can’t help but wonder if World Animal Day could be harnessed more to this effect.


JBZvolunteer: That’s quite an achievement for a small school! What would you say encourages the students to donate; are there high-scores, etc. or is seeing other students donate enough to motivate them? Are these events set up by the school or by the students themselves?
 
I " adopted" a bonobo from the Lola ya bonobo sanctuary. A payment of $20.00 is deducted from my Paypal account every month. I don't receive updates on "my" bonobo but I keep track of the sanctuary through their Facebook page. I also donate to the San Diego Zoo animal care wish list program. They post a list of items needed for animal enrichment and I can choose which item I would like to purchase. This month the items range from $6.00 clickers to $3150.00 for satellite images of the Ebo National Park in Cameroon. Donors are invited to special events to see how the animals enjoy the enrichment items. For example, we were able to enter the zoo an hour early to see the polar bears with their snow.
 
I have a couple of quick questions that would really help my research:

What makes you want to contribute?

What made you decide that you wanted to contribute for the first time?
 
RFindlater said:
It’s interesting that you've mentioned keeper experiences; I’ve been contemplating the possibility of people contributing by being able to volunteer (a lot of students in particular seem keen on the idea) but I have realised that this may be seen as a ‘free version’ of a keeper experience and that the zoo might need this income. How viable would you say it is that people could volunteer at zoos, possibly doing something similar?

JBZvolunteer: That’s quite an achievement for a small school! What would you say encourages the students to donate; are there high-scores, etc. or is seeing other students donate enough to motivate them? Are these events set up by the school or by the students themselves?
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I know at least at John Ball Zoo that to volunteer you have to pay money to cover shirts and stuff so they don't loose money in that sense but their are other reasons it can be more helpful than a keeper experience. By having group such as teen volunteers it creates a group of people that are willing to do the dirty work which could only be given to the average people paying to do the keeper experience for a half hour at most where a volunteer is normally willing to do it for hours on end. Let's be honest, for the average person spooking exotic poop loses it's magic after about 2-3 stalls. Also, by having a group of people that do on normally a weekly or monthly basis it allows for a lot more use of time because then you don't have to explain something everytime and instead they can just jump right into the task.
For the school fundraising a lot of times we do competition between grades which makes us very willing to beat the other group.
 
RFindlater said:
I have a couple of quick questions that would really help my research:

What makes you want to contribute?

What made you decide that you wanted to contribute for the first time?
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My home zoo is the San Diego Zoo and they have large troop of bonobos. I spend a lot of time observing them and the keepers are always willing to answer my questions. The more I learned about them the more I felt compelled to contribute. The first time I contributed to the "Animal Wish List" at the zoo I did it because I could choose which animals received my gift. I didn't know that I would be invited to special events but it does feel good that my small contributions are appreciated.
 
RF, Zoochat is a far more valuable resource than a pool of zoophiles to answer questionnaires. Have a look around the forums and get involved - there is a lot to learn from the folks here.
 
Sorry for hijacking this post, I'd just like to bring peoples' attention to some seasonal websites in case you are interested in making generous donations.

In the UK, The Big Give's Christmas Challenge is now on, and lists a number of wildlife charities among those which will double your donation. (Donate online to charities & charity projects | The Big Give)

In the US, WildAid is a featured charity on this month's dollarpermonth.org

Internationally, until the end of december, any donations to Wildlife Alliance (who run Phnom Tamao Rescue Centre, among others, in Cambodia) will be tripled by an anonymous donor: Homepage - Wildlife Alliance
 
JBZvolunteer: I was wondering about that; I was hoping to encourage those with little money to volunteer but was worried that would get in the way of keeper experiences. Perhaps the keeper experiences could be used for the more glamorous work (maybe even cleaning animals?). I’ll have to ask some of my local zoos about how that would work.
I figured that the competition would be a good motivator – even seeing others contribute seems to make people want to do it.


betsy: I know exactly what you mean – I’ve felt more and more compelled to contribute the more I’ve found out about wildlife; I’m really looking forward to graduating and being able to contribute more than I do.
I can definitely see why being able to choose the helped animals would also encourage donations – it really seems to personalise the process along with the animal enrichment items you mentioned earlier. I’ve been wondering how to make donations simple yet personal and it definitely seems like San Diego Zoo are on the right track!


nanoboy: Don’t worry, I plan on doing exactly that – I’m just a swamped for time right now so am just discussing ideas at the moment. The minute I’ve got more time I’ll be posting a lot more often – I’ve already found a few threads I want to join in!


devilfish: It’s always great to hear about initiatives like these! I gave some to Wildlife Alliance; although I’d never heard about them before I can definitely see myself donating to them again.
How did you find out about these?


For anyone that may be interested, I’ve been coming up with concepts for my project and narrowing down how it will work. I now have two main ideas:

My first idea is a physical product that harnesses a fun interaction to make the user more motivated to contribute. Examples of this could be anything from a “piggy bank” that lets the user know how much their money would go towards (e.g. £10 would keep a Chinese alligator healthy for a week through Crocodiles of the World) to a roulette wheel where the roulette result chooses the animal that will be donated to.

The second idea is a software-driven product (most likely an app) that uses media to inspire the user to contribute. This media could include videos, images or even audio feeds from their enclosure/habitat. Although this is intended to be featured in the home the fact that it’s an app means it could potentially be used anywhere.

I’m considering aiming this at those that are interested in animals but haven’t contributed. However this could also be aimed at those who already donate.
 
Hmmm.... What about a charity accumulator app? So an app with loads of charities (sorted by categories (eg cancer, wildlife, forest conservation, diabetes etc). The user could donate from within the app and maybe each day there could be a featured charity on the app's home page.
 
RFindlater said:
devilfish: It’s always great to hear about initiatives like these! I gave some to Wildlife Alliance; although I’d never heard about them before I can definitely see myself donating to them again.
How did you find out about these?
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I follow The Big Give's Christmas Challenge every year (it's getting so popular that it's becoming a bit more complex to donate). I also follow WildAid and Wildlife Alliance on facebook.
 
nanoboy said:
Hmmm.... What about a charity accumulator app? So an app with loads of charities (sorted by categories (eg cancer, wildlife, forest conservation, diabetes etc). The user could donate from within the app and maybe each day there could be a featured charity on the app's home page.
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But then what's the benefit of donating? Do you still get rewarded with media?

RFindlater: I like the idea of accessing media but then would this be very different to buying video clips, or just coming across stuff for free on ARKive/Youtube/Facebook?
A more graduated reward system with a sense of growing achievement might encourage future donations more. (Maybe something like freerice.com, except you pay? Or even just an animal version of freerice.com [+/- monthly membership fee]?)
 
RFindlater said:
JBZvolunteer:

My first idea is a physical product that harnesses a fun interaction to make the user more motivated to contribute. Examples of this could be anything from a “piggy bank” that lets the user know how much their money would go towards (e.g. £10 would keep a Chinese alligator healthy for a week through Crocodiles of the World) to a roulette wheel where the roulette result chooses the animal that will be donated to.

The second idea is a software-driven product (most likely an app) that uses media to inspire the user to contribute. This media could include videos, images or even audio feeds from their enclosure/habitat. Although this is intended to be featured in the home the fact that it’s an app means it could potentially be used anywhere.
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Are you going to draw adults, children, or all age groups at the same time? And also try to win over new donors and experienced donors alike?
Information about how much money would go towards... is something widely used by charities, and I must admit, it has never appealed to me.
The idea of the roulette wheel looks quite new to me in this context and I like it.
I don`t know, if it would be wise to give away too much of your ideas in public here, but if you continue to ask the right questions, as you have done before, some additional ideas may come up.
I wonder though where Apps are concerned. The older generation may be left out, because they don't use them?
To summarize the goal: The donation should be fun, infectious, personalizing animals and (quote devilfish) include a more graduated reward system.
 
My sincerest apologies in the late reply; I've had to focus completely on my dissertation. It’s out of the way now so I’ll be able to put my full focus on this project!

I have decided that I will be aiming this project at those that are interested in wildlife but don’t contribute to their conservation. As a result I feel I should focus on encouraging them to donate/volunteer for the first time as opposed to streamlining the method of doing it.
Although the use of an app would really help with convenience I feel that there is a lot of unexplored potential in ways to make contributing even more rewarding than it already is. I really like the way freerice makes it extremely simple yet rewarding so I’ll definitely be trying to incorporate some of this into my concept.

I have two main categories that my ideas come under:
• Bringing a sense of close contact to the user. This is likely to be done through video (possibly showing the animal life-sized through a projector) and would aim to inspire the user to contribute.
• Turning the contribution process into a game. This could use the roulette wheel I spoke of earlier although I may go for a different approach. This would hopefully make the user realise how simple, fun and rewarding donating/volunteering can be, encouraging them to do it again and again.

Although I will be attempting to give people that ‘final push’ into donating/volunteering for the first time it could also give existing donors a new way to contribute.
 
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