The National Trust has announced plans to “fundraise more in the next decade than in the previous century” as part of its 10-year strategy, which it unveiled today.
New fundraising strategies, partnerships with major charities, a new apprenticeship scheme and plans to restore 250,000 more hectares of “nature-rich landscapes” and peatland all form part of the National Trust’s plans.
The new measures are the result of the “largest public consultation ever carried out by the National Trust”, with more than 70,000 people – including members, volunteers and industry partners – sharing their views.
These plans have been published as the National Trust, which is Europe’s largest conservation charity as well as one of the largest landowners in the UK, celebrates its 130th anniversary.
Aim to reach five million more people
Although the charity would not give a precise figure for its 10-year fundraising target, it raised £98.1m in the year to February 2024 alone as part of an overall annual income of £724m.
To raise more funds, the charity plans to “inspire five million more people to give their time, voice or money in support of the charity’s goals” – a figure based on its current membership numbers of around five million.
It aims to raise funds through its new Adopt a Plot scheme, in which individuals or groups will be able to sponsor a plot of land within one of the charity’s six nature “super sites” for £7.50 per month.
“[Adopt a Plot] isn’t about encouraging major philanthropists,” director of communications Celia Richardson told Civil Society. “It’s about how many people can we get connected?”
Richardson said the strategy overall is about “helping people feel a little bit more connected to land, even if it’s not on their doorstep”.
As a charity which historically has “tended to have higher awareness in rural areas among older audiences”, she said, it is now increasingly keen to reach a much broader demographic.
“We need more donors, more advocates and more volunteers,” said Richardson.
The charity also plans to embrace “micro-volunteering”, whereby volunteers complete smaller, short-term tasks, which don’t require an ongoing commitment.
Partnerships with other charities
Richardson added that as part of the National Trust’s 10-year plan, it is increasingly keen to work in partnership with both larger and smaller charities.
“There are things that other charities are doing, that we're watching and learning from and collaborating on – things like No Mow May, or all the organisations that are doing ‘toad patrols’ and getting citizens involved in caring for nature,” she said.
The National Trust is partnering with mental health charity Mind to “help address unequal access to nature and the mental health crisis”, according to the plan.
This new partnership will focus especially on supporting young people with mental health issues to access nature and green spaces.
The National Trust is also planning partnerships with Natural England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support 100 towns and cities around England, Wales and Northern Ireland to grow their networks of green spaces, with the strategy being publicly launched this summer.
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