In the lead up to Christmas we have asked a number of charity gift providers to provide us with some information relating to their programme to help you choose the best charity to support when purchasing Christmas Gifts. First up is the RSPB charity (the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds).
Briefly describe your charity and which areas it works in.
The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and other wildlife, helping to create a better world for us all. We are the largest wildlife conservation organisation in Europe with over one million members.
Bird populations reflect the health of the planet on which our future depends. Climate change, agricultural intensification, expansion of urban areas and transport infrastructure, and over-exploitation of our seas all pose major threats to birds. The RSPB aims to protect birds and the environment and focuses its work on the species and habitats that are in the greatest danger.
How are donations via charity gifts spent by the charity?
The RSPB could not exist without its supporters and members. Members joining the RSPB via Charity Gifts help us to protect wild birds and the environment in many ways. The RSPB does all of the following with the help of its members and supporters:
- Campaigns on behalf of birds and the environment.
- Protects, restores and manages habitats for birds and other wildlife.
- Owns and manages over 100 nature reserves where wildlife can flourish and people can get closer to nature.
- Researches the problems facing birds and the environment seeking practical solutions.
- Carries out recovery projects for threatened species.
- Helps people enjoy the natural world and learn more about it.
- Tackles wildlife crime and habitat loss.
- Works with landowners and farmers to help countryside birds.
- Champions the cause of biodiversity conservation within the wider debate on sustainable development.
- As well as being active across the UK at national, regional and local levels, the RSPB also tackles international conservation issues through the Birdlife International Partnership – a global coalition of like-minded conservation organisations.
What percentage of the money goes directly to the cause e.g. no admin costs etc?
For every £1 of an RSPB membership fee, 87 pence is channelled into our current and future conservation projects.
What are your top charity gifts for Christmas?
RSPB membership itself is a very popular Christmas charity gift. RSPB gift memberships can be purchased for adults, families and children, and include free entry into over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK, regular magazines and free gifts. Kids’ Wildlife Explorer memberships cost from just £14 for a year and a single adult membership is just £32 a year.
What makes your charity gift unique?
When someone joins the RSPB they are joining over a million members who care about birds and nature. Most members aren’t “bird experts”, they are ordinary people who want to see birds and other wildlife flourish in their natural habitats. Aside from the knowledge that they are helping our vital conservation work, members get free entry into over 100 beautiful RSPB nature reserves, an exclusive members magazine (kids’ magazines are tailored to their age group), and a free bird handbook or seed feeder (for adult memberships – kids’ free gifts are also tailored to their age group). And, for all this, it costs from just £2.67 a month for an adult to become a member of the RSPB.
Any further comments?
The natural world is vast and wonderful, and RSPB memberships not only help protect wildlife, they can also bring great personal enjoyment
