The Cove Woodland Trust

In a world that is constantly moving and developing, the importance of preserving the peace of green space is at an all time high. Intending to do just this, The Cove Woodland Trust turned to the crowd to raise a staggering £10,100 that would ensure a further 16 acres of land to be kept in the hands of the community of Cove, Aberdeen.

The Aim

Set up and run by local volunteers, The Cove Woodland Trust exists to protect green spaces in Cove, Aberdeen, for both the local community and future generations to use and enjoy.

After the charity was offered 16 acres worth of land by a local farmer, they knew that something needed to be done to raise the funds required for the purchase. With the land in question covering the perimeter of the Cove Woodland Walk, an area already enjoyed by so many, the opportunity to protect and conserve the land was just too good to miss.

With a strong community behind them and a clear intention to sustainably manage the land and ensure that native wildlife have somewhere to call home, The Cove Woodland Trust turned to the crowd to raise the money needed and ensure that any decisions for the future of the land would lie with local residents.

The Support

From the get go, it was clear that the local community backed the ethos of the charity, but even The Cove Woodland Trust themselves were bowled over to receive such unwavering support throughout their crowdfund. As the curtains closed on their crowdfunding project, the charity had raised an incredible £8,1000 from 194 individuals, which in turn unlocked a further £2,000 of extra funding from Crowdfund Aberdeen.

Designed to support community groups and organisations across the city to realise their full potential and make great ideas happen, Crowdfund Aberdeen was the perfect fit with the ethos of the charity.

Wendy, Treasurer of Cove Woodland Trust, said, “The extra funding from Crowdfund Aberdeen meant that Cove Woodland Trust were able to both raise ample funds for our initial needs and confirm that the project is one that is well supported within the Aberdeen area as a whole.”

The Impact

Wendy added, “Crowdfunding enabled Cove Woodland Trust to ensure that the project was supported by residents of the Cove area. Since our Crowdfunder.co.uk project finished, Cove Woodland Trust has held a successful ‘Opening Event’ with a tree planted by the Lord Provost as well as a ceremonial ribbon cutting by the gentleman who sold the land to the Trust. We are now about to hold a Tree Planting event, when those who contributed via crowdfunding can plant the trees they sponsored. The Cove Woodland Trust has also been made the local charity of the year by our local Sainsburys store, so additional funding is available through them, and we have been able to raise additional funds from the Health Improvement Fund to purchase gardening tools for use by volunteers, including planting these trees at the upcoming event.”

Advice on crowdfunding

And Wendy’s top tips for anyone else thinking of crowdfunding?

“Make sure you have a good photo and description to ‘sell’ your project. If you can get some donations promised, arrange for them to be donated to the crowdfunder at the start of the funding effort.  Arrange for people to regularly comment on the funding on social media to keep the project at the forefront. If you can ‘give something back’ to your supporters then do so, but make sure it doesn’t raise your costs excessively or it will defeat the object. By giving our supporters trees to plant on the land we were able to give them something that would help us achieve our own objectives, and by applying to the Woodland Trust (the national charity) for the trees to plant we were able to get them at no cost to ourselves – a real win-win situation!”

If you have a community based project or social enterprise and are looking to crowdfund, then you could also be eligible for extra funding. Find out more about the funds we have on offer and get in touch today.