Earth Day: 14 Environmental Charities Businesses Can Support
We highlight some of the UK's brilliant conservation and environmental charities that are using science, data, and practical solutions to tackle climate change and protect the ocean, animals and our planet.
Environmental & Rainforest Charities:
Trees and rainforests are our global safety net. Working with a charity that is protecting forests, plants and green spaces as well as carbon-rich rainforests, is a great way for businesses to help the environment.
Rainforest Trust UK is one of the world’s most respected and successful conservation charities and has been protecting rainforests for over 30 years. It has already placed over 33 million acres of threatened habitat under permanent protection. 100% of donations they receive from businesses will be directed towards conservation action as all their operating expenses are covered by their board members and Gift Aid.
Start fundraising for The Rainforest Trust UK
Cool Earth puts local people back in control, giving them the resources they need to keep their forest intact. They support local and indigenous knowledge to develop innovative ways to address threats to the forest while making communities stronger and more resilient.
They help local people grow sustainable incomes to fight deforestation. By investing in sustainable livelihoods, strong self-determining communities have a greater capacity to protect their forest.
Rewilding Britain is a pioneering, innovative charity that promotes rewilding as a necessary and cost-effective answer to some of the big issues - climate breakdown and species extinctions, as well as localised flooding. They believe we have the space for both rewilding and food production and that rewilding has the potential to boost local economies and create jobs.
Fundraise for Rewilding Britain through your business sales.
Friends of the Earth has led the environmental movement for 50 years. They are dedicated to protecting the natural world and the well-being of everyone in it. They support community groups across the country to make their local areas more climate-friendly and lobby the government to take meaningful action on climate breakdown.
Start fundraising for Friends of the Earth through your business.
Wildlife Conservation Charities:
With the world in crisis, animals and nature are the best defence we have – supporting human well-being and providing sustainable, natural solutions to the climate emergency. Companies can align themselves with organisations that specialise in protecting animals and fundraise to help them protect the natural world.
WWF-UK is on a mission to make it politically, socially, and economically unacceptable to degrade our world’s precious natural resources. The charity is working on truly ambitious programs to establish green corridors for wildlife, restore major river flows, protect forests and oceans and press for global commitments to end the illegal trade in wildlife. By supporting their campaigns, businesses can help to clean oceans, make sure forests are filled with wildlife and stop climate change.
Fundraise for WWF-UK through your sales
Wildlife SOS works tirelessly to protect & save India's wildlife. They take action against animal cruelty and rescue wildlife in distress, while promoting and educating the public about the need for habitat protection. The charity rescue injured and displaced wildlife, and addresses alternative livelihoods for communities who have traditionally relied upon wildlife exploitation to survive.
There are 46 Wildlife Trusts working across the UK, each is an individual charity but all are united in the belief that we need nature and it needs us. Each of the wildlife trusts manage nature reserves, protects local nature, and work with water companies, government agencies, landowners, and other NGOs to improve our freshwater environments such as lakes, rivers, and streams. Businesses can raise funds for trusts such as the Avon Wildlife Trust which is the largest local trust. They care for 30 nature reserves, help people of all ages connect to nature through a learning program and support local people's mental wellbeing through nature courses.
Fundraise for The Avon Wildlife Trust through your sales
Or search here for a local Wildlife Trust in your area.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is the only UK charity dedicated to conserving the bumblebee and their mission is to halt and reverse their declines.
Their aim is to address the decline in bumblebee (and other wild pollinator) populations by increasing and restoring their habitats. The charity points out that there is a good commercial reason for doing so as pollinators are essential for our short and long-term food production (70 of the 100 crop species that provide 90% of food worldwide are pollinated by bees).
Start your sales fundraising for The Bumblebee Conservation Trust
RSPB works for a world richer in nature. While birds are their focus, they work to save all of nature. Reserves are at the heart of what they do and are vital to their conservation work. But they also believe they work best when they connect with wild spaces and habitats in the wider landscape. They also continue to focus on our priority list of species and help nurture their recovery, through a combination of research, partnerships, landscape-scale conservation, and policy work.
Marine & Ocean Environmental Charities:
Climate change, alongside deep sea fishing and mining, is causing ocean temperatures and acidity levels to rise dramatically. These changes are driving essential marine ecosystems and species to extinction and putting populations here in the UK, and across the world, at extreme risk. Businesses can fundraise for charities that are working to protect the ocean and help them turn the tide.
Surfers Against Sewage is a national marine conservation and campaigning charity that inspires, unites and empowers communities to take action to protect oceans, beaches, waves and wildlife. Through beach cleans to the education work they do in schools, they have already made enormous impacts to help preserve our planet including being instrumental in the 5p plastic bag tax.
They want all governments to recognise the importance of a thriving ocean, for the planet and people, and to utilise its capacity as a solution to the climate crisis.
Fundraise for Surfers Against Sewage through your business sales.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has a vision of seas full of life. It runs many local projects working with communities, governments, marine managers, and scientists to ensure that our amazing ocean is well looked after and able to recover where it needs to. The MCS also has a Good Fish Guide informing the public about which fish comes from sustainably managed stocks and is caught or farmed in a way that causes minimal damage to the marine environment and other wildlife.
Project Seagrass is a marine conservation charity dedicated to ensuring that seagrass meadows are protected globally. Seagrass can filter pathogens, bacteria, and pollution out of seawater, and are home to endangered species such as sea turtles. Since the late 19th century, almost 20 percent of known seagrass area across the globe has been lost. But the charity run by a dedicated team of seagrass scientists is working to reverse this and by protecting seagrass, they are also supporting marine conservation, biodiversity, and planetary life support.
Start fundraising for Project Seagrass through your business
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) works globally to protect whales and dolphins through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research and raising awareness through education and outreach, and much more. Whales and dolphins play a vital role in the marine eco-system and whales, in particular, are crucial in our fight against the climate crisis.
Start fundraising for Whale and Dolphin Conservation through your sales
Sales Fundraising - How To Do It Legally
Raising money through sales is a sustainable way for businesses to support charities and causes they care about. But to do this, every business must have a legal agreement in place with the charity it wants to support. This is called a Commercial Participation Agreement and it is charity law to have one. This legal requirement has been created to not only protect the charity but also the business and their customers.
Hundreds of UK charities use Work for Good to help them make it really easy for businesses to set up these legal agreements. Through our easy-to-use online donation form businesses are able to set up the Commercial Participation Agreement with the charity they want to support within minutes. This means businesses can start fundraising through their sales legally with just a few clicks.
Go to the Choose A Charity page to find a charity to support.
