Nurturing Westonbirt Arboretum’s nature and connecting people with trees

Westonbirt Arboretum, managed by Forestry England, spans 250 hectares of delightful woodland in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, UK. First laid out in the 1800s, it is today one of the most beautiful and important plant collections in the world, containing over 15,000 specimens representing 2,500 species from all over the temperate world, more than 100 of which are of global conservation concern.

The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (The Friends) is a community of over 38,000 supporters. Since 1985, The Friends have supported Forestry England in developing and delivering projects to improve and conserve the incredible site for the public to enjoy.

Forestry England’s national budget covers the essential costs to manage the site while The Friends works with the Forestry England Westonbirt Arboretum team directly to support innovative and exciting projects focusing on their joint priority themes of conservation, education and participation.

To do this The Friends raises income from membership and visitors, trusts and foundations, and individuals. 

Orchard Fundraising and The Friends

In 2023 The Friends approached Orchard Fundraising to support their income generation, tasking us to:

·      Develop project proposals, case studies and impact reports to attract and steward trust and foundation donors;

·      Identify lapsed donors and rekindle relationships;

·      Create a pipeline of prospective funders;

·      Contribute to The Friends’ fundraising strategy.

Successes

Over the past 18 months Orchard Fundraising has raised more than £565,000, including multiyear funding from lapsed and new donors, by:

·      Developing a robust project portfolio attractive to donors.

·      Developing an extensive pipeline of trusts to target.

Orchard Fundraising has:

·      Forged strong relationships with The Friends and Forestry England Westonbirt Arboretum’s teams, enhancing working relationships and team cohesion

·      Developed The Friends’ new grant-making policy, streamlining the application and reporting processes

·      Supported The Friends with staff recruitment and induction.

CEO, Emma Griffiths said: “We are delighted with what Orchard Fundraising is achieving. Securing multi-year funding is critical to ensure long-term sustainability. Re-engaging with previous supporters has resulted in significant new funding and has enabled us to strengthen these relationships – we have already welcomed representatives of two trusts who visited the Silk Wood Community Planting Project to see the impact of their support.”

If you're looking for advice or practical support with your fundraising, get in touch with us at Orchard Fundraising on 07578 222704, send us a message or book in a free discovery call now.