Fundraising
Dartmoor Zoological Society is a charitable zoo with a unique history.
After nine years in private ownership, Benjamin Mee and his family donated the zoo to a newly created charity, Dartmoor Zoological Society (DZS), now operated by a dedicated team of specialists who report to the trustees.
The charity is funded by a combination of donations, visitor entry fees, experiences and educational and trading income. The economics of operating a zoo means that fundraising is key to the survival of not only our endangered animals, but also the charity itself.
We seek funding to assist with core operating costs, our educational and research projects and development of new enclosures to increase the number of endangered and vulnerable animals that we can protect.
Running a zoological society is financially complex, the costs of running the estate and caring for the animals is greater than can be raised from entry fees, trading activities and educational income. Therefore, we are completely reliant on fundraising to cover our costs.
We still need to raise at least £11,500 per week from donations in order to cover the running and development costs. In addition to the regular £11,500 per week, we also need to fundraise for specialist projects including the building of new animal houses and creating exciting new enclosures for our animals.
This is a perfect time for donations to have an enormous impact on the animals and work of the charity.
“I’ve always been a fan of the incredible work they do at Dartmoor Zoo. Since I adapted Benjamin’s book for the screenplay and directed We Bought A Zoo, I’ve kept an eye on what they’re doing.
“I love the way that as well as doing vital conservation work with endangered animals, they also help vulnerable people too – groundbreaking stuff with war veterans and kids excluded from mainstream education, working with nature – real nature with lions and tigers in it. And it seems to work.
“It really is inspiring. That’s why I’m proud to support the great charity which is Dartmoor Zoological Society.”
Cameron Crowe, Director of ‘We Bought a Zoo’
Why support DZS?
Your support will:
- Ensure the survival of Dartmoor Zoological Society and the animals in its care. By making a donation, you will be a part of this!
- Assist with wildlife survival – the animals breeding in our care will support the survival of their species and help achieve our aim that no more animals will become extinct on our watch. Become part of the fight against limitation and extinction!
- Support the wellbeing of those in our community that need help due to disability, mental illness, conditions resulting from service to our country and needing overall wellness support.
There are lots of different ways you can help and every single donation, no matter how big or small, will make a real difference.
You can also support us by:
- Joining as a member and developing a long-lasting connection to our fabulous zoo
- Organising an event to fundraise for us
- Sponsoring the development of an enclosure, including naming rights over the new enclosure
- Naming one of our new arrivals
- Animal experiences
- Purchasing paw prints
- Supporting our local conservation efforts
- Supporting our research
- Assisting us to properly engage in worldwide conservation projects relating to the animals in our care
- Let your legacy be our future. By leaving a gift in your Will, you will be supporting our vital conservation work and protecting animals who are vulnerable or near to extinction. Please contact us if you would like to discuss leaving a legacy to Dartmoor Zoo.
Fundraising ideas to get you started
Community
If you’re part of a group or have a group of friends / work colleagues that would like to do some fundraising for us, we will support you all the way. We can help with marketing material including our logos and share a very special message about you on our social media platforms. Whether it’s a bake sale, dress down at work or something completely different, we would love to hear from you!
Do you love sport?
Are you a keen runner / cyclist / swimmer / sportsperson? Whether it’s a local, national, international, virtual or a personal challenge, we’ll be right behind you, cheering you on. We will help promote your fundraising activities on our website and social media platforms.
Events
Are you a member of a team? Have a group of friends that you share a hobby with? Or even host club nights? You could fundraise for us at your event. We can send you materials, offer you support and advice, or even be there on the day. We can promote your fundraising activities on our social media platforms.
In Memory of a Loved One
It is always a difficult time when you lose a loved one, but quite often doing something positive in their memory can bring a little peace. Donations in memory of your loved one will help DZS continue the conservation, education, research and animal care that we’re so proud to provide. There is even the option to sponsor an enclosure in their memory, which includes having a plaque mounted here at the zoo.
You can also donate via funeral directors in lieu of flowers or we can be your chosen charity.
Co-op
You can now support Dartmoor Zoo if you’re a Co-op member!
If you aren’t already a Co-op member, join for just £1 and help support our conservation charity.
Lottery
We belong to SeaMoor Lottery, which is a specialist lottery for the South Hams and West Devon area. If you would like to win a prize up to £25,000, and you are over 18 years of age, you can buy tickets for just £1! 50% will go directly to Dartmoor Zoological Society and 10% goes to other good causes locally to us.
Nectar Donate
We’ve signed up to Nectar Donate, a new initiative launched from the team at Nectar and Crowdfunder. This means you can now donate any or all of your Nectar points to us! You will need to link your Nectar card to your Crowdfunder account. Then simply visit our dedicated page and when you get to the ‘payment method’ screen, select ‘Donate with Nectar’.
The best thing about Nectar Donate is that it won’t cost you or us anything. Crowdfunder has generously waived platform fees for anyone donating their points!
easyfundraising
If you’re a fan of the apps, then you can check out ‘easyfundraising’.
easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands who will donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice and it won’t cost you any extra as the cost is covered by the brand.
Simply download the app, select Dartmoor Zoo, link to their browser extension where the plug-in pops up automatically when you shop to let you know when a donation is available and watch your donations roll in!
WINNERS
We would like to say the biggest thank you to everyone who entered our Best of South Hams Crowdfunder!
The winner is…
*drum roll please*
Sylvia Parnell from Bude!
Sylvia: “Wow what can I say. I never win anything so to win this prize is amazing 🤩 I’m really looking forward to visiting The Harbour Hotel and 27 restaurant and especially meet the Tiger 🐯 as have never seen one in real life! Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Keep up all the good work, Sylvia”
Congratulations!
Need advice?
If you need advice, want to let us know about an event you have planned, or are looking for marketing materials, please get in touch with us.
Email us or call 01752 853958.