Webinar
Crowdfunding for Community Woodlands
Tuesday 19th May 6-7.30 pm
Join Bertie Herrtage (The Crowdfunding Coach) and Sharon Smith, CWA's Member Support Officer, in an online session on 'Crowdfunding for Community Woodlands'.
Please note: This session will NOT be recorded
What’s covered in the webinar?
What crowdfunding is and how it applies to community woodland projects
Real examples of successful environmental and woodland campaigns
How to plan, create and run your campaign
Using AI to support storytelling and marketing
Match funding opportunities and how to access them
The potential for coached support to assist you with your crowdfunding
Q&A
See more information below.
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Crowdfunding is a short-form online fundraising campaign, typically run over 4 weeks, inviting support from a wide network of people who care about your project.
For community woodland groups, this means bringing together local residents, visitors, volunteers, and supporters of nature and climate action to collectively fund your work.
A campaign usually involves:
Creating a compelling story about your woodland, its heritage, biodiversity and future
Building and activating a network of supporters
Delivering a clear and engaging communications plan to maintain momentum throughout
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Community woodland projects are uniquely placed to succeed in crowdfunding because they have a solid community ethos and offer a proactive solution to the issues around biodiversity loss and climate change that the public are grappling with.
Supporters are often motivated by:
Protecting and enhancing local green spaces
Supporting biodiversity and climate resilience
Creating accessible spaces for wellbeing, education and community use
Many groups can also offer meaningful, place-based rewards such as:
Guided walks or woodland experiences
Workshops (e.g. coppicing, foraging, bushcraft)
Naming trees or contributing to planting schemes
Locally made woodland products
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Many community woodland groups face a funding challenge due to the scarcity of available grants and finance. Crowdfunding offers a more open, inclusive and community-driven approach.
Rather than submitting applications behind closed doors, you:
Share your vision publicly
Invite your community to be part of it
Combine multiple sources of funding, including match funding
It’s not just about raising money; it’s about building long-term support.
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Crowdfunding can help your woodland group to:
Tell the story of your woodland and its importance
Engage new volunteers, members and supporters
Strengthen community ownership and pride
Raise awareness of environmental and climate issues
Test new income ideas through experiences or products
Build partnerships with local organisations and funders
Increase visibility at a local, regional or national level
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Bertie Herrtage is the founder of The Crowdfunding Coach, supporting the successful development of donation and rewards-based crowdfunding for small businesses, charities and community organisations.
He has worked extensively with the fundraising platform Crowdfunder UK to support place-based and environmental projects, helping groups unlock funding by engaging their communities and telling powerful stories.