Animal charity seeks Tooth Fairy donations to fight elephant tusk trade
Howard Lake | 16 September 2013 | News
Wildlife and conservation charity Care for the Wild has launched a fundraising campaign around the theme of the Tooth Fairy tradition. The charity is inviting children to become 'Tooth Fairy Heroes' by pledging the money they would have received for lost teeth to the Tooth Fairy, to help her save elephants from being killed for their tusks.
'Little teeth save big tusks'
The Tooth Fairy campaign follows on from the charity's lobbying of G8 leaders last month to commit foreign aid to the fight against elephant poaching.
Philip Mansbridge, CEO of Care for the Wild International, said: "The Tooth Fairy campaign gives us the opportunity to create a powerful experience that introduces the topic of elephant poaching and the wider issues – to highlight the brutal reality that threatens one of the most iconic animals of the world – and show them the ways in which their donations have a real impact on the fight against the ivory trade.”
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Mobile apps for children
The digital element of the campaign features a child friendly design and simplicity focuses on the donations process. The Tooth Fairy character guides visitors to watch a short video, and then rewards them with a personalised ‘Thank You’ certificate that they can print out and keep.
The campaign also encourages conversations between parents and children, about the issues surrounding the illegal ivory trade the need for the work that Care for the Wild does.
Mansbridge commented: “We can see from the sharp increase in websites and mobile apps dedicated to children, it is a demographic that is becoming increasingly comfortable using online devices and navigating online experiences. So by using this platform, building the campaign around a much loved character and focusing on such a simple act of kindness, hopefully we can not only raise funds, but educate children of the issues an earlier age, and inspire the next generation of supporters to safeguard our sustained efforts."
The charity was established in 1984 and claims to have been the first to introduce the ‘adopt an animal’ fundraising concept to the UK.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.