The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA), is celebrating today following an online fundraising event which exceeded all expectations in raising money for conservation. Together with 17 of its members, the association held an online Green Friday Fundraiser which, thanks to the generosity of the member companies, resulted in more than €50,000 being raised. This has provided a significant boost to the funds available for the association’s conservation projects.
In advance of Christmas, the online fundraiser enabled customers to purchase gifts for themselves and their loved ones, whilst at the same time, making a difference by raising funds for conservation work around the world. The money raised will all go towards vital conservation projects supported by EOCA, including the six most recently selected, tackling plastic pollution in the environment and at source, in Spain, Italy, Brazil, Columbia, and the UK.
Seven members raised money for the association through actions on their own websites: Montane made a significant donation to the fundraiser, as an alternative to its traditional Black Friday Marketing spend. Cumulus held an online ‘garage sale’, of prototype clothing and modified items which were not suitable for selling through the usual retail channels. All 70 items sold out within 2 hours! Deuter, Gregory, KEEN, and Osprey all donated a generous percentage of their online sales over the Green Friday weekend or for a full week. La Sportiva who, having raised money for EOCA for the last 3 Black Fridays, doubled the percentage they donated this time to 40% of all online sales over the weekend. Thanks to a month of raising awareness of environmental issues and EOCA’s work prior to the event, the fundraiser was a huge success with a significant donation being made. In addition to all the events held over the Green Friday period, VAUDE held a separate Advent Fundraiser and donated a percentage of its online sales from that event.
EOCA partner Outdoor Gear For Good (OGFG), sold a large range of items via its OGFG eBay shop, with 100% of sales donated to EOCA to put into conservation projects. Items were generously donated to OGFG from Berghaus, Craghoppers, Lowe Alpine, Nikwax, Ortlieb, Osprey, Pajak, Salomon, Stanley, Trangoworld and Ternua. Richard Leedham, Founder of OGFG said “Having only launched the OGFG eBay shop in the spring of 2020, we have been delighted to have already raised over €20,000 for EOCA’s conservation projects this year. The collaboration of OGFG, generous outdoor brands, and EOCA, with its expertise in directing funds to effective and much needed conservation work around the world, really seems to have generated a lot of interest and resulted in very positive results. We look forward to seeing this partnership grow into 2021 and beyond.”
Joint General Manager Catherine Savidge said, “The success of this Green Friday event, at the end of 2020 in particular, is truly extraordinary. It clearly demonstrates the will of EOCA members to continue to see the bigger picture and to work with others for a better world. They gave consumers who are seeing the value of habitats and ecosystems to their own health, and the health of the planet, the opportunity to give back. This total means that fundraising actions with our members this year has raised over €100,000 – double what we raised in 2019! What a fabulous way to end the year! It puts EOCA in a very strong position for funding more vital conservation projects during 2021. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.”
INFO: EOCA
