Wild Philanthropy graduated from Cambridge Social Ventures in September 2019.
Idea
Wild Philanthropy uses travel to tackle the complex challenges facing Africa’s wilderness. They link travellers, impact investors and philanthropists to deliver sustainable development that protects wildlife, habitats and culture in Africa. Their model is built on three pillars:
Travel – Wild Philanthropy designs safaris at the top end of the specialist and soft adventure spectrum, with 100% of the net profits accrued from these safaris returned to Wild Philanthropy.
Invest – Wild Philanthropy invests in marginal community-led ecotourism businesses. These impact investments create local jobs, support local and national economies and deliver ethically focused travel opportunities.
Donate – Wild Philanthropy acts as a philanthropic advisor, matching client’s philanthropic objectives with a range of conservation and community projects across Africa. The model allows them to direct 100% of donations to projects on the ground.
People
- Will Jones – Founder
Raised in six African countries, an environmental scientist, and founder of safari operator Journeys by Design, Will is a lifelong advocate of sustainable tourism. Will founded Wild Philanthropy in 2016. - Paul Herbertson – Conservation Enterprise Director
A zoologist by training, Paul has spent his career focusing on how business can drive positive social and environmental impact. Paul joined Wild Philanthropy in 2017 to help develop the overarching strategy. - Angela Sacha – Conservation Journeys Director
Angela brings her sales and marketing experience as a Director of Journeys by Design to develop Wild Philanthropy’s Conservation Journeys. - Grant Ferguson – Finance Manager
Born and bred in Johannesburg, Grant joined Journeys by Design in 2015 as the finance manager. In 2016 he started managing the finances for Wild Philanthropy. - Josh Guilmant – Compliance Manager
Josh joined the team in 2018 after working for a company specialising in Charity Law. Josh handles compliance and due diligence.
Impact
Wild Philanthropy aims to use travel as a tool to drive sustainable development. Their Travel programme generates revenue and connects potential donors with conservation and community initiatives in Africa, while their Invest programme supports local eco-tourism business to generate jobs and support local economies. These businesses also have an important role to play in driving social and environmental impact through the way they interact with communities and wilderness. Their Donate programme connects philanthropy with high impact community and conservation projects.
Specific impacts they hope to achieve are:
people – through increase sustainable economic opportunity provided through tourism, communities in wilderness areas can thrive and make informed decisions about their futures
wildlife – reduced poaching and human wildlife conflict due to communities gaining benefits from tourism linked to protection of wildlife
wilderness – improved management of wilderness areas due to additional revenue created through tourism.
Lead entrepreneur
Paul Herbertson and Will Jones
Get in touch
Wild Philanthropy is seeking impact investors who are looking to invest in developing their tourism business in Ethiopia and expanding operations to neighbouring Eritrea and Kenya. They are also seeking high impact conservation and community partners in Africa who need donors and funding.
Tel: +44 (0)2070 966318
wildphilanthropy.com
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