Sustrans Misled Public with "Save the Dormouse" Fundraising Campaign

Sustrans, Britain's biggest cycling charity, launched a series of successful Facebook adverts in 2022 pleading for money to help protect rare birds, bats, dormice, and hedgehogs. However, the charity's efforts were later found to be misleading by the Fundraising Regulator, which ruled that Sustrans breached the code of fundraising practice by giving the impression it was "solely focused on wildlife protection activities." The regulator found that a potential donor could assume their donation would be used for wildlife protection, but could fund a "different purpose" such as expanding and developing the National Cycle Network.

Key Takeaways:

• Sustrans launched a series of successful Facebook adverts in 2022 asking for donations to protect rare birds, bats, dormice, and hedgehogs.
• The Fundraising Regulator found that Sustrans breached the code of fundraising practice by giving the impression it was "solely focused on wildlife protection activities."
• The regulator ruled that a potential donor could assume their donation would be used for wildlife protection, but could fund a "different purpose" such as expanding and developing the National Cycle Network.
• Sustrans' wildlife protection work is predominantly a direct result of increasing active travel and expanding the National Cycle Network.
• The charity's "wildlife protection work is predominantly a direct result of the charity's overall aim of promoting cycling and reducing car use, by expanding and developing the National Cycle Network".
• The complainant initially used the charity's internal complaints procedure, prompting Sustrans to pause and review the campaign, before making the adverts "clearer".
• However, the complainant then contacted the regulator, which found the charity "acknowledges" its work expanding cycle networks "could negatively impact protected wildlife species".

Statistics:

• Sustrans' fundraising campaign received three million hits on social media.
• The campaign was so successful that in its 2022/23 accounts, Sustrans boasted that tests of "new digital engagement" fundraising campaigns found "the best performing adverts" included "cash gifts to support ecology work on the National Cycle Network".
• The charity received over £100 million of taxpayers' cash to promote cycling and low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).
• Sustrans was found to have breached the code of fundraising practice twice.

Sources:

• The Telegraph
• Sustrans' 2022/23 annual accounts
• Fundraising Regulator ruling