Below, you can see a very simple infographic featuring the work I can do alone and free, to grow UKWT compared to just what can be achieved with myself and a small team of part time staff, collectively being enabled to commit 85hrs a week to growing UKWT to help our UK wildlife. (Thankfully the work that I have put in over the last year, during 2024, has enabled us to set the foundations to become properly established, even if that's ended up being most of what I have been able to focus on - we just need to grow from this point on, as quickly as possible).
Just to give an example of what 85hrs a week of committed time would mean (in terms of helping wildlife)...
If we had the funding right NOW (1st October 2024) to fund 6 months of work from now until 1st April, putting in 85hrs a week, we could, before next Spring/Summer...
Finish developing our database of all UK Vet Practices [5000 approx]. - We would also have offered them ALL the Vet Wildlife Support Package (supporting them to treat wildlife in practice, rather than unnecessarily euthanase).
Run a nationwide recruitment drive (press releases, online ads and collaborating with a number of organisations) to recruit 100s more UKWT Volunteer Wildlife Drivers. We would also have had the time to ensure that ALL of our new Drivers were set up with carriers/disinfectant and had been allocated to support Vet Practices & Wildlife Rescues across the UK, in time for baby season.
Speaking of Vet Practices: we would have been able to get at least 100 Vet Practices set up with their own teams of UKWT Volunteer Wildlife Drivers. On average (according to research I have undertaken) Vet Practices take in up to 30 wildlife casualties/orphans a month during the Spring & Summer months. So why are we offering transport support? Because... Vet Practices can be very scary places for wildlife. After a wildlife casualty/orphan has been dropped off at the practice by a member of the public - and initial triage/first aid has been provided - being held in a Vet Practice long term can be detrimental to a wild animal's well being. Unfortunately however, Vet Practices are generally too short staffed to send a staff member out of the practice, to transport a wild animal, after treatment, on to a nearby Rescue. Add to that that most Vet Practices don't actually have spaces to keep wildlife casualties after their initial treatment.
We want to support Vet Practices, who are all already doing their best, to be in a position to provide emergency medical care when an wild life is dropped into them, to then pass the casualty/orphan to a Transport Driver to be moved over to a local Wildlife Rescue, where they can continue their recovery.
If we don't offer this service, some Vet Practices might feel that their kindest action is to euthanase wildlife on arrival. Obviously, euthanasia is sometimes the best option but we want to be there to support those animals who could be given a second chance. By setting ourselves up to support 100 Vet Practices throughout next Spring/Summer (and then every year ongoing, at a minimum) we will be enabling 3000 wildlife casualties/orphans every month to not be unnecessarily euthanased, which adds up to about 10,000 wild lives.
Finally, we would have been able to set up 'significant' (pools of at least 10 Drivers each) transport support to WCB Holders (those who want it) in time for Spring/Summer, so that the approx 30% of wildlife casualties/orphans who get found by people who can't drive can still always get to the Rescue for emergency care
What am I doing to fund staff (and what am I doing in the meantime)?
Check out the options laid out below. (Here are the links to the Emergency Fundraiser and the PPGG).
[* Sometimes I am asked, 'Why don't you just focus on only doing the work that you can do for free and not waste time trying to fundraise to hire staff?' - The answer is simple... When I founded UKWT, through various circumstances back in 2020, I was able to commit a lot more time to it and - through living off a small inheritance from my mum, who had just passed away - I invested upwards of 60hrs a week, unpaid, to filling in the transport gap for wildlife casualties/orphans in the UK. (Myself and others also invested a great deal of time developing & launching the Wildlife Care Badge). As demand for our services grew & grew, even those 60hrs a week weren't enough and, of course, my inheritance inevitably ran out. As I returned to full time work to cover my rent/living costs, I was left with a lot less time for UKWT (and for the Wildlife Care Badge, on which UKWT depends, for our transport map). By that time, experience had taught me that we needed a minimum of 85hrs a week to be invested in our UKWT work, to build on what I had set up and to, slowly but surely, 100% fill in the transport gap across the UK, so that, eventually, no wild life is ever left without emergency care.
Right now, if I focus only on the small amount of time that I can invest in UKWT - and don't try to fund our first lot of staff - I will only be able to invest a few hours a day, adding up to about 15hrs a week. Working full time and then 15hrs a week on top - a 55hr week, every week - will not only be exhausting for me to maintain, long term, but will massively slow UKWT's impact and help far less animals, for a lot longer (many, many years longer).
By doing what I am doing now - dedicating 15hrs a week, split between UKWT work and creating the funding that we need for staff - I am setting UKWT up to help a minimum of 10,000 wild lives a year, every year, ASAP. Instead of helping a few 100 animals a year, we can help 1000s. Our wildlife deserve it. UKWT is actually an extremely simple structure: we just need the human hours invested into it, to support every wild life in the UK.
Finally, I also get asked, 'Why don't you just ask Volunteers to do the work, instead of staff?' Again, the answer is simple... During January - May 2023, I tried to bring on significant Admin Volunteer support: we found it impossible to recruit & maintain even the minimum level of volunteer support that we required, to keep going. It became very clear that hiring staff was the only way forward: our wildlife deserve it, so that's what we're going to do.]
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