Menu
Highlands Rewilding was seeking support to promote a three-month fundraising and crowdfunding campaign to secure additional funds from citizen-rewilder investors, equity investors and financial institutions, to achieve its long-term mission to become one of the most respected nature-recovery companies in the world by 2026, working to combat climate meltdown and biodiversity collapse.
Muckle Media was tasked to develop and implemented a multi-channel strategic communication campaign to:
a) Increase awareness of the crowdfund campaign among rewilding enthusiasts and local communities to secure investment from hundreds of citizen-rewilders to become co-owners of the mass ownership company
b) Position Highlands Rewilding and its pioneering, ethically profitable business model, as a leading project in the fight against climate change and biodiversity meltdown, to gain financial backing from high-net-worth investors and financial institutions.
A crowdfunding target of £500,000 was set to secure custodianship of the Tayvallich estate and continue existing rewilding projects.
A multi-pronged approach to communications was developed, integrating paid and organic social media, traditional media relations/ press office and profiling raising for Highlands Rewilding CEO and Founder, Dr Jeremy Leggett.
Muckle Media conducted research into target audiences and profiles around the three key audiences (high net worth investors, Highlands and Islands communities, and corporate investors) were identified to ensure comms activity would reach the right people to drive action.
Controversial headlines were used to attract media attention and to reach more diverse media outlets, including a direct call out to oil industry executives to ‘seek atonement’ by investing guilt money into the environment which drummed up attention in fossil fuel publications.
Within the first three weeks, 50% of the initial target was exceeded.
The success of the campaign saw Highlands Rewilding raise the funds required to buy the 3,500-acre Tayvallich Estate in Argyll to expand its nature-recovery efforts.
The fundraising campaign was then extended by two months to fully test investor sentiment on the back of its strengthened business case of adding another estate to its portfolio and leading the charge in turning Scotland’s biodiversity future around. This resulted in a significant pledge from the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) who committed £12 million to support the acquisition of Tayvallich Estate.
By the end of the campaign, the crowdfund stretch-target was exceeded, with a closing total of £1.2 million raised from over 725 citizen rewilders.
