21 For 21

21 For 21 is a new campaign to mark 2021, and to champion the work of twenty-one conservation projects around the world. Many of these are small projects which have been severely impacted by the 2020 global pandemic.

Our 21 For 21 Project Fund minimum target is £44,100 GBP (£2,100 per project). If we are successful in exceeding this target then additional funds will be allocated as decided by the trustees to the projects most in need.

We need your help to raise the funds. It’s going to be a team effort.

We have a range of active outdoor challenges on offer throughout the year (walking, running, cycling, climbing…) as well as places in well-known events including the Virgin Money London Marathon.

We hope our projects will inspire you to go the extra mile.

If you don’t fancy taking on one of the active challenges listed, then please feel free to suggest something else. Anything goes.

We know with the global pandemic there are restrictions in place for many people but exercise including walking, running and cycling (with one other person) are permitted and exercise is good for the body and the soul so we hope this gives you the motivation to get outside in the fresh air and feel really positive about something.

We also have our three Creative Initiatives running again this year with all proceeds supporting the 21 For 21 Project Fund. Choose from Sketch for Survival (art), Focus for Survival (photography) and Stories for Survival (travel writing). Would you like to get involved? Details here. 

Through 21 For 21 we hope we can introduce you to some new, inspiring projects.

We want to celebrate the work being done to safeguard iconic species and wild spaces around the world. We’ll be highlighting the challenges each of our projects face at this unique time as well as the solutions being found to combat them.

By getting involved in this initiative you will be helping to support worldwide conservation.

The projects in our directory vary greatly in size and focus and celebrate biodiversity around the world. From tracking albatross in South Georgia, Antarctica to establishing new seagrass meadows off the coast of Wales, all the projects need support.

Some are community-based and rely solely on eco-tourism to survive, while others have the benefit of extended networks. However because of the global pandemic all have experienced challenges with funding and we know that our collective support will make a very real difference.

Anyone who fundraises/donates £250+  receives a complimentary one year membership to our Explorer Club as a small token of our thanks. As a member you are able to nominate projects and have a say in who we support in the future.

There are many ways to support:

You can take on a sponsored challenge yourself, or sign-up for one of our virtual events for your own health and well-being, paying a small registration fee to take part;

You can make a donation here;

You can sponsor a person or team taking on a challenge;

You can support one of our creative initiatives;

You can share details of our initiative/projects with friends/family/colleagues who might be interested;

You can attend an event/exhibition;

You can shop at our online store and/or our Affordable Art Gallery, or sign up for Amazon Smile or Give As You Live (at no additional cost to you) so Explorers Against Extinction can benefit when you shop online.

However you choose to support, all funds raised in 2021 will go to our 21 For 21 Project Fund.

We have a range of active outdoor challenges including walks, rides and climbs for you to choose from. These are fully supported and organised by specialist partners. Many of the charity challenges listed are designed to test you but to also be achievable for a range of ages and abilities with 25km, 50km and 100km options. Dates and sign up details are provided on the relevant page.

We also have places in well-known events including the Virgin Money London Marathon and Vitality 10k.

We also have a whole range of fun virtual events which you can complete at your pace, in your own space.

And we are collaborating with dozens of other charities for 5K May – this involves covering 5k under your own steam (run, walk, cycle, swim, scoot); donating £5 to Explorers Against Extinction and then nominating 5 friends to do the same.

It’s your choice whether you get a posse together (friends, work colleagues, relatives…) or take on one the many challenges solo.

You can browse the challenges here and follow the links to sign up.

If you have a different sort of challenge in mind, then that’s OK too! Just set up a fundraising page and share a few details with us so we can follow your progress and offer support.

We have three creative initiatives: Sketch for Survival (art); Focus for Survival (photography) and Stories for Survival (travel writing).

You can support 21 For 21 by entering our free competitions. Closing date 30 June 2021.

Find out more about all three here.

You are free to create your own fundraising challenge/event/activity. It can be as simple as a coffee morning/bake sale – you can even go virtual and just ask participants to donate the cost of a cuppa, or a quiz night, donating the team entry fee, or a treasure/scavenger hunt.  Just have some fun and please remember to let us know what you doing and when. We are very grateful for any fundraising.

We are listed as Explorers Against Extinction on all the major fundraising platforms.

You are welcome to nominate a specific project from our 21 For 21 directory to fundraise for, or your fundraising can be split across several/all projects in the directory.

Anyone raising over £250 receives complimentary one year membership to our Explorer Club as a small token of thanks.

Many of the projects have been nominated (by one of our previous partners, our wider conservation network, a trustee or patron, or a member of our Explorer Club). There were many more projects we would gladly have included but we only have 21 spaces in this particular programme and we wanted to include projects in all seven continents.

We welcome any fund-raising at any level.

Please note: some active challenges have multiple sign-up options. Full details are given on the relevant pages – please read the terms and conditions so you understand what is required before you commit.

Funding Options – how does it work?

There are pros and cons to both funding options. Here we explain the two main types.

With the self-funding option there is no fundraising target,  only a registration fee which you pay when you sign up and it enables the event to take place and covers things like your food, mashalling & event facilities e.g, the Easter 50km walk – the self-funding option is £129 registration – you then raise as much or as little as you like with all the funds you raise going to the Project Fund – the charity does not pay anything for your place)

Pro: all the money raised goes to the Project Fund, rather than paying for your challenge place

Con: without a fundraising target some people may not be motivated to raise anything/very much

With the fundraise for charity option you pay a very small registration fee and the charity pays for your place at the regular advertised rate. In return,  you agree to a minimum fundraising target e.g, for the Easter 50km walk  you pay for a charity fundraising place for just £10 and commit to minimum fundraising of £395 per person. Subject to you meeting that target, the charity pays for your place at the regular rate which in 2020 was set at £129. Anything over and above £129 goes to the Project Fund.

Pro: you have a fundraising target -this often motivates people to train and raise more money for charity than they might have done otherwise

Con: some of what you raise will go to pay for your place rather than direct to the Project Fund