Travelers' Philanthropy Handbook - Center for Responsible Travel

surprisingly little information available about the scale of travel philanthropy either inthe originating markets or in the destinations. However, it is clear from the casestudies in this report that very significant sums of money are being donated in, andto the benefit of, destinations by travelers and companies; and that very significantsums are also being generated for charities in the originating markets. 24The surveys cited in both the WTM study and this Handbook suggest that while travelers’philanthropy is still a small percentage of total individual charitable donations, the overallcontributions are significant:oThe 2009 WTM study identified almost. £160 million ($248 million) in cash donationsraised by 39 companies and organizations over a wide range of time periods. 25o The 2008 WTM report tabulated total donations by 36 travel companies of over £4.2million ($6.7 million) in 2007, with an almost even 50/50 split between donations by thecompany and their customers, and only 4% contributed by staff. 26ooooo27 tour companies surveyed in Arusha, Tanzania reported collectively donating$688,991 during 2008. The amounts per company varied from $1,000 and $163,000. 27Lindblad Expeditions raised $4.5 million in visitor donations over a decade for theGalapagos Conservation Fund. 28Myths and Mountains’ READ Global fund raised over $10 million in 20 years for libraryprojects in Nepal. 29The CMI Green 2009 survey of over 1000 travelers found 83.7% gave between $11 and$500 while traveling. 30A sampling of donors interviewed for the Handbook found they contributed on average$1000 to $2000 annually to projects they learned about while traveling. 31The potential is enormous for greatly increased levels of giving through more effective travelers’philanthropy initiatives. When done properly, travelers’ philanthropy meets the objectives of thenew philanthropists described earlier in this essay, namely hands-on experiences, contact withthe recipients, accountability and transparency. Yet, as written in the WTM study, “Travelphilanthropy is an opportunity missed when we do not use our presence and reach to benefitlocal charities in the places we care about. They need and often deserve our support; they donot have any other opportunity to raise money from people in the originating markets.” 32Since 2003, CREST has worked to carefully develop its own unique model of travelers’philanthropy that is designed to deepen and broaden the concept of philanthropy for tourismcompanies, travelers, and local organizations. The CREST model has five broad objectives:24Harold Goodwin, Lucy McCombes, Claudia Eckardt, “Advances in Travel Philanthropy: Raising money through the travel andtourism industry for charitable purposes,” World Travel Market, 2009, p. 15.25 Goodwin et al, “Advances in Travel Philanthropy,” World Travel Market, 2009, pp. 15, 73.26 Goodwin and Eckardt, “Travel Philanthropy Report,” 2008, p. 8.27 Joanna Wolff, “Survey of Tour Operations in Arusha, Tanzania,” Chapter 4.28 Sam Ham, “The Ask—Or is it the Offer?” Chapter 4.29 Antonia Neubauer, “Myths and Mountains and READ Global,” Chapter 2.30 CMI Green, The CMI Traveler Survey 2009, vol. 1, 2009. p. 106.31 Jill Talladay, “Why Travelers become Philanthropists: Donor Motivations,” Chapter 6.32 Goodwin et al, World Travel Market, 2009, p. 4.11