To celebrate the forthcoming release of Mists of Pandaria, I thought it would be a lovely idea if the World of Warcraft blogging and twitter communities could have a small charity drive to adopt a red panda from my local zoo (Marwell Wildlife) in our name.
12:35 pm Sunday 1st July: Adopted a red panda, thanks everyone!
Details and photos to follow as soon as the adoption pack arrives. ♥
11:20 am Thursday 12th July: Marwell telephoned confirming.
Asked for name details for certificate and visitors' centre plaque.
6:30 pm Tuesday 17th July: Adoptions pack has arrived!
Going to head to Marwell on Sunday (22nd). Will be active on twitter throughout the visit, then write a coherent blog post afterwards with photos and scans.
7:45 pm Monday 23rd July: Donations closed, Rio went to the zoo!
You can read about his day out here: http://goo.gl/HOCjh
Donations are set to British Pounds Sterling (GBP) but will accept donations in USD and other curencies as PayPal will handle conversions. As soon as the fund reaches £50 or more, I will immediately purchase an adoption package and communicate this on the blog. I'll run the donations until the end of September (and top up to another £50 and adopt another). I'm very active in the WoW blogging, twitter, roleplaying and podcasting communities as Rioriel and wouldn't dare to compromise this by running off into the sunset with fifty bucks.
This blog is approaching 1,000 posts at the end of the summer and will be producing tangible Postcards to celebrate. If anyone donates over £10/$15 then I will mail you a set of four as thank you if you include a mailing address in your donation. Any funds received will only be used to donate to Marwell Wildlife.
12:35 pm Sunday 1st July: Adopted a red panda, thanks everyone!
Details and photos to follow as soon as the adoption pack arrives. ♥
11:20 am Thursday 12th July: Marwell telephoned confirming.
Asked for name details for certificate and visitors' centre plaque.
6:30 pm Tuesday 17th July: Adoptions pack has arrived!
Going to head to Marwell on Sunday (22nd). Will be active on twitter throughout the visit, then write a coherent blog post afterwards with photos and scans.
7:45 pm Monday 23rd July: Donations closed, Rio went to the zoo!
You can read about his day out here: http://goo.gl/HOCjh
Why?
The new expansion introduces Pandaren as the new playable race, of which the female models are based on red pandas. My local zoo (Marwell Wildlife) has some of the gorgeous, cute wee buggers and I genuinely believe it would be a nice gesture if a handful of us were able to throw in few bucks to adopt one between us all so that its welfare, food and habitat costs can be eased a little.Where?
Marwell Wildlife is my local zoo, walking distance away from my house (not that my beloved Badger is keen on the route that goes behind the lion enclosure, heh). I'm particularly fond of Marwell because it's a stunning site, giraffes are COOL, and they work closely with local schools through its education arm, as well as promoting conservation and welfare activities.Adoptions?
An adoption package at Marwell Wildlife costs £50 (~$78) for a red panda and includes (amongst other things) a day pass. I have donated the cost of a standard day pass to the fund so you don't think I'm getting a freebie. If we raise enough to purchase multiple adoptions then I will donate extra passes to the local primary school to raffle, or do what they wish with. On a visit I'll naturally take as many photos of the red panda that I can, scan and post the adoption certificate I receive on behalf of all of us, etc.How?
I investigated Indiegogo and Kickstarter, but each asks you to set a goal and an end date, which isn't really the point. I'm not raising funds for a time-sensitive project before a specific date, but pooling funds to donate to Marwell for a specific purpose. JustGiving is also a fantastic, secure fundraising site but donates en masse periodically without allowing you to specify what the funds are used for.Donations?
I am using PayPal to collate donations, and am keen to address the issue of transparency. I'll post weekly updates on the fund on this blog and on my twitter account @wingtipswaltz. My PayPal address is rioriel@theshatar.eu, which is the same address that I use for Real ID.Donations are set to British Pounds Sterling (GBP) but will accept donations in USD and other curencies as PayPal will handle conversions. As soon as the fund reaches £50 or more, I will immediately purchase an adoption package and communicate this on the blog. I'll run the donations until the end of September (and top up to another £50 and adopt another). I'm very active in the WoW blogging, twitter, roleplaying and podcasting communities as Rioriel and wouldn't dare to compromise this by running off into the sunset with fifty bucks.
This blog is approaching 1,000 posts at the end of the summer and will be producing tangible Postcards to celebrate. If anyone donates over £10/$15 then I will mail you a set of four as thank you if you include a mailing address in your donation. Any funds received will only be used to donate to Marwell Wildlife.
