Protecting biodiverse forests with the communities who keep them alive
Country : Denmark
Year of establishment : 1982
Verdens Skove/Forests of the World is a Danish environmental and development NGO founded in 1983, originally established as The Rainforest Group Nepenthes and renamed Forests of the World in 2011. The organisation works to conserve, restore and defend biodiverse forest landscapes by partnering with Indigenous Peoples, forest-dependent communities and local civil society organisations. Rooted in Denmark and active internationally, it addresses the interconnected challenges of deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, rights protection and sustainable livelihoods through advocacy, field programmes, political engagement and community-led conservation.
Strategic partnership fundraising mandate designed to strengthen Verdens Skove/Forests of the World’s international funding capacity and position the organisation as a high-impact partner for companies, foundations and institutional donors committed to climate, biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples’ rights. The mission focused on structuring a qualified donor pipeline, developing partnership narratives aligned with forest conservation and rights-based climate action, mapping high-value funding opportunities, preparing tailored engagement materials, and supporting senior-level outreach. Particular attention was given to translating the NGO’s field expertise into fundable partnership propositions, with clear impact logic, donor segmentation and activation pathways.
The partnership fundraising programme achieved its target with €1.7M in cumulative secured funding. The mandate enabled the qualification of 96 donor and partner prospects, including corporate foundations, philanthropic funds, CSR departments and institutional grant-makers. 38 priority opportunities were converted into active discussions or commitments, resulting in a 40% conversion rate across the high-value pipeline. Confirmed funding came from 14 strategic partners, with an average secured contribution of €121K. The campaign also generated a forward-looking pipeline estimated at €2.4M, strengthened donor retention through structured reporting assets, and delivered a 4.8x return on activation and prospecting costs.
