INSIGHTS: Q&A with Rachel Travers, CEO of Rainforest Trust UK

Rachel Travers, CEO

Gain insights on business growth in our series of bite size chats with Business Leaders, brought to you by The FD Consultant.

In this edition of Insights Q&A, we welcome Rachel Travers, CEO of Rainforest Trust UK.

Rainforest Trust is a leading global organisation playing a central role in combating biodiversity loss and fighting climate change.

Rachel discusses the lessons of leadership she has learnt, and the similarities of leading a charitable organisation versus a business.

We hope you enjoy this latest edition of Insights.

Hi Rachel, please tell us about your organisation 

Rainforest Trust is a leading global organisation sponsoring the creation and expansion of protected and conserved areas, playing a central role in combating biodiversity loss and fighting climate change. 

I head up Rainforest Trust UK (RTUK) which is set up as a separate charity to tax-efficiently raise funds from donors here in the UK for Rainforest Trust’s conservation projects. We are currently a team of seven people, but we are affiliated to, and supported by, the Rainforest Trust team in the U.S., which has a team of about 40 staff. Last year the global charity raised $46 million for conservation projects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, with the UK charity contributing £2.7 million in 2024.

What makes you so passionate about what you do?

I have always been passionate about trees and wildlife - one of my first forays into fundraising was as a teenager trying to ‘save the trees’. 

I was lucky enough to do a lot of travelling in my twenties, so have seen with my own eyes both the diversity and the beauty of the world, but also how humans are destroying it at an alarming pace.

Now as a mother, I am finding my teenage kids are terrified about climate change and they feel tremendously let down by older generations - our overconsumption and exploitation have pushed Earth beyond its planetary boundaries.

I also want to be able to look my kids in the eye and say I have tried my hardest to prevent climate change and protecting the world’s rainforests is one of the most effective ways to do this. 

I want my kids and future generations to have the same opportunities to witness the world’s most precious ecosystems and the variety of life within them. I also want to be able to look my kids in the eye and say I have tried my hardest to prevent climate change and protecting the world’s rainforests is one of the most effective ways to do this. 

What do you view as your greatest achievement in this role so far?

Just last year, Rainforest Trust protected over 8 million acres of rainforest - which is over one and a half times the size of Wales! Since it started in 1988, we have placed over 52 million acres under permanent protection across 68 countries, locking up 7.9 billion metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents and saving 3,851 critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species.

Just last year, Rainforest Trust protected over 8 million acres of rainforest - which is over one and a half times the size of Wales!

I feel immensely proud to be (a small part) of these incredible achievements and to be enabling people here in the UK to be contributing to these world class, impactful projects. Since I started here in 2023 I have been building our team and together we have grown our fundraising income by 110%, and built a network of brilliant partners and supporters.

What are the biggest challenges your organisation faces?

The main challenge globally is that we are running out of time both to reach the climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement,  but also the target to protect 30% of the world’s land and waters for nature by 2030. Areas of rainforest and other critically threatened habitat including the oceans are being destroyed at an alarming pace. Rainforest Trust works with hundreds of local and national NGOs and projects across the tropics and can only support the very best - having to turn down incredible projects that need our support, since we don’t have enough funding for all proposals.

Here in the UK we face stiff competition for charitable funds and donations and while there are an increasing number of very wealthy individuals, the general public are finding it harder to make ends meet.

the general public are finding it harder to make ends meet

Despite the dual climate and biodiversity crises - that is already, and will only continue to affect, everyone across the world, the Charities Aid Foundation found that just 4% of all donations in the UK went to conservation, the environment, and heritage cause areas in 2023, falling from 7% in 2021. Similarly The Environmental Funders Network estimates that less than 6% of giving by UK-based trusts and foundations goes to environmental issues and this is skewed towards 10 foundations which account for 69% of all environmental funding.

How does running a charitable organisation differ to running a business?

I actually started my career in the private sector and think there are more similarities to running a charity and a business than you might expect. 

So, similar to businesses, we have to position ourselves in the market (of donors) and communicate to our audiences why they should choose us - outlining what makes us special and the incredible impact they can achieve by placing their gifts or grants with us. 

One of our USPs at Rainforest Trust is that we make a commitment to send 100% of public donations to conservation action. This is really unusual and means I face a constant challenge of keeping our running costs as low as possible, and finding private donors who are happy to help pay for these specifically. 

One of our USPs at Rainforest Trust is that we make a commitment to send 100% of public donations to conservation action

Other similarities with the private sector that I have to manage as CEO of a charity are the development of a clear strategy, and strong financial management and people management. The key difference is that I get to do these things for a cause I truly believe in, and is making a really tangible, positive impact on the world.

What one piece of advice would you give to those who want to thrive in leadership roles?  

I have worked in a number of senior roles in both the private and then across the voluntary sector, finally settling into a CEO role at a local Sussex charity where I stayed for 13 years.  Then two years ago I decided to take the plunge (risk) and leave the job I loved, where I  was very comfortable, to move to the environmental sector which I coveted.

I had to really challenge myself that I could take up a CEO role in a sector where I had no scientific or conservation expertise. For me the following have been important lessons:

• Listen to the people around you, ask questions, be curious, and seek advice.

• Surround yourself with brilliant people, and give them ownership of their roles and give them credit when things go well.

• While I am impatient by nature, I have been trying harder not to rush into things. If I am not sure - I sleep on it or wait a week and the challenging email or conversation usually resolves itself more easily, with fewer repercussions.

• Believe in yourself, and in your gut, and keep your core values front and centre of all decision making.

Believe in yourself, and in your gut, and keep your core values front and centre of all decision making.

Why is RTUK the perfect partner for businesses looking to burnish their ESG credentials and make an impact?

In short, because saving rainforests and tropical habitats is a highly-effective way to do good in the world! Rainforest Trust's work addresses 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and businesses can measure the impact of every donation.

saving rainforests and tropical habitats is a highly-effective way to do good

This, teamed up with our commitment to financial transparency and track record of hugely effective conservation work, means Rainforest Trust's projects are a sound investment for any business looking to further their ESG goals.

We hope you enjoyed Rachel’s insights.

Please visit the Rainforest Trust UK website if you'd like to know more about Rachel and her team, and the wonderful projects they are supporting.

You can join Rainforest Trust UK in making a real difference by becoming a conservation circle member if you are a business, or simply by donating as an individual.