Melbourne scientists are teaching people to love the outdoors

In Business Daily’s ongoing series, we meet a not-for-profit collective of zoology and ecology experts with a passion to educate others about the natural world

Wild Melbourne founder Chris McCormack with the team, (from left) Elodie Camprasse, Cathy Cavallo and Rachel Fetherston. Picture: Ian Currie

WILD Melbourne is a business in transition.

Shining a light on the environment, it was founded by a group of idealistic, passionate young people wanting to bring change in a non-political way. They have been chipping away at it for four years but they are about to ramp it up.

Next month, the group is launching its Remember The Wild national platform.

Wild Melbourne managing director Chris McCormack is the founder and first employee.

“We are a registered charity with the purpose to connect people to nature,” Mr McCormack said. “This sounds esoteric but the science behind it is strong. People are prompted to care more if they have a ­connection.

“More and more of us are finding that nature and green space is incredibly important to our mental wellbeing and health.”

Mr McCormack said the connection was forged by the creation of compelling writing, professional cinematography and photography, community events, and education programs for schools.

Largely graduates from Melbourne, Monash and ­Deakin universities, the Wild ­Melbourne team members have studied zoology and ­ecology and have teaching backgrounds. Most are aged ­between 24 and 30.

They started with a website, spreading their message through social media articles.

Wild Melbourne has been contracted to do work for a number of universities and community groups.

Commissions have included short films and interpretive signs for government departments including signage for Point Leo on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr McCormack said the time was right to take a national approach, creating Remember The Wild spin-offs in each capital city.

“We need to build networks around the country and ­Remember The Wild is a way to do this,” he said. Over the next three years, the business is looking to flesh out the business, with a core management team of paid ­employees.

Mr McCormack said Wild Melbourne was helping other businesses to tell stories that communicated the science.

He said in some cases, freelance videographers/photographers who didn’t possess a background in science didn’t understand the nuances.

“They don’t understand the content, don’t understand the science or the animals and tramp all over the ground cover being sought to be protected,” he said.

The collective has a cumulative social media following of 10,000 but is looking to broaden that reach.

Mr McCormack said the Point Leo project was their first paid job and gave them enormous validation that they were on to something.

“We went down there and met the ranger and committee of management and designed the boards so that they would tell the story of the geology and history,” he said.

“They are strategically placed along the foreshore and inside the visitor centre. The 16 boards are visually engaging interpretive displays. Shaped as life-size surfboards, they highlight one of the more popular ways people actively connect with nature in the area, as well as reflecting a kinship with the decades-old surf culture of Point Leo.”

Wild Melbourne is piloting a program of school incursions with all modules developed in consultation with the science and geography learning areas of the Victorian and Australian curriculum.

Mr McCormack said the group was developing a database of trained content producers who could be contracted out for various projects. He said eco-tourism was an area in which they could see big potential as they could bring credibility to tourism ventures looking to tap into the environment.

The aim was to develop more relationships and to become the “go-to” website for nature-related content.

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wildmelbourne.org

 

JOHN DOWNES

Mentor, medium-sized business,

acorro.com.au

WELL done Chris and team. What a great contribution to conservation of our native ecology.

John Downes

Two issues spring to mind. First, the website and social feeds. For communication specialists, it took me quite some time reading your website to get a sense of what it is that you actually do, how you do it, and most importantly what your why is. It appears esoteric and unclear.

Despite the statements about professional cinematography, there’s none on the home page, or the “Team” page and very few examples at all. In short, a brilliant story is well hidden and not told in your most accessible medium.

Secondly, core services. It’s unclear what they are and how you charge for them. It doesn’t matter if you are a not-for-profit organisation. There has to be a revenue model whether that be exclusively grants, donations, sponsorships, memberships, fees for service, or any mixture in between.

Without a clear path to revenue, is this a purely volunteer organisation? And if so, will it have the scale and reach it needs to make a fundamental difference in educating and sharing the conservation message or the “experience the beauty of our precious and abundant natural environment” messages to your chosen audiences? I wish you success, fulfilment and the scale to deliver outcomes from your passion.

 

VIVIAN VO

Melbourne Innovation Centre

WILD Melbourne is an organisation built on the foundations of strong values and big dreams.

Vivian Vo

When thinking big, you want to scale your work, serve more people and make a bigger impact. As you grow, you’ll need to invest in your operations. You may start to think about an efficient customer relationship management or long, lasting equipment for your projects.

It is not hard to see the organisation’s love and passion for the cause. To inspire others to love and support the organisation, you have to refine your story. Make it clear and catchy. The first step is to work on your elevator pitch. This should succinctly explain what your non-profit does and why people should get involved. Ensure this is readily visible on your website.

It’s fantastic that Wild Melbourne’s social media presence is active. While you have a large following, there is more you can do to engage your fan base. Content is key, so research trending topics, share current projects and emphasise your achievements.

In terms of meeting your strategic goals, your team is your most valuable asset. Volunteers are vital, and treating them like valued members will keep them engaged and involved for the long-term. Everyone in your team should speak about your organisation consistently. Unity is key to a strong brand.

 

BRUCE HALL

Mentor, Small Business Mentoring Service

I LOVE Wild Melbourne’s mission to help people to understand so that they may appreciate.

Bruce Hall

Help them to appreciate so that they may care. Help them to care so that they may preserve.

But as history has shown, despite the many benefits that come from engaging with our environment, moving people to action can be difficult.

Wild Melbourne has a great story and are producing some excellent content, but something is missing from a marketing perspective. All the evidence and arguments are there but to motivate change and engagement, a stronger focus on “what’s in it for me?” is needed.

How will learning and engaging with our environment improve or change my world? Any product or service is really only “a means to an end” that people use to satisfy a need, realise a dream, solve or avoid a problem. What motivates action, is not the product or service but what it does for the purchaser.

All the great content being produced needs to make this link. Two simple words can help here — “which means ...”! Sell the sizzle, not the steak!

To assist engagement on the website, pages and posts need to be better optimised for search. Compelling, “reader-focused headings” should also be used to break up the copy, to draw the readers in and to help them understand so they may appreciate.