Funding donations made to the Go Vegan World advertising campaign more than doubled in 2017 to €2.7m.

Recently filed accounts for the year ending March 2018 by Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary, the not-for-profit organisation that runs the Go Vegan World campaign, show income for the organisation jumped from €1.25m in 2016 to €2.7m for 2017.

That’s an increase in funding of 116%, or some €1.5m, in one year.

Based in Slane, Co Meath, Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary is run by animal rights activist Sandra Higgins.

Rescued animals

While Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary describes itself as a farm that caters for rescued animals, a significant proportion of the organisation’s activities relates to running the Go Vegan World advertising campaigns that have been prominently displayed on billboards around the country in recent weeks and months.

More than 80% of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s spending went to fund its Go Vegan campaign

This major increase in funding allowed Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary to more than double (+103%) its expenditure in the year to €1.95m. This left the organisation with a surplus of almost €750,000 for its 2017 financial year.

In the previous year’s financial accounts, Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary gave a detailed breakdown of its expenditure for the year. More than 80% of Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary’s spending went to fund its Go Vegan campaign.

However, for 2017, the group has availed of exemptions under the Companies Act not to disclose spending.

If the percentage of expenditure on the Go Vegan campaign in 2017 was similar to that for 2016, it would equate to an advertising campaign valued at €1.6m.

This would be double where advertising spending was the previous year and almost 20 times the €90,000 spent on the Go Vegan campaign in 2015.

The organisation closed out the year with almost €850,000 in cash and cash equivalents on its balance sheet.