The Value of Travel
For philanthropy and impact-led brands
In a crowded digital landscape, the most meaningful work needs more than visibility. It needs connection. Reports, campaigns, and updates can inform, but firsthand experiences can deepen trust and understanding in ways that are difficult to replicate online. That matters because roughly two-thirds of donors say that understanding their impact would influence them to give more.¹
The Numbers.
Published sector research suggests that thoughtfully designed travel can do far more than create a memorable experience. In a frequently cited conservation-sector example, WWF-related donor travel research, cited by the Center for Responsible Travel, found that donors who traveled had higher giving retention, were 37 times more likely to have $1 million gift capacity, 21 times more likely to have a planned gift, and gave 35 times more over their lifetime than non-traveling donors.²
The broader market context matters too. Edelman reports that 84% of consumers say they need to share values with a brand in order to buy it, while 60% say they buy, choose, or avoid brands based on politics.³⁴ PwC reports that consumers are willing to pay an average 9.7% premium for sustainably produced or sourced goods.⁵ And Booking.com’s 2025 research found that 84% of global travelers say sustainable travel is important, 93% want to make more sustainable travel choices, 73% want the money they spend to go back to local communities, and 77% seek authentic experiences that reflect local culture.⁶
For Philanthropy.
Donor travel is more than a trip. It can be a strategic tool for cultivation, stewardship, and long-term engagement. When supporters see the work firsthand, their understanding often shifts from abstract awareness to lived connection. They gain a clearer sense of what the organization does, why it matters, and what their support makes possible. That kind of clarity can strengthen trust, deepen commitment, and create a stronger foundation for future giving.¹
The value of donor travel also extends beyond immediate fundraising. Sector guidance on philanthropic travel points to a wider set of outcomes: stronger relationships, more informed and engaged board members, increased volunteerism, referrals, better storytelling, and a cohort of participants who return home able to advocate for the work in a more personal and credible way.⁷ ⁸ In that sense, travel can support not only philanthropy, but also governance, communications, and long-term community-building around the mission.⁹
Used well, travel can also help organizations engage the right new audiences. Not broad, cold acquisition, but warm introductions through existing donors, board members, partners, and aligned networks. For many organizations, that makes travel less of a one-time event and more of a relationship platform: a way to cultivate current supporters, identify future champions, and strengthen the ecosystem around the mission.
For Impact-Led Brands.
For purpose-led brands, travel can make values visible. It allows founders, investors, partners, customers, and key stakeholders to experience the people, places, and partnerships behind the brand story firsthand. That kind of access can communicate integrity, transparency, and shared value more effectively than polished messaging alone. In a market where consumers increasingly expect alignment between what brands say and what they do, immersive experiences can build trust in a uniquely human way.³ ⁴
Travel can also deepen engagement across the brand ecosystem. It gives stakeholders a richer understanding of sourcing, craftsmanship, community relationships, environmental commitments, and the realities of implementation on the ground. For brands working at the intersection of product, place, and purpose, that can strengthen loyalty, sharpen storytelling, and create more meaningful alignment between mission and market.
Just as importantly, this kind of travel aligns with what many travelers and consumers now say they want: experiences that feel authentic, culturally grounded, and beneficial to local communities. For impact-led brands, that creates an opportunity not only to tell a stronger story, but to design experiences that are genuinely aligned with modern values.⁵ ⁶
Why Execution Matters
Travel delivers the most value when it is designed with intention. Clear goals, the right participants, strong local partnerships, thoughtful preparation, and ethical storytelling all shape whether a trip becomes transformative or simply logistical. The most effective programs are not built around spectacle. They are built around relationship, learning, and respect. Sector guidance also suggests measuring travel success broadly, looking not only at revenue, but at retention, referrals, volunteerism, board engagement, educational outcomes, and post-trip advocacy.⁸
That is also why execution matters so much for internal teams. When travel is structured well and supported by the right partner, it can extend organizational capacity rather than drain it, helping nonprofits and brands create experiences that are meaningful, well-managed, and aligned with larger strategic goals.
Turning Interest Into Investment
Whether the goal is to deepen donor commitment, engage a board, strengthen stakeholder trust, illuminate a supply chain, or bring a mission to life in a more tangible way, travel can be a powerful strategic tool. At its best, it turns interest into understanding, understanding into loyalty, and loyalty into long-term investment.² ⁸
At its best, this is what impact-led travel can do — create deeper understanding, stronger relationships, and more meaningful connection to the work.
This is what we do, for you.
Footnotes
1. Fidelity Charitable, “Study Finds 64% of Donors Want to Give More,” 2017, and Overcoming Barriers to Giving. Fidelity reports that roughly two-thirds of donors say understanding their impact would influence them to give more.
2. Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), The Case for Responsible Travel: Trends & Statistics 2019 (2019), citing Jim Sano’s 2019 presentation on travel philanthropy. CREST reports that WWF donors who traveled had higher giving retention, were 37 times more likely to have $1 million gift capacity, 21 times more likely to have a planned gift, and gave 35 times more over their lifetime than non-traveling donors.
3. Edelman, 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer: Special Report — Brands and Politics. Edelman reports that 84% of consumers say they need to share values with a brand in order to buy it.
4. Edelman, 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer: Special Report — Brands and Politics. Edelman reports that 60% of consumers say they buy, choose, or avoid brands based on politics.
5. PwC, 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey. PwC reports that consumers are willing to pay an average 9.7% more for sustainably produced or sourced goods.
6. Booking.com, “Booking.com’s 2025 Research Reveals Growing Traveler Awareness of Tourism Impact on Communities Both at Home and Abroad,” 2025. Booking.com reports that 84% of global travelers say sustainable travel is important, 93% want to make more sustainable travel choices, 73% want spending to benefit local communities, and 77% seek authentic experiences representative of local culture.
7. Philanthropy Without Borders, “Why do Donor Trips,” on the role of donor travel in strengthening connection, understanding, and ambassador-building. This is useful as sector guidance, though it is more interpretive than independently empirical.