A UK museum’s innovative fundraising effort – centred around vinyl butterflies – has set wallets aflutter, so far raising over £20,000 ($33,000, €24,000).

Weston Park Museum’s Buy a Butterfly appeal has proved a huge hit among visitors to the Sheffield site, with more than 300 butterflies sold already to help support the attraction’s learning team and maintenance efforts.

Available through donations of £100, £50 or £25 for a colourful butterfly – or £250.00 for a special golden butterfly – visitors are able to have their name or that of a gift recipient inscribed on the butterfly, which then stays on display in the heart of the museum for one year.

Butterflies given as a gift come with a personalised e-card or a hand-crafted donation card as an extra memento for the recipient.

The museum is now taking the initiative one-step further, offering a special Valentine’s butterfly that bears the name of a significant other on the museum’s increasingly crowded walls for the next 12 months.

The novel idea not only helps with fundraising efforts, it also helps change perceptions of museums, promotes visitor engagement and encourages repeat visits, as owners flock back to make sure their investment retains pride of place.