Raising and spending our funds

The Meningitis Trust is dependent on voluntary donations and we are grateful to everyone who helps us.

Without funding we cannot provide support for life to the thousands of people who need help to cope with life after meningitis, nor could we continue to raise life-saving awareness of this dreadful disease.

Raising vital funds

Our funds come from many different sources including:

• Individuals raise funds in many different ways, either taking part in fundraising activity organised by the Trust, or organising their own activity. The personal commitment that people put into helping us never ceases to amaze us.
• Donations from individuals on a regular basis either through a direct debit or via their salary provides ongoing committed income which continues to grow.
• One-off gifts which are so easy; in fact you could donate at this very minute.
• We now have over 270 Tribute Funds providing a route for people to raise funds and donate money in memory of a loved one.
• Individuals remembering us in their wills provide a valuable source of income.
• Support from Charitable Trusts and Grant-making bodies help us at local and national levels.
• Companies work with us in many ways, from Charity of the Year partnerships to one-off events and sponsorship. All of these enable us to not only raise vital funds and reach the company’s staff, customers and suppliers with life-saving awareness information.
• Community organisations, from the local Rotary Club, to the Women’s Institute, to youth groups such as Brownies, Cubs or Guides all help raise funds or support awareness raising for us.

It is an ever-increasing challenge for us to raise the funds the Meningitis Trust needs and we are indebted to all the people and organisations that continue to support us. These funds enable us to undertake our support, awareness and education and research work, making a real difference to people’s lives.

Meningitis Trust income 2010/11

In 2010/11, we raised nearly £2.8m in the UK, and our sister charity in ROI raised £0.2m. This was lower than the previous year and reflected the challenging economic times that we are in. More information can be found in our statutory accounts and 2010/11 impact report.

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Using our funds

We are constantly striving to make our limited funds have the greatest impact. Our expenditure is on three principle areas:

• Professional Services – our unparalleled range of professional support services are provided throughout the UK. These include our 24-hour nurse-led helpline, home visits, counselling and art therapy, family days, one-to-one service and financial support grants. These services help thousands of people every year.
• Community Support – nearly one-third of our staff are based in the community around the UK. The majority of their time is supporting individuals, families and local communities after meningitis has struck, ensuring they get the support and help they need, for as long as they need it.
• Awareness and Education – raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease and making sure people understand meningitis can strike anyone at anytime is a critical part of our work. It is not just a disease that affects babies which is so often the misconception. We use all communication channels to raise awareness – the media, digital channels such as the web and social media, face to face presentations and talks, partnerships with organisations including health professionals, and other charities.

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Cost of raising funds

We have to spend money in order to raise funds. We do this as cost-effectively as we can, to ensure that as much of the money we raise goes to helping those who need us. All of our fundraising activity includes awareness raising, so it does contribute to us meeting one of our principle areas of activity.  A good example of this is Toddle Waddle, a sponsored “waddle” for the under 5s. Every nursery or child care group that requests a joining pack gets symptoms cards to distribute to parents and to people who sponsor the children. Hundreds of thousands of cards are distributed each year this way and we know from the stories we have heard that they have saved lives.

Fundraising also provides a means for supporters and beneficiaries to fight back after their experience of meningitis. Whether it’s undertaking one of our challenge events such as London Marathon, overseas treks or sky dives, to a Coffee Break, people gain strength, comfort & support from fundraising alongside others who have experienced what they have and we are there to support them all the way.

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Meningitis Trust expenditure 2010/11

In 2010/11, we spent £2.8m in total in the UK and £0.2m in ROI. £2m of this was on our core activities described above.