With the Olympic motto ‘faster, higher, stronger’ still ringing in our ears, I’m delighted that Epilepsy Society’s fundraising seems to be echoing the same positive message.
Our latest annual accounts show that our fundraising costs have fallen by around five per cent yet voluntary income has risen by more than 15%*, enabling us to increase expenditure on our helpline, regional services and information resources by around 20%.
This is a significant achievement, not only in view of the current economic climate but also the downturn in legacy income.
My belief is that we have achieved this by working together as a strong team with the aim of achieving the highest goals.
About a year ago the charity took a strategic decision to invest more resource in social media. The result has been a growth in our online community, helping us broadcast our message faster, be more responsive, and enable us to have a conversation with our supporters.
We have a very active supporter stewardship programme – which I believe is key to our recent success. And I’m a great believer in reporting on the impact our charitable services are making on people affected by epilepsy.
I remain cautiously optimistic about the future. I think there will still be challenging times ahead, certainly for trust and legacy income. We must continue to be creative in trying out new fundraising activities as well as delivering good returns on investment.
*This excludes the value of a significant one-off gift in kind in 2011 used to provide supported housing for people with epilepsy.