Fundraising Update 2024-2025
As we reflect on another year of fundraising it is it is essential to assess both the achievements and challenges encountered throughout the year. This past year has been marked by some wonderful events and continued support from regular donors such as our membership and organisations that have chosen Lighthouse as their charity of the year.
As a local charity we are always enormously grateful to our local community for their continued support. This financial year we have had some truly lovely events taking place in aid of Lighthouse. These have included 4 Quizzes, 3 Bake Sales, 2 Theatre Productions, 2 Choral Performances, 3 Physical Challenges, 3 Market Stalls, a Ceilidh, a Football Tournament, a Bingo Night and much more, all raising much needed vital funds for Lighthouse in what unfortunately is an unpredictable economic climate for all charities.
We have continued to forge links with local businesses, have built upon existing partnerships and developed new ones. Such collaborations bring expertise, employee volunteering opportunities and fundraising initiatives to Lighthouse. It also allows Lighthouse to deliver our free training to businesses in the area, and to highlight the importance of the awareness of domestic abuse and the impact in can have in the workplace. We thank our recent charity partners Suffolk Building Society, Challs International, Ravenswood Medical Centre, Fiducial Wealth Management, Lighthouse Group, Chatsworth Ladies Group and Gipping Young Farmers. We are also very grateful to have received significant donations from The Barnes Group, Crane Foundation and Killick & Co.
Financial support is crucial to the viability of Lighthouse, but we also receive numerous physical donations from our local community, including individuals, community groups and businesses and these allow us to provide another layer of support to the women, young people and children affected by domestic abuse.
We are always overwhelmed by the support any appeals generate, these have included Easter Eggs, Crafting Sets, Towels and of course our biggest appeal, for gifts and food at Christmas. Over the year we have had a steady stream of non-perishable food, toiletries, small household items for resettlement and gift cards donated, these have been able to cover the additional needs that our clients have faced when either fleeing an abusive relationship or ending an abusive relationship and then finding themselves in hardship. The New Wolsey Theatre support Lighthouse by providing free theatre tickets to the women and families in our Refuge. On the run up to the Christmas Pantomime they promoted a ‘Pay it Forward’ Scheme which provided free tickets to the pantomime, which is a loved and well-established yearly event, this type of support helps the women and families settle into a new area, build connections, feel part of the community and importantly have a lovely family day out.
We are very lucky to have a wonderful core membership that provides Lighthouse with an essential steady income, year on year. Towards the close of the year we decided to review our membership offer for this loyal and dedicated group but also to encourage new supporters to make regular monthly, quarterly or yearly donations. From April Members of Lighthouse will now be invited to our Members Thank You Evening at our Women’s Centre, where they can meet some of the staff, have a tour of the Women’s Centre and find out more about how and where their donations are spent. There is also an online event planned for those members that may not live locally or are unable to attend the event at the Women's Centre. They will also be offered a place on one of our free online training sessions, a monthly newsletter with up-to-date news, information about new initiatives and upcoming events. Anyone can sign up to become a member by clicking the heading ‘Get Involved’ and then ‘donate’.
As part of our mission to raise awareness of domestic abuse we also deliver talks to local community groups and attend events. In the last financial year, we gave 12 talks to Women’s Institutes, Mother’s Unions, Young Farmers and more as well as attending Suffolk Building Societies AGM, Nuffield Spring Symposium, Southeast Suffolk Women’s Institute AGM and Nuffield’s first Women’s Health Event. This work allows Lighthouse to reach a wider audience, engage directly with the public and help raise awareness of domestic abuse and its appalling effects on victims and survivors.
In March; as the year drew to a close, we were invited to the Smiley Charity Film Awards by Suffolk Building Society, as their commissioned film about Lighthouse was up for an award. Rachel from Submotion, who created this thought-provoking film, Adam from Suffolk Building Society, Lighthouse’s CEO, Sally and I attended the awards in London, and the film was awarded Silver in the Corporate Charity Film section, which was a great end to the year. To view this film please visit the ‘News’ section.
As we are now well into the new financial year, continuing to foster these relationships that have been built on trust and community will be pivotal in sustaining the fundraising momentum as Trusts and Grants become harder to find and secure. Therefore, we need to maximize our ability to continue to provide the support to those in Suffolk that so desperately need it.
We sincerely could not continue this work without all your help and support and therefore we are humbly appreciative for every single one of you and all that you do.
Deb Johnson – Business & Fundraising Manager