Supporting your Benevolent Association
This email is mainly intended for roughly two-thirds of the membership who do not make any donation to the Benevolent Association. The membership now exceeds 20,000 and in 2010 just under 6,900 made donations. The year 2011 will show a further fall. It should be noted that, as recently as 2007, over 8,000 members (50%) made donations.
I have written to all of you highlighting the financial pressures the Board is facing. In simple terms the current and anticipated levels of donations cannot support the levels of assistance to beneficiaries. As a result the Board has decided not to pay certain grants, to do a detailed review of beneficiaries need, and a sensitivity analysis of future donation levels measured against anticipated demand.
I realise that everyone is under financial pressure but cannot accept that all 14,000 members who do not make donations are under such constraint. The level of proposed donations suggested for 2011 is €80/£60. This equates to €6.50/£5 per month by standing order/direct debit. Surely, that can be managed.
I have said in the past, and will continue to say, that those in receipt of assistance come from all areas of membership, and from the very young to the very old. We have beneficiaries in all parts of the world; Brazil, Germany, France, Spain among others. One middle-aged member contacted our Administrator and told of walking on a beach in the evening because they had no money to buy their meal – it was an Australian beach!
We continue to see the needs of potential beneficiaries at every Board meeting, and despite the financial pressures we face, we will not turn anyone away, even if that requires the resources to be spread more thinly and cash reserves used.
Please go to the Benevolent Association website pages. This will give you more detail, and also show you how to donate.
Remember it might just happen to you or your loved ones.
Please contribute now.
Alan Gibson, Chairman.
Download the Chairman’s message.