Fundraising Challenge Defies Economic Doom And Gloom To Raise £7.7 million

added december 16th 2009

A fundraising challenge launched by one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit organisations has exceeded expectations during the economic downturn, raising £7.7 million for charity in a single working week.

This year, The Big Give’s Matching Challenge raised three times more than the £2 million it raised in 2008, giving a much needed boost to the 175 charities involved.

The Big Give’s Matching Challenge fundraising is achieved by creating a matched fund – generated through a combination of trustees, major donors and the charitable Reed Foundation – which was then used to double donations via its website, www.thebiggive.org.uk, between 7th and 11th December.

Charities set to benefit from the world’s largest ever online matched charity fund, include the Prince’s Trust, the National Trust and the WWF.

Hannah Levin, development manager at Wimbledon Civic Theatre Trust, which provides young people with the opportunity to perform on a professional stage at New Wimbledon Theatre, said: “We are thrilled to be a part of the Big Give’s Matched Funding Challenge this year – being a small local charity, this additional funding has helped us to raise our profile within the local community.

With the help of a core donation of £1.5 million from The Reed Foundation, the matched fund was used to match pound for pound every donation up to £5,000 to charities involved in the challenge.

The Big Give, described as ‘the Google of giving’, is the brainchild of renowned philanthropist Alec Reed who spent £1 million of his own money to launch the charity search engine for matched funding initiatives in October 2007.

Alec Reed CBE, founder of Reed Global and The Big Give, and also chairman of The Reed Foundation, said: “I believe that exceeding our target and raising £7.7 million for charity in a single working week is an amazing achievement, which proves that, in this traditional season of goodwill, donors are looking for ways to make their support go further.

“I set up The Big Give so that I could give my money away intelligently and I’m delighted that people continue to use our website throughout to support the valuable work charities do and make a real difference to the lives of others.”

Today www.thebiggive.org.uk showcases nearly 6,000 UK charities working worldwide and has raised more than £5 million for charity. In September 2009, The Big Give was awarded the Third Sector Excellence Award for Innovation in Grant Making, in recognition of last year's matching challenge.

Last year, The Big Give's first matched funding challenge saw £2 million raised, in just 45 minutes, with an average donation of £1,400, representing some £44,000 raised every minute.

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:
 The Big Give was founded by Alec Reed CBE, who has established other important charities including Ethiopiaid, Womankind Worldwide and the Reed Foundation. In 1960 Alec Reed founded Reed Global Recruitment, one of the leading recruitment firms in Europe.
 Mr Reed set up The Big Give because he couldn’t find a means of giving away £1 million of his own money intelligently.
 www.thebiggive.org.uk is a window through which high wealth donors can quickly, efficiently and anonymously search for charitable projects in line with their specific interests.
 The site acts as a ‘dating website for charities’ - initiating conversations between the donor and the charity, with the charity then responsible for managing any donation and the ongoing relationship.
 The Big Give is backed by a board of high profile philanthropists, with six members of the House of Lords, including Lord Bell and Lord Salisbury, and the likes of Sir Adrian Cadbury, Jon Snow and Martha Lane Fox.
 In December 2008, The Big Give launched its first matched funding challenge - a £1 million matched-funding campaign, bank-rolled by the Reed Foundation, which pledged to match any individual donation made via www.thebiggive.org.uk to registered charities. The average donation was £1,400 and the £2 million target was reached in 45 minutes, representing some £44,000 raised every minute.

Useful links:
The Big Give Home Page
About The Big Give
About the £6m Matching Challenge

Media contacts:
Stuart Disbrey on + 44 (0)20 7861 2495, + 44 (0)7789 500 465 or email sdisbrey@bell-pottinger.co.uk
James Thomlinson on + 44 (0)20 7861 2516, + 44 (0)7708 386 288 or email jthomlinson@bell-pottinger.co.uk

View this article online: http://www.reedpressoffice.co.uk/newsArticle/Fundraising+Challenge+Defies+Economic+Doom+And+Gloom+To+Raise+'A37-|7+million/