Help for Threatened Autism Concern

October 20, 2008 - Press Dispensary - Autism Concern, a charity providing essential support to those affected by autism, is set to close permanently unless it can raise £150,000 by Christmas. Leading online fundraiser Help.co.uk - which is waiving its administrative fees in support of the struggling Northampton-based charity – is calling on supporters, fundraisers and anyone interested in keeping the charity open, to do all they can in the next ten weeks to deliver the vital financial lifeline.

Autism Concern, which has supported thousands of autistic people and their carers for 17 years and is well known for its drop-in centre and the play schemes it runs for 150 autistic children across Northamptonshire, has become victim to a funding shortfall because of a major drop in grants and donations.

Director Sylvia Tilaks said: “This is the most desperate situation. Providing such a wide range of valuable services to so many local people is very expensive. We are a lean charity with running costs at a bare minimum, but are still struggling to meet demand for services. Our reserves and income are so low that if the money isn’t found, we will have to close for good at Christmas.”

Some better news is that £20,000 in donations has already been raised and the charity’s president, former Saints and England winger Jon Sleightholme, is to lead a sponsored cycle ride in Europe. But with the urgency of the Christmas deadline there’s still a long way to go.
The most common way that supporters can help the charity is to hold income–attracting events, from coffee mornings and schools activities to pub games and sponsored sports. Straightforward donations are of course also more than welcome.

But historically, a major difficulty with fundraising is the actually collection of sponsorships and donations. People are very willing to pledge money but when it comes to collection, there’s frequently a shortfall. This is not because the donors were insincere but because of the difficulties in finding and chasing them after the event.

This is where the involvement of Help.co.uk will pay dividends for Autism Concern. The organisation has set up an online appeals page at https://www.help.co.uk/fundraisers/autism, where fundraisers can post details of events, and sponsors and donors can make payments easily and securely by debit or credit card, without Help.co.uk taking any admin fee for the service.

Help.co.uk director Moe Nawaz said: “I was very troubled to hear of the charity’s plight and wanted to offer our assistance. So we’ve set up a specific Autism Concern donations page where supporters can make secure online donations to the charity, and we’ve waived any associated administrative charges during this difficult period. We encourage anyone who’s sympathetic to the cause to make a donation or set up their own free fundraising [https://www.help.co.uk/start_fundraising.html] pages for their own events.”

He continued: “Even if you don’t know a specific fundraiser or event, you can still donate to Autism Concern, or any other charity of your choice, through the Help.co.uk site. And for fundraisers who want to run events, there’s a useful fundraising hints and tips page.”

Sylvia Tilaks added: "The Help.co.uk page was a real bolt out of the blue and it's really nice to have so many companies who are obviously facing the same kind of economic crisis that we are but they are happy to help."
Northamptonshire is considered a hotspot for autism, with an incidence rate above the national estimate of 1 in 100. It is believed that families move there specifically to take advantage of the educational provision and the charity’s services.

Help.co.uk’s Moe Nawaz concluded: “The loss of Autism Concern to Northamptonshire would have a profound effect on a very large number of families. Our aim is to help ensure it won’t happen.”

Gift Aid will be applicable to the Autism Concern donations through Help.co.uk, subject to the donors being UK tax payers.

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About Autism Concern
Based in Northampton, Autism Concern (registered charity 1062611) provides support and options to people affected by all forms of autism in gaining independence and control of their lives. Its services include a freephone help and advice line, a drop-in centre, play schemes, advocacy services, the ASSERT programme, legal services and a training and awareness programme.

About Help.co.uk
Established in 2007, the Birmingham-based Help Organisation assists charities of all sizes to save time and increase their income by enabling them to take credit and debit card donations, and offering fundraising support and gift aid processing, all under one roof.

For further information, please contact:
Roger Cresswell, finance director, Help Organisation Ltd
Tel: 0845 430 7676
Email:
Site: www.help.co.uk