I am very fortunate to work for a company in Huddersfield that has a very strong corporate responsibility ethos. The company scope for this work is environmental, educational and social justice causes. Whilst all these areas are equally important, working with charities and the not for profit organisations in the Huddersfield area has had the biggest impact on me personally. I have met some fantastic people who are working in the most difficult situations helping people in dire need. Through the CSR work at Cummins we have been able to provide significant support to many of these organisations through providing skills and resources (people). However, most organisations ultimately need funding in order to continue to provide these essential services.
I have organised a number of fundraising events over the last few years which have raised a relatively small amount of money (about £6,000). Two years ago I was trying to think of ways to help with the financial situation of many of the organisations that I came into contact with, and looked into how crowd funding operated.
The idea is to take the crowd funding concept and ask for an amount of money that most of the people within my network wouldn’t miss. For each 100 members we would generate approximately £5,000 that we can give to other charities in Huddersfield. I hope I can inspire enough people to, not only support the idea with their one pound, but also promote it to their friends and colleagues.
Below I have tried to second guess some of the questions you may have :-
Why have you chosen this specific cause ?
The idea of trying to help has been inspired by the many fantastic people I have met working in small charities in Huddersfield. All these charities provide essential services and I wonder what would happen to the people they support if they were no longer there.
How do we know that the money will be used in the way you have described ?
The organisation is a registered charity with three trustees. We have total open book accounting and will provide updates as governed by the charity commission.
How will you collect the money ?
Ideally we would like people to setup a monthly standing order of 4 pounds per month into the Charities bank account. Alternatively we would also take a one off annual payment of £52.
Ian Lawson
Originally from York, I moved to Huddersfield for work in 1982 and have lived here ever since. I have been the Corporate Responsibility Leader at my company and it is through that experience that I felt inspired to try and raise money for causes in the Huddersfield area. I hope to use my contacts and networks to make this a success.
Lynva Russell
I have enjoyed a varied career including 20 years working in the world of industrial chemicals, many in a general management role followed by 15 years working with and for a number of social enterprises and charities covering a broad range of subjects and interests. The world is changing rapidly as are our challenges as a society. I chose to become involved with ‘theloosechangecharity’ because it meets a real need in this changing world, and we all have responsibilities.
Jonathan Wales
I worked for Lloyds Banking Group (Halifax) for 36 years and upon taking early retirement I now work part time for the National Trust. I was born in Bradford and live in Mirfield. In 2014/15 I was seconded by the bank to work for Business in the Community in Huddersfield, my role as Business Connector involved finding businesses to help charities and community groups with their needs. During this time I met Ian Lawson and many of the people who now need our help.