COVID-19 has provided a new challenge to our charities - how do you continue fundraising when everyone is in lockdown.

Trevor Johnson, director of income generation at Havens Hospices has detailed how they have continued to be supported by residents.

Raising money for Havens Hospices is tough, even at the best of times.

Our Fundraising and Retail Team works tirelessly throughout the year to ensure we have the £6 million needed to provide palliative and supportive care to local people. But once the coronavirus hit, our fundraising income took a big hit very quickly – something none of us could have anticipated or planned for.

All public events had to be cancelled or postponed, and each one of our 23 charity shops had to close. The money we were anticipating from ‘Team Havens’ running the London Marathon alone was £200,000.

We are fortunate that our most loyal of supporters have carried on making gifts – whether that’s a pound a week playing our lottery or donating the cost of their commute, and we are so grateful to all those who have given what they can afford. We know it’s tough for everyone right now.

Thanks to an interim grant from the government, and our local CCG’s helping to fund some of our frontline hospice care, we’ve been able to keep both our buildings open and continue our Hospice at Home service which helps alleviate some of the pressure from the NHS. Around 35 per cent of non-care staff have been placed on ‘furlough leave’ and we’ve deployed those with care experience to support our hospice care.

We’ve managed to get ourselves to a stable position until July, and then the future looks uncertain for Havens Hospices. We’ve estimated a 70 per cent loss on fundraising income, because it’s unlikely mass fundraising events will happen for a long while yet. When the time comes to open our charity shops again, it will take time to build back up to ‘normal’ levels of trading.

Supporters trust us to use their donations responsibly and ensure the patients are at the heart of every decision we make – we never lose sight of this.

Our care and support services will need to adapt, working with our local healthcare partners to concentrate on delivering essential end of life care for the foreseeable future.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

  •  Join the Havens Hospices Virtual Quiz every Tuesday at 8pm. Just £3 to enter
  • Embrace your ‘lockdown locks’ and take part in the ‘Bare Your Roots’ campaign
  • Join the Havens Hospices Lottery for £1 a week with a chance of winning £1,000
  • Small regular donations mean the charity can plan its hospice care. A monthly donation of £5 helps provide a regular income for Havens Hospices
  • Take part in the virtual “30 in 30 Challenge” launching in May.
  • A Hospice at Home Nursing Assistant will, on average, travel 30 miles in one shift. Can you run, walk or pedal the same distance in 30 days
  • Consider leaving a gift in your Will. Many people are using this time to make plans for their future. A donation of any size will create your lasting legacy for those who need hospice care in years to come
  • Declutter your home and hold on to any items that can be donated