EVERYTHING YOu NEEDED TO KNOW ABOuT THE SOLDIERS’ CHARITY BuT WERE AFRAID TO ASK
2010 was an interesting year. Ongoing operations in Afghanistan, the constantly shifting economic landscape and the relentless growth in the service charity sector means that the world in which we and our soldiers live is very different to when the Army Benevolent Fund first formed back in 1944.
Despite this, our reason for existing has remained unchanged. We are now more relevant than ever before. We give a lifetime of support to soldiers, former soldiers and their families and we believe it is our duty to give back to those who have put everything on the line for us. We are proud to be The Soldiers’ Charity.
We hope that the following information will bring you up to speed on some of the questions that we are asked on a daily basis relating to our work.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHY DO YOU GIVE MONEY TO INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS ORGANISATIONS THAT REACH OUT TO
THE ARMY FAMILY? Our priority is to provide immediate support to individuals in need. Our grant-giving process is directed to work with caseworking organisations such as SSAFA Forces Help and The Royal British Legion together with Regimental and Corps Associations to achieve this. However by supporting other specialist service and non service charities we are able to help even more people.
WHY HAVE YOU INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF
MONEY YOU WANT TO RAISE FROM £7M TO £14M? We need to reach out further and do more for wounded soldiers, former soldiers and their families. Demand for our help continues to grow at 15% per annum and we know that we are not yet reaching many of the most needy veterans. We wish to extend our support to wounded soldiers, to those suffering mental health problems such as depression and alcoholism, and to tackle areas such as veterans leaving prison or finding themselves homeless. Finally, we owe a huge debt to people who have been wounded on current operations and we must ensure that where necessary they are properly prepared to make a successful transition to civilian life.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT OPERATIONS FUND? The Current Operations Fund is a specially designated fund to answer the needs of those soldiers who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and any future conflict. It is currently worth £3m and since it was established in 2007 we have spent almost £700,000.
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HELP FOR HEROES? The Soldiers’ Charity and Help for Heroes have forged a partnership to deliver Help for Heroes funding for individual grants to the current wounded – the Quick Reaction Fund. Using our grants management expertise we have committed to ensure that money is made available with a minimum of bureaucracy in as well- governed way as quickly as possible.
THERE ARE SO MANY SERVICE CHARITIES – WHY SHOULD I GIVE MY MONEY TO YOU? The Soldiers’ Charity is about people – we specialise in looking after the individual soldier, former soldier and their family. Other charities have differing purposes, such as capital projects or special needs related to mental illness, amputations or sight. We look after all general needs and we are committed to providing lifetime support to all of those who need it for as long as they need it.
WHAT IS THE BIG CURRY AND HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? It is a mass participation fundraising event, organised by The Soldiers’ Charity, which takes place during April. Hundreds of people across the country get together to socialise and have a curry, whilst raising money for soldiers. For all the latest news go to
bigcurry.org
Any questions we haven’t answered? If you have any questions about what we do and how we do it, please email
info@soldierscharity.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
soldierscharity.org
FRONTLINE | FEBRUARY 2011 | 11
DID YOU KNOW?
We made 641 grants to individuals and families in Scotland last year
Last year we gave £3.2m to organisations that specialise in supporting soldiers, former soldiers and their families
DID YOU KNOW?
KNOW? The Soldiers’ Charity has more than 5,000 Facebook friends
DID YOU
D K
68 pe The So
DID YOU KNOW?
27 former soldiers in
residence at Broughton House, Salford
KNOW? £14m a year by 2015 is the fundraising target we have set ourselves
DID YOU
KNOW? The Soldiers’ Charity has more than 1,500 Twitter followers
DID YOU
DID Y KNOW
More than 2000 volunteer f
The Soldiers’ Ch
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