Leprosy Mission to promote monthly giving through volunteer talks

Howard Lake | 23 August 2013 | News

The Leprosy Mission is planning to increase its total of monthly donors by increasing its volunteer network and providing them with a short video that makes the ask for them.

Feedback from the charity's network of volunteers found that, while many were happy to talk in public about its projects and achievements, they were reluctant to ask supporters to give more money. So The Leprosy Mission has commissioned a short film in India which illustrates the volunteer's talk and includes the request for a regular donation of £6 a month via Direct Debit.

The film, 'Cure Partners', shows a young girl, Roopwati, who has just been diagnosed with leprosy, and then an older woman, Uma, whose life has been blighted by disability and the stigma surrounding leprosy.

The figure of £6 represents the average cost to transport medication, which is provided free of charge by pharmaceutical company Novartis, to a patient. A Direct Debit mandate form is put on the chair of each supporter attending the talk, but they can also sign up online.

Donors signing up to the Cure Partners Direct Debit will receive separate mailings from the charity in order that they are not overloaded by requests to give.

Meanwhile the charity will launch a national volunteer recruitment drive next month.

National Director of The Leprosy Mission England and Wales, Peter Walker, said: “We have some fantastic and extremely loyal supporters.  But gone are the days when we can be complacent about receiving regular donations, in particular from younger givers. By giving people the knowledge that their monthly payment will help cure a person affected by leprosy, we are empowering them to give with the realisation that they are doing something life-changing each month."

About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.