The October Club seeks 2018 charity partner
Melanie May | 16 January 2018 | News
The October Club is seeking a charity to partner with for 2018.
The October Club funds small and growing charities with voluntary income of between £500,000 and £2m per annum. The funding is for a transformational project based across several UK regions, and must be used within three years.
This year’s deadline for applications is 23 February, and applicants must explain how the October Club investment will transform their organisation, how it would improve their own infrastructure, their way of working, and how their beneficiaries will benefit, with a summary of outcomes. A shortlist of charities will be invited to pitch to the committee in early May.
Since 1987 the October Club has raised over £10 million for transformational projects, with an average £500,000 for each cause. Last year, The October Club partnered with The Multiple Sclerosis Trust, enabling it to launch a three-year Advanced MS Champions project to bring specialist and co-ordinated care to people living with complex and challenging symptoms of the condition.
Money is raised through two key events. Each October, the organisation holds a dinner to benefit its charity partner, introducing its work to the guests and how funds raised will be used to transform it. The event includes an auction with last year’s dinner raising £500,000 for The MS Trust.
What an amazing night for our 30th anniversary! Thank you to our sponsors and members for coming together and raising £500k for @MSTrust pic.twitter.com/20uBjUnNkU
— The October Club (@theoctoberclub) October 12, 2017
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Prior to the dinner event, The October Club also holds an Ascot Race Day, which also includes fundraising. Last year’s included a raffle and auction, which raised £25,000 for The MS Trust’s Advanced MS Champions project.
Previous charity partners:
2017: The MS Trust
2016: The Cure Parkinson’s Trust
2015: Honeypot Children’s Charity
2014: Auditory Verbal UK
Further information on the criteria for entries is available on The October Club’s site.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.