What is the Big Give Christmas Challenge?
This year Carlisle Eden Mind is taking part in the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge! The Big Give is the UK’s number one match funding platform and each year they run the Christmas Challenge, an annual match funding campaign which raises millions of pounds for good causes across the country.
The Application Process
The application process wasn’t easy, with Carlisle Eden Mind having to secure a minimum of £1000 in pledges to qualify (and even then we weren’t guaranteed to be picked as a match funded participant!) However, despite the challenges we managed to raise a brilliant £1750 in pledges. Consequently, we were picked by the Big Give to be part of the Christmas Challenge. We would therefore like to say a huge thank you to our pledgers: Pirelli, Thomas Graham, Sellafield, DRSL, Nick & Roger, Michael Tosh and the NDA as well as to our Champion, Monday Charitable Trust, for choosing to be our match funder.
How the Challenge Works
So, how does the Christmas Challenge work? Currently we have £1750 in our pledge pot and £1750 in our Champion fund. Our target is to raise £3500 in donations during campaign week so that our pledges and champion fund can be used to double these donations, meaning we have the opportunity to raise £7000 for Carlisle Eden Mind! Campaign week is Tuesday 1st December 12noon-Tuesday 8th December 12noon. Donations must be paid through Carlisle Eden Mind’s Big Give platform directly to be doubled and must be paid within this time frame. To access our Christmas Challenge platform please visit our website homepage.
Impact
This is a brilliant opportunity for Carlisle Eden Mind, particularly because of the turbulent and uncertain times that we find ourselves in. It is a unique scenario for the third sector, especially mental health charities, as we find ourselves in a situation where demand for our services is increasing while funding is declining significantly. Opportunities such as the Christmas Challenge campaign help us to stand by our mission to ensure that no one in our local community has to face a mental health problem alone. By donating to our Christmas Challenge you could be helping to provide a one-to-one advocacy session for a young person in need; a call to MindLine Cumbria, our mental health information and support service; or an appointment with a Connect Caseworker who can give someone help and guidance with their housing and finance issues.
Please give what you can but we appreciate that in the current circumstances you may not be able to donate. If so, you can still help us enormously by simply spreading awareness of our campaign.
