Our year in charitable donations 2022

There is no denying that many people across the country have been hit hard by the cost of living rising this year. With that in mind, we believe more than ever that charitable giving must be an essential part of our values at Builtvisible. 

Over the past eight years, our monthly donations have grown to be more impactful, more insightful and more meaningful to the agency’s culture. Each month, I have the pleasure of making a charitable donation on behalf of Builtvisible to a cause nominated by our employees. 

This has been a truly humbling experience, hearing from the team on why they have made the choices they have, as well as seeing the impact our donations have on the organisations has instilled a great sense of gratitude. 

Here’s our month-by-month roundup of all the charities we helped in 2022. If you’re interested in getting involved or looking to donate, you can find the links below. 

January: Samaritans

Every 10 seconds, the team at Samaritans responds to a call for help. They’re here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope and who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to donate to this wonderful charity that I volunteer for as a listener. Being a listener has given me a first-hand insight into how important Samaritan’s work is, helping so many people across the UK.

Every 90 minutes, someone in the UK/Ireland takes their own life. Samaritans work to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs to talk. Every day, volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help. It all started with one man who was willing to listen, with a base and an emergency telephone. They’re now here for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to help people with whatever they’re going through.” – Maz Kellner, Digital PR Executive. 

February: Great Ormond Street Hospital

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals.

Every day brings new challenges at GOSH with about 600 children and young people from across the UK arriving for life-changing treatments.

Despite the greatest challenges a child can face, the hospital is a place where being sick does not always mean being sad. And it’s a place where you’ll find (today and every day) some of the bravest people you could ever meet.

March: Sands

Sands is the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity in the UK. They are determined to save every life they can, and will make sure the right care and support is there for every bereaved family, whenever and wherever they need it.

April: Animal Care Uzumlu 

Animal Care Uzumlu is a charity run by a small team of volunteers with the aim of helping street dogs and cats who are injured, sick, in need or in danger. They support, promote and ensure their welfare so that their village street animal population remains healthy.

“Our charity donation will go a really long way in providing food, water, shelter, and medical care for these animals, and it really means a lot to myself, my family, and the other volunteers, that we are able to help.” – Emily Cater, Senior Copy Consultant. 

May: Ukraine relief

One of our clients, LoveCrafts, has an office in Ukraine and with the current situation and difficult circumstances those that live there are in, the LoveCrafts team wanted to do what they could to help. 

Alongside putting together support packages, the team at LoveCrafts set up a JustGiving page for their Ukrainian colleagues which Builtvisible donated to to help their efforts to support their Ukranian teammates through this difficult time. 

June: The Christie NHS Trust

Based in Manchester, The Christie NHS Trust is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres offering highly specialised cancer treatments, services, research and care. The doctors at Christie’s are national specialists and treat over 40,000 cancer patients a year. Through donations and generous support, the trust can help people continue to live and enjoy life the way they should.

July: Fumble

Fumble aims to provide a safe online space where young people can access accurate, informative, happy and healthy content about sex, relationships, their identities and mental health. They do this through online content co-created with young people and hosting workshops with school-age children to find out what issues are important to them.

With topics like sexual violence, coming out and consent becoming more and more prevalent in society, young people need proper sex education and somewhere to go when they have questions.

August: Macmillan

The team at Macmillan raises money to provide vital cancer services, research and to campaign for better cancer care. From providing services for people living with cancer at every stage of the difficult journey to running public campaigns to influence cancer-related policies at UK-wide, national and local levels, Macmillan does brilliant work day in and day out. 

One of our Content Strategy Consultants, Beth Strong, did Macmillan’s September Sit-Up Challenge too! 

September: Long Covid Support

Covid had a huge impact on us all but for some, the effects of it are still ongoing as they face the challenges of Long Covid. Long Covid is a term created for patients to describe the prolonged, fluctuating symptoms some experience following Covid-19. It is also known as post Covid-19 syndrome, post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PACS), or post-Covid condition.

After Covid-19, many people make a full recovery within a month. For others, symptoms can last longer and you can have Long Covid after a mild or even symptom-free initial illness. Symptoms can affect any part of the body, can come and go, or new ones may appear weeks or months later. 

Long Covid Support was nominated by our Head of Client Acquisition, Alison Barnwell who’s found the information the organisation provides extremely helpful – “Their long covid support groups on various social channels have been a complete lifeline for me in better understanding the disease, seeing what treatment is helping others and just finding people who understand what I’m going through when I need support. It’s an incredible community all run largely by people who themselves are unwell.” 

October: Diabetes UK

There are currently 3.9 million people in the UK diagnosed with diabetes, but it can often take some time to diagnose as people aren’t aware of the symptoms. In fact, it’s estimated that there are nearly 1 million people in the UK currently living with the disease without knowing. 

Diabetes UK is the leading charity for people living with the disease in the UK and has been at the forefront of diabetes research. In 2022, the charity-funded research which found, for the first time, that people with type two diabetes and lower body weight can be supported to put their condition into remission. 

November: Independent Food Aid Network

The Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) is a network of independent food aid providers across the UK. There are hundreds of food aid providers across the UK that have no national representation and the team at IFAN believes that by bringing them together they can create a powerful voice for change.

IFAN aims to provide a forum and a collective voice for independent, grassroots food aid providers, to work with and promote the voices of people in food insecurity and create a space for learning to improve provision to people in need of food. 

December: The ME Association

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (MF/CFS), is an illness with symptoms similar to Long COVID. Both conditions involve uncertainty regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis and are subject to ongoing research to be able to give those suffering much-needed information and management options.

The team at The ME Association provides a safe and welcoming community for people affected by these conditions who come together and benefit from sharing their experiences. As well as this, the organisation shares reliable and timely information using expert knowledge to support those within its community. 

We’re looking forward to seeing what charities the team puts forwards this year and continuing to support as many causes as possible through 2023.

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