Thinking Differently about Fighting Poverty
with our High Fivers campaign
We’re asking our followers to consider how we fight poverty in Greater Manchester - with the launch of our new monthly giving campaign.
Our ‘High Fivers’ campaign is a call to action for people to give five pounds a month to help fund our core support and training services, amidst a significant rise in demand.
The campaign launched alongside ‘Giving Tuesday’ – the global giving day celebrated on the Tuesday following the well-known shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
‘A Hand-Up - not a Handout’
“We are entering a crucial time for our charity, with an unprecedented upsurge in families struggling to make ends meet”. says Jo Walby, Mustard Tree CEO. “Whilst the focus in the media is on food banks, we know that people coming to our Food Clubs are looking for a hand-up, not a handout.
Our Food Clubs are important, but are really a stop-gap solution to the cost-of-living crisis. Food helps with the initial panic, but our clients need opportunities to address debt, rent arrears and to find ways to increase their income. Mustard Tree meets this through our support services, courses, classes, debt advice and the Freedom Project (our life-skills and employability training placement).
At a recent Freedom Project open day, all clients were facing either a County Court Judgement (CCJ) for debt, or were at threat of eviction.
Rising rent, energy bills and inflation means that many of those now coming to us for help have never had to use our services before”.
Creating a Lasting Difference
The aim of the High Fivers campaign is to create a movement for change, in which people give a small, regular amount they can afford each month to help fund the support and training services of the charity. This can include training courses, 121 support and job clubs across our Ancoats, Eccles and Little Hulton hubs.
Harry Dwan, Fundraising and Advocacy Lead says “we need to think differently about how to help people facing poverty – it’s not only about a food parcel at Christmas, but also about creating opportunities for people to change their lives for the better. Joining the High Fivers campaign by giving five pounds a month can make a lasting difference to someone facing hardship or crisis”.
The Cost of Giving Crisis
The ask comes amid pressures on many Third Sector organisations, which are feeling the impact of the economic downturn more immediately, both in income and demand on services. According to the Civil Society, the cost-of-living crisis has prompted one in seven (14%) people to say they will cut back on charitable donations to help manage their bills.
Harry says “we are hugely grateful to our 330 supporters who currently donate to us each month - thank you. As the crisis deepens, we now need more support - and £5 can go a long way. It could pay for a Freedom trainee’s travel expenses to get to their work placement. It could help pay for a support worker’s salary. It could pay towards a qualification to help someone get into work. We now need this reliable monthly income more than ever - and that’s where your High Fivers donations can help.
We’re asking you to be part of something - to help people build themselves up, at a time when there are so many ways to fall-down”.
Supporters can join the campaign by visiting mustardtree.org.uk/donate-money, email harry.dwan@mustardtree.org.uk or call 0161 228 7331 and ask for Harry.
Join the High Fivers and help us combat poverty and prevent homelessness
If you believe in our mission and our approach, please join our movement by clicking the image below.
To our readers who are already supporting us with a monthly donation - thank you! We would appreciate you sharing this newsletter with friends, family members and colleagues to help us get the message out as far as possible. Your kind donations are vital for us to continue our work and much appreciated by us all.
