We’d like to try a Mumsnet Giving week - tell us your thoughts/ which projects you'd like to support

[JustineMumsnet]

Now then: without wanting to gush, one of the great pleasures of toiling at Mumsnet is watching how much you all give to one another - in terms of advice, humour and friendship, obviously, but very often in material ways, too.

Over the years, we've made a few ad hoc donations to causes and charities close to Mumsnetters' hearts, but I've been pondering how we might formalise the goodwill and try to do a bit more. And I thought it might be an idea to give a Mumsnet Giving Week a go.

Here's how it could work... (and do bear in mind that this is a first pass and we're very much open to suggestions on how to improve/refine the idea; if it works well, we'd like to make it an annual event). Together, we settle on some deserving causes that could do with our collective support: maybe you're trying to bring a community garden back into bloom, for example, or want to start a support group for parents of children with SEN, or are trying to raise funds to buy a piece of vital equipment for a good cause. Or there might simply be a deserving small charity that you want to support.

Once we've agreed who we'd like to back, we'll then have a week in which we promote and highlight them, and in which Mumsnetters can donate as much or as little as they choose, via a Yimby crowdfunding page (here's a bit more about Yimby.com, a new crowdfunding community for social good).

At the end of the week, MNHQ will match your donations (although I think we'll have to set a £25k limit for match funding, just in case one of you turns out to be Bill Gates and drops a million - which of course would be marvellous, but would also leave us struggling to meet the payroll).

If this all sounds ok to you, we'd like your suggestions for projects we should support on this thread. They don't have to be registered charities; indeed, our feeling is that national charities don't tend to struggle for exposure and are probably not in most need of our support. Instead, we'd love to use this as an opportunity to give smaller organisations and community projects some airtime. And because we also want to make sure that the causes are ones that existing Mumsnetters have settled on, we're only going to shortlist projects suggested by members who are registered as of now. (Apologies to newbies who join after this point, but there's always next year.)

After this thread's been up for a bit, we'll go through it, pick a shortlist of five and ask the Mumsnetters who submitted the ideas to start a Yimby crowdfunding page in support of them. We'll then - with much fanfare - announce the start of the Giving Week, during which we'll encourage everyone to donate. And at the end of the week, we'll match what's raised.

Do hope you think this is a good idea - please shout if you think it's lousy or we've missed a trick... Otherwise, please submit your nominations for deserving projects below.

[devientenigma]

Oh the PDA Society

[BIWI]

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Oh wow! This is amazing, it means so much, thank you!

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

Some great charities there, and several such as Free Cakes For Kids and Woolly Hugs which I can see Mumsnetters getting behind in alternative ways as well as through giving funds which is good for those of us who are a bit broke

• as is the fact that lovely MNHQ are match funding

[Lolly86]

Errr

[Lolly86]

So happy Haven House is there! All the other causes are fantastic too! [grun]

[Deverethemuzzler]

Well that IS lovely
Haven House helped me when Billie was dying
and of course I love Woolly Hugs.
I have a child with ASD which has aspects of PDA and I LOVE the idea of cakes for kids.
WA is a fantastic cause for MN to support.
So I am happy

[FatalCabbage]

I think that's a great set - three of my top five are there anyway, and they're very MN causes.

I'll see what I can save up over the fortnight between now and 2/6.

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi again all,

Thanks for all of your nominations. We've been really moved by the sheer number of wonderful causes that Mumsnetters are supporting and have reason to champion up and down the country (and indeed overseas) .

In all honesty it's hard to single any out and it's been really tricky to narrow them down to a promised shortlist of five, but we think it's worth doing, as we're keen to make a meaningful impact to those chosen.

So apologies for the inevitable disappointment if your cause hasn't been chosen, but we hope we've come up with a really great selection of causes that represent Mumsnet well.

In choosing we looked at every single nominated cause and our selection was based on a combination of number of nominations, size of the organisation (with a bias towards smaller rather than bigger) and relevance to Mumsnetters. As well as that we've tried to have a range of different issues covered.

So here's our list of causes we'll be supporting during Mumsnet Giving Week:

Women's Aid
Free Cakes for Kids
Haven House
Woolly Hugs
PDA Society


We'll be contacting each of the sponsors of these charities and asking them to make a page on crowd funding website, Yimby. Then we'll be promoting the causes w/c June 2nd (week after English half term).

And, as promised, we at MNHQ will be match funding your contributions.

Thanks to all who've taken the trouble to nominate a cause.

[WonderWomansSister]

I don't envy you Justine - so many fantastic nominations.

[JustineMumsnet]

Thanks to everyone who's contributed to this thread which is now officially closed for nominations.

There are hundreds of worthy suggestions here and it's almost invidious to pick any out but we'll go through the thread carefully now and come back to you with a suggested shortlist tomorrow.

Thanks again.

[NewMummyLou]

I think this is a fantastic idea.
I'd like to nominate Elliot's Footprint (www.elliotsfootprint.org). A charity that supports families in Leeds through child bereavement. It's a fairly new charity, founded in 2014 by bereaved parents Andrea and John.
Losing a child is one thing you hope and pray never happens to you or anyone you know but when it does there is very little support available; Elliot's Footprint aims to change that.

[nuru]

Just to add, we are a registered charity in the UK and are currently working with local partner organisations in India and Nepal. We are hoping to start work in Kenya soon if we can raise enough money.

[nuru]

Please can I nominate Carers Worldwide, a charity set up by my husband to achieve recognition and change for carers in developing countries. We all know how much carers of people with disability, mental illness, chronic conditions, dementia and so on do, and what a toll this can take on their own lives. In developing countries there is no recognition of this by society or Governments and no practical, emotional or economic support.

My husband set up Carers Worldwide 2 years ago, as a result of his previous experiences working with people with mental illness in India and also because of our own experience raising a daughter with a disability. The charity runs from our home and we have very little funding. Being supported by Mumsnetters would not only bring much needed financial support but would also massively help in raising our profile. You can visit our website //www.carersworldwide.org or go to our facebook page //www.facebook.com/carersworldwide for more info.

[bibliomania]

Another vote for Women's Aid/Refuge. It's rare for a day to go buy without a poster on the Relationships board being advised to make contact.

Not necessarily a fashionable or "feel good" choice, but it's made a huge difference to a significant number of mnetters.

[GanymedeAndCallisto]

I would second the Oscar Knox Appeal mentioned above, or any charity for childhood cancer research / support.

Also, if Irish (ROI) charities are allowed, the BUMBLEance Children's Ambulance is a great cause. It was initiated by a family who has both of their children at the age of 5 to Batten's disease - most recently their son, just last week. It's a service intended to alleviate the stress and worry of long journeys to Dublin for families of ill children throughout Ireland who must travel to the central Children's Hospital for treatment.

[IDismyname]

I'd like to second, third.. or fourth Homestart.

I volunteered for them for about 6 years. If they were available to more families, I think a lot of problems posted on here would possibly be avoided - or at least helped with :)

As an aside, I bloody LOVE making cakes, so am signing up for the local Free Cakes for Kids. The more complicated, the better! Bring on Barbie and the Gruffalo!

[MysticMugBug]

Joy Jars for children with cancer
set up by a now dead little girl who suffered from a deadly brain tumour

[MysticMugBug]

Lisa's stars

• knitted clothing and tiny beds for still born/miscarried babies,
  

Lawrence's roundabout well appeal

[MysticMugBug]

there's so many good ones, but my personal faves include:
Rethink Mental Illness, Mind, Mary's Meals and Macmillan.
That's just to name a few

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

So many amazing charities and groups on here. Goodness only knows how you will choose.


Would love if Woolly Hugs would be considered, I see we have already been mentioned, thank you!


We are such a small charity with big ambitions, we'd love to help even more families. We have lots of supporters who are Mumsnetters, and increasingly working with others too. Our latest project is supporting Children of Chernobyl, by making some Little Hugs for teens coming over to Leeds this summer.

We make Little Hugs for Yorkhill for very poorly babies and children in Yorkhill and Angel Teds for Yorkhill's PICU for babies who sadly don't survive.

Our Billie's Blanket project sees us teamed up with World Child Cancer, right now our little blankets are being given to very poorly children In Tanzania. We can't really take it all in. Our next collection will go to Bangladesh in June, then Myanmar in October.

We send Angel Hugs to the Brompton, London for babies who because of serious heart and lung problems don't survive. Our blankets are always handmade with love and compassion and so are perfect. We can help care for the whole family at this time by making the baby comfortable and snuggled up whilst sending love and a hug to the parents.

This is in addition to our big blankets for Mumsnetters, we currently have ten in various stages of creation.

And we are utterly reliant on donations, so we would be very grateful if you'd think of us.

[FrontForward]

Please consider Women's aid or Refuge considering the Relationships board's referrals!

Just read this here and wonder if the is something we can do for this situation

[Sayaka2]

I think it would be great if Mumsnet could support some smaller charities run by volunteers - no offence to the larger charities, but it's such a struggle for the smaller charities to get funds - noone wants to know if you apply for grants because you're not a registered charity...but you can't be a registered charity if you don't turn over £5000 or more a year.

[Sayaka2]

I'd love to nominate www.lovequiltsuk.com - we are a volunteer charity who makes quilts for sick/terminally ill kids. So difficult to get funding when you're a small charity - most of the grants available favour bigger charities.