Sign in here for Giving Week 2015: nominate your favourite organisation, charity or worthy cause

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello, hello

As (hopefully) lots of you will remember, last year we ran the inaugural Mumsnet Giving Week, raising nearly £23k (with MNHQ match-funding) for five MNer-nominated causes.

The idea is that you lovely lot use this thread to put forward the charities, organisations and good causes that you’d like to benefit - and we at MNHQ will pick five to be the focus of a week-long Mumsnet-wide fundraising drive in June. As last year, we will match-fund the amount raised by the end of the week (up to £25k, just in case any donors turn out to be Bill Gates).

A few principles: ideally the organisations chosen won’t be huge, national charities that already get a lot of coverage and fund-raising welly; they don’t have to be registered charities (our partners at JustGiving will do a bit of due diligence to make sure any that are chosen are legit organisations); and we’re on the lookout for a spread of organisations that reflect MNers’ concerns and interests. Last year the chosen organisations were the PDA Society (providing support for people with a little-known behavioural condition); the MNer-driven Woolly Hugs; Women’s Aid; Free Cakes for Kids; and Haven House Children’s Hospice.

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 Mumsnetters who are registered as of now. (Apologies to newbies who join after this point, but there’s always next year.)

We’ll be partnering up with JustGiving, which will be organising the fundraising element and will also be making a donation to the chosen causes.

You’ve got until May 22 to nominate good causes, using this thread. So get cracking, and as ever do put any queries or comments here as well.

www.springboardproject.com

A charity that provides inclusive community play centres as well as running short breaks and activities for children up to 18 who have a disability.

CDH UK
My daughter was diagnosed with cdh in utero and given a 50/50 chance of survival. Coping with a pregnancy and not knowing if you'll get to keep the baby at the end of it is horrific. I couldn't have coped without the support of CDH UK. Most women find out at the 12 week scan, and spend the next 28 weeks in a living nightmare. CDH is practically unheard of, but it's not rare. 1 in 2500 babies are born with this, only half survive. It's a condition that gets no publicity, no research, no funding. That needs to change x

I'd like to nominate Autism Wishes - based in Wrexham and originally N Wales focussed, but as of this year started branching into the whole of England/Wales as their funds allow. They work to increase knowledge and awareness of autism and also to grant wishes to people who suffer with autism, whether that be a trampoline or just making sure that they get cards through the post on their birthday.
www.autismwishes.co.uk/

If I may, I'd also like to nominate Care For The Family, based in Cardiff, they work with bereaved parents, parents with children with special needs etc www.careforthefamily.org.uk/

I'd like to nominate SELSAR -South East London Search and Rescue, a totally voluntary organisation that helps the police to search for vulnerable missing people, the young, the elderly, those with dementia, with mental health issues or at risk of suicide. They are on call to assist at any time, 365 days a year, with no statutory funding but working at a nationally agreed and professional standard to save lives. Not only do they volunteer, they pay all their own expenses, for training, uniform, and to travel to searches both within their own area but also to help other teams across the UK when needed. They deserve funding to enable them to train more team members and provide much needed essential equipment.

Can I nominate Richard House children's hospice in Newham, East London.

richardhouse.org.uk

The Biscuit Fund. It's a tiny, very low-key initiative that tides people over severe financial crises. You can't apply to it - its members find beneficiaries through a wide-ranging web of contacts. They are very, very good at it.

We're going to need a lot of biscuits over the next few years.

I'd like to nominate action for at www.actionforat.org

This was set up by the parents of Evie when they found out she had this horrible disease just before she turned 5. Evie is already losing her ability to walk aged 8 and her life expectancy is around 18

It's an orphan disease whereby little is done due to its rarity but her parents have made mind blowing progress building the charity up and are starting to see real developments in their research

It's too late for Evie sadly but they want to help future parents going through the same thing and help slow down the disease

They are an inspiration

Can you nominate more than one?

I'd like to nominate camp amazing, a charity which provides support to families with children who have complex needs and they offer a camping holiday each summer for the whole family with activities aimed at all abilities.

I'd also like to nominate Megan's-smile which offers support to families whose children have CHD. They provide packs for the families while their children are in hospital as well as on going support and raising awareness.

I'd like to nominate Narcolepsy UK
www.narcolepsy.org.uk/
Because as someone with Narcolepsy I have heard all the jokes and come up against the lack of knowledge and understanding every single day. Having MN behind them would massively increase their visibility and make a huge difference to a charity that is doing what it can with a staff of volunteers (and yes, it is much harder to do because most of the volunteers can doze off any moment!)

I'd also like to nominate the Sick Children's Trust
www.sickchildrenstrust.org/
who are the difference between parents of very sick children being just moments away in a home from home when the call comes in to say their precious child needs them right now, and them being several hours away because they can't afford to pay Cambridge accommodation rates. They also have rooms/houses elsewhere in the UK that are equally as vital, that's just the one local to me and the one my relatives were able to stay in during their 14 month old's chemo treatment and subsequent 6 week inpatient stay over the entire Christmas & New Year period.

I'd like to nominate Women's Aid - a wonderful cause that helps so many women.

But can I please ask that you give an address so that those few of us who prefer to send a cheque can do so - not everyone (believe it or not ) wants to send money via the internet.

I'd like to nominate the Wanstead Playground Association - www.wansteadplayground.co.uk

I've a vested interest as I'm a trustee. We're a tiny charity set up to raise funds to renovate our decrepit children's playground and install equipment suitable for children with special needs and for babies. We can't compete (understandably) against the larger charities and have received no funding from our local council, but despite that we've raised over £20,000 since December, but it's been really hard work. We'd love any help Mumsnet can give us!

I'd like to nominate Woolly Hugs again.

I'd also like to nominate Preemies UK who are one of the charities Woolly Hugs has been up against in the Stulecraft giveaways.

I'd like to nominate the Charlie Grainger Fundraiser (I can't link but there's a Just Giving page and a Facebook page which can be searched for)

Charlie is 5 years old and is in my son's class at school. He has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and needs intensive physiotherapy, each course costing his family £1500. House adaptations are also needed as he grows, as it's getting harder for his family to carry him upstairs.

I'd like to nominate The Unicorn Centre, it's a riding for the disabled centre in Middlesbrough. It offers physical therapy to over 200 people of all ages and types of disability every week, as well as providing employment, training and volunteering opportunities within the local Teesside community.

www.rdaunicorncentre.co.uk

Another one for www.countthekicks.org.uk
#savinglittlelives

I want to nominate refuge www.refuge.org.uk/, a charity for domestic violence victims

Another nomination for Count the Kicks www.countthekicks.org.uk.

A small charity dedicated to educating mums on the importance of a baby’s movements and helping them work with healthcare professionals to bring home a healthy baby. The UK has the second worst stillbirth rate in the developed world so this charity is invaluable. Individual orders of its brilliant "kick counter" wristbands are packed by the founder's pensioner parents at home! Please help this charity to help pregnant mums and their babies.

please could i nominate rape crisis www.rapecrisis.org.uk/aboutus1.php, which ties in closely with "we believe you" and provides support services for women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence, and works to improve provision for victims and eliminate rape and sexual violence

I'd like to nominate Child Aid, a small UK based charity which cares for neglected children in Belaurus, Moldova , Ukraine and Russia

They work with local partners to help orphans, severely disabled and chronically ill children and vulnerable families

www.childaidrr.org.uk/ourwork/

A small amount of money goes a long way in these countries - £8,000 will buy an apartment in war torn Ukraine to be a refuge for orphans and single mothers until they can secure a job and their own place to live

www.crowdfunder.co.uk/giving-orphans-a-home

Trethosa Hut Project.

Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Senior Section, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts all meet in the hut built in 1918 which is falling apart. We are in the 2nd most deprived area of the EU and have parents struggling to pay £2 a week subs so trying to raise funds to knock the hut down and build another one is hard. We have been granted planning permission but still need to find an awful lot of money to get the work done.

I would like to nominate Samaritans and also Girlguiding. They're both national charities, but they do so so so much good work.

Justine

I have a fleeting memory from a previous Giving Week that the Shortlisting Group would be more likely to select nominations where donations would overtake a specific objective rather than just being thrown into general funding.

Is there any suggestion of that this time round?

I would like to nominate the Abortion Support Network.
This organisation helps women from Northern Ireland and Ireland travel to England to access a safe and legal abortion.
Until we get the same access to abortion here as our counterparts in England, this service is a lifeline for many women and families.

I would like to nominate Count The Kicks.

I see a couple of othera have also nominated them. The work they do is so important. Helping mums-to-be understand how important their babies kicks are.