Last year, ME Research UK participated in The Big Give Christmas Challenge and raised over £30,000 of much-needed funds to invest in ME research globally. This year we would like to increase the amount of research we can fund by raising even more through The Big Give.
The first step is to ask supporters to become Pledgers. No Pledge money will be collected until after the Big Give Christmas Challenge ends and the maximun amount asked will never be above the sum pledged.
This year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge will be from midday Tuesday 3rd December to midday Tuesday 10th December 2024.
Our updated goal is to secure £15,000 in Pledges. If we achieve this we may even attract a Charity Champion who will step in and match upto the next £12,500 donated when the Big Give Christmas Challenge goes live on 3rd December 2024.
£100 is the minimum pledge permitted by The Big Give. We appreciate that this is a large sum but Pledges are key to the campaign’s success and are being collected until 11pm Sunday 8 September 2024.
Pledgers’ funds are key in 2 ways –
- Other supporters are more likely to contribute to ME Research UK during the 7 days of The Big Give if they know that their donation will be matched by a Pledger. One pledge, twice the impact. Conversely, donors may look elsewhere if they see their donation will not be doubled.
- If we secure sufficient pledges then we may be chosen by a Big Give Champion who will contribute even more to the pot. Last year £5000 was received from the Reed Foundation who chose ME Research UK to support in this way.
How were last year’s funds invested in ME research?
Although we have not yet reported it ourselves, Griffith University, has announced the next stage of our funding in brain imaging research and hailed previous success. Much has been achieved thus far and the excitement of having the opportunity to delve more deeply into the topic is clear from the team.
We’re hoping the 7T multimodal MRI approach will be instrumental in tracking the progression of the disease [ME/CFS] over a three-year period giving us a better understanding of the neurobiological basis of ME-CFS,” Associate Professor Barnden said. .. “By tracking disease progression, it should also help to identify potential biomarkers… This grant will build upon our recently published unique findings in ME/CFS using this technology, which we have pioneered in this field on a national scale.
ME/CFS progression in focus with $438,000 grant – Griffith News
In fact, earlier research fundings were reported widely by the Australian media – both tv and newspapers – and hailed as a ‘world-first’. Building on prior research is rare in ME/CFS due to funding restraints and our latest grant is an important step and why our role has been so pivotal. Pledges made this possible.
To become a Pledger, please complete the Big Give’s online form by 11pm Sunday 8 September 2024.
If you would like to discuss The Big Give, please contact us on 01738 451234 or email contact@meresearch.org.uk
Key Information
- A Pledge is a promise of match funding made to a Charity. The Pledge is conditional on the Charity receiving the equivalent amount in online donations on The Big Give Platform – e.g. if you Pledge £100, you are offering to pay up to that amount to a Charity, dependent on them receiving the equivalent amount in Online Donations.
- A Pledge must not be fulfilled (i.e. paid to the Charity) until after the Match Funding Campaign has finished (10th December 2024) and before the Pledge deadline (17th January 2025).
- Pledgers should not make an online donation to the Charity to which they have provided the Pledge during the Match Funding Campaign.
Full terms and conditions can be found here
