Suffolk Mind: Your local independent mental health charity

It’s International Day of Charity on 5 September and as a local independent charity, Suffolk Mind relies on the generosity of people giving donations, grants and time to fund our vital services. Here, Fundraising Manager at Suffolk Mind Julie Long, discusses what charity means to her and the importance of it.

Someone once told me that charity is not about ‘not for profit’ but rather it is about ‘profit for a purpose’. 

Charity is not just about asking people for a cash donation. Any act of kindness or support is beneficial to our aims.

As a charity whose mission is to help make Suffolk the best place in the world for talking about and taking care of mental health, cash donations are vital to help keep our services running.

But also, volunteering through our various services and events, or donating time elsewhere is just as precious.

Suffolk Mind’s vital work in the county

If giving to charity is the act of giving back to society, then giving to a local charity is the act of giving back to our county. 

Every day we try to remind people that as a local Mind, we are responsible for our own fundraising, and it is this fundraising which plays a crucial role in supporting our mental health services in Suffolk.

To know we are fundraising to ensure our Suffolk Mind Helpline can operate and potentially reach 100 people a day, or give counselling to someone who might not otherwise be able to afford it (or wait for it), is so inspiring.

It helps the fundraising team get out of bed in the morning and I really hope it makes every one of our fundraisers/donors very proud to have played their part.

How your donation could make a difference

Even £2 can help us connect with someone through our Helpline and as such, is potentially life changing or even saving. That’s the cost of a cup of coffee!

Of course, we have many wonderful donors, fundraisers or corporate supporters who are able to give more.

£50 could fund a counselling session, £200 could run our Helpline for a day, £1,000 could run our Helpline for a week and £2,500 could enable us to go into a local primary school and deliver mental health training for pupils and staff.

How you can get involved

We have lots of free ways to engage with us and support fundraising, from signing up for ink cartridge recycling through to signing up to easyfundraising and donating as you shop (with no extra cost to you). You can also like and follow our social media pages and share the messaging we put out.

A huge proportion of our fundraising comes from our amazing fundraisers who engage with their own challenges and events, everything from braving the shave, to holding retro party nights or golf days. 

In addition, we also have a range of Suffolk Mind events, where fundraising comes to us both through ticket sales and also sponsorship opportunities. We also welcome volunteers who can help us to steward these events.

Plus, you could become a regular donor and donate from just £2 a month to help someone in need through the Helpline.

A little goes a long way: 200 regular donors offering £2 a month over the course of a year could raise enough to fund our Helpline for a whole month!

Finally, our corporate and community fundraisers are so important and there are always opportunities for teams to engage, or for businesses to get behind our networking club or events.