Morning all. The lovely Nic Perrins has started her own group called Friends 500 and they are up and running and Doing incredible work but they still need beaitiful, altruistic folk like yourselves to join. I’ve joined, they’re brilliant. Hope you can too. Here’s how:
In October 2018, I heard a podcast interview with TV actor Joe Sims (Broadchurch). He talked about a fundraiser that he and some friends had set up; and it struck a massive chord with me.
The idea is unbelievably simple – I loved it and decided straight away that I wanted to do the same. So, following the exact same model as Joe’s idea, I have set up the Friends 500 Club and am now inviting people to join me – hopefully one of them will be you.
It’s so easy:
Me and 499 like-minded people each set up a standing order for £1 per week into the fund, giving us £500 per week at our disposal.
Our little community of 500 then keeps an ear out for local people, friends, neighbours, colleagues, worthy causes, local charities etc and can nominate them for the £500.
Each week, myself and a small group of Admins, will sift through the nominations and decide who gets the cash that week – the decision will be made by a majority vote.
Joe’s club has has given away thousands so far – they have received nothing but positivity and have changed lives with gestures of kindness and cash. £500 might not sound like a lot nowadays, but when you need it and have no means of finding it, it’s massive.
📷What will I need to do if I join?
That’s up to you. You’ll be able to make nominations whenever you like, or you can choose to simply donate and watch as your money works its magic each week.You’ll be invited to join a private Facebook group where I’ll keep you informed of news, progress and nominations etc. You can be as active or as inactive in the group as you like.Honestly….once you’ve set up your standing order, that’s it.
Who will receive my money?
It’s surprising what worthy causes you’ll hear about once you’re listening out for them – people in your street; local community groups; people suffering from illness or unemployment; broken families; victims of crime; people dealing with unexpected periods of bad luck; the list is endless.The money will be used to do good every week, going to whoever we think needs it most.For example: Joe’s club have bought an emergency plane ticket for a girl who needed to get to Australia to see her sick parents, they’ve contributed to the rebuilding of a houseboat that was gutted in a fire leaving its owners injured and homeless, they have filled freezers with food, kitted out a children’s sensory room, paid rent, even bought a TV for local paramedics who didn’t have one in their restroom…you get the idea.You’ll need to be mindful that not every recipient will resonate with you, but we will all be bound together by the need to do some good.There will be no political, gender, race or religious bias in the decision making.Any remaining nominations each week (and there are likely to be many once we get going) will be carried over onto a list and will remain on the list until we get chance to pay them or until such time the donation is no longer required.Emergency nominations will get priority if agreed by the admin panel.TO MAKE A NOMINATION: send your story by email to friends500club@gmail.com with NOMINATION in the subject bar.
How will I know that the money is being distributed fairly?
Obviously there will be an element of trust involved between all of us. I need to trust that your nominations are genuine, and you need to trust that I and the other admins will handle your money fairly.The admin panel is a small group of professional people, each of whom I have known for a good number of years and trust implicitly.No cash will be handed out until the majority of the admin panel is agreed on the recipient.There are multiple signatories on the bank account.We will endeavor to be as transparent as possible.Messages of thanks and photos of how your money is being used, will be posted in the Facebook group (subject to approval from the recipient). You’ll be kept as up to date as possible, because it wouldn’t be happening without you.
SO YOU WANNA SIGN UP? GREAT! Here’s all you need to do: 1. Set up your standing order for £1 per week.
CLUB PROMISE: The standing order amount will NEVER be increased. It will always be just £1.
You can either download a standing order mandate here (please complete it and send it to your own bank) or set it up using your online/telephone banking, using the details below:
Account Name: The Friends 500 ClubBank: BarclaysSort Code: 20-51-08Account Number: 13718875Standing order to be sent WEEKLY every MONDAY pleaseIMPORTANT: PLEASE USE YOUR FULL NAME AS THE REFERENCE (OR INITIAL AND SURNAME, WHATEVER FITS)
2. Once you’ve set up your standing order, please drop me a quick Facebook message, or an email friends500club@gmail.com to let me know.
3. Finally – don’t forget to join the Facebook Group so that you’re included in everything that’s going on! https://www.facebook.com/groups/Friends500Club/
THAT’S IT!
For further information, feel free to use the contact form, call on 07962 171780 or email friends500club@gmail.com
Thanks for reading – let’s make this happen.
Nic x
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