Meeting Needs has rebranded as a charity
foundation in a bid to clarify its purpose and aims with the wider sector.
Meeting Needs chair Chris Parnham, writing in
a blog to mark six months in the role, said that the refocus was needed “to better clarify what we are and what we do”.
Parnham said: “Six months in as chairman of Meeting
Needs, and what an exciting few months it’s been, not least because last year
was our 20th anniversary, marked by our
brand-new Meeting Needs Anthem, and in our 20 short years, we have raised and donated over £1m in grants
to small charities.
“At the beginning of my tenure, we looked at the
Meeting Needs brand and gave it a little refocus to better clarify what we are and what we
do.”
The brand is now encapsulated by the following
strapline:
- Meeting Needs is a foundation
that awards life-changing grants to small
charities, with funds raised from within the meetings and events industry.
“I hope this more clearly demonstrates that rather
than being a specific charity, as a foundation we can award grants to a wide range of
charities, all using the collective passion, effort and power that we all share and
enjoy within the meetings and events industry,” added Parnham, who is also chief strategy officer at veSpace
“Through Meeting Needs, we event professionals can
come together to do great things for those in need. Our foundation focuses
specifically on smaller charities who find it so difficult to attract attention
and funds, and small grants make big impacts. Our average grant is just £5,000
and these grants can be and have been life-changing.”
In 2023, Meeting Needs awarded grants totalling
more than £75,000. Details of all the 2023 grants will soon be published
and include buying a Tuktuk for an orphanage in Tanzania, hosting concerts for
those suffering from dementia,renovating classrooms at Mwanzo Mgumu Primary
School, providing emotional and practical support for children dealing with
cancer, and hosting a Christmas party for 50 young disabled people.
The driving force behind Meeting Needs is its
voluntary board of trustees, who give their time willingly to promote and
develop the foundation and to help make sure that fundraising activities are
delivered with maximum potential and outcomes. Parnham added that Meeting Needs has bolstered its Foundation Board with the creation of three new committees:
- Strategy and Communication, led by Parnham
- The Giving Committee, led by Karen Small
- The Fundraising Committee led by Kate Conway
“Our committees are made up of board members and
some of our friends and advocates from the meetings industry. We are always
open to consider new members so please let me know if you are interested in
joining a committee.”
There are many ways to get involved with
Meeting Needs, including registering as a charity partner for £500 per
year and through its Donate to Visit initiative for agencies. Forthcoming fundraising events include the Royal Parks Half Marathon and the foundation's biggest annual auction at the M&IT Awards.
Parnham added: "I offer my deepest thanks to those who organised
events for us over the last 12 months, and special thanks go to SITE GB who raised their
biggest sum ever at the annual Christmas lunch, over £26,000. Also to the generous
guests at M&IT Awards, GLAM, BEAM, Micebook Awards and Greengage Awards, and
finally to our brave competitors at Tough Mudder and all our 2023 Royal Parks runners.
"Meeting Needs is the meeting and events industry’s
only charity foundation, and together we can meet the needs of those that so
desperately need it. Thank you as always for your kind support."
