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Emergency Appeals during Lockdown

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by theonlyadsrulz, Mar 25, 2020.

  1. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Depends a bit what you get for life membership - for example, on the Bluebell, a member gets discounted travel (about 50% off) but a life member gets free 1st class travel for life - so a life membership is worth more than just n * annual membership.

    Of course, different people will have a different view of where they sit with regard how much they see membership as a financial transaction, and how much a donation to support a cause they support; that will affect how you perceive the cost / benefit.

    Having said that - a "Corona member" is a good idea for front loading people's subs. I know on the Bluebell (and I think on other railways) there are discounted options for multi-year memberships (I think 5 years for the price of 4) but those sorts of things would be worth promoting.

    Tom
     
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  2. oldmrheath

    oldmrheath Well-Known Member

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  3. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    Evening all

    if like me there are too many lines that you want to support and not enough money to donate then I have set up an appeal through my 30742 Charters photographic group . full details are here https://mailchi.mp/32df1ba61a43/covid-19-appeal. Donations accepted through PayPal and Eventbrite as well as cheque

    So far £2400 has been raised and £1500 donated to railways . Awaiting bank details from four for payments . Our initial fourteen lines which were railways we have staged events at and we knew were appealing for funds has been expanded with Amerton, Pontypool & Blaenavon, Vintage Trains , Welshpool, Avon Valley and Nene Valley added . Each gets an initial £100 donation with further donations as our fund grows .

    Our appeal is also supported by Tony's Trains of Rugby and Steam Locomotives in Profile both of whom are donating a share of profits from engines and DVD's sold respectively

    My thanks to everyone who has supported railways so far. Donations large and small are gratefully accepted and we'll make sure the funds raised are distributed

    upload_2020-4-7_22-42-51.png
     
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  4. DavidH

    DavidH New Member

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    Would railways prefer people to give a straight donation or join as members/supporters? Ideally I suppose, both - but if only one were possible which is best for the railways?
     
  5. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

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    Membership incurs costs (magazines etc), admin time and the funds may be restricted, while donations are hard cash to cover their lack of ticket revenue. So I'd say donations at the moment.
     
  6. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    With the caveat that membership provides for a longer term relationship, so may have a longer term value to the organisation. Not necessarily an easy choice.
     
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  7. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

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    But for now, I think they need hard cash to fill the gap in their finances.
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2020
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  8. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I agree. Which is why I mentioned it as a caveat, not a reason to prefer membership.
     
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  9. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Indeed, normally the received wisdom is that a long term small, reliable financial commitment is better than a bigger lump of cash at random points in time, but right now I think the bigger lumps of cash will be more welcome!
     
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  10. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    If donating DON'T FORGET to Gift Aid it as this increases the donation by 20% at no extra charge to the donor.
     
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  11. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    IF you are a UK taxpayer, it increases the value by 25%.

    I stress the point because, dealing with my church planned giving, I find that many of the retired donors are on pensions below the level at which Income Tax is payable following rises in the threshold over the last 10 years. And HMRC do check the data and I have had donors approach me following an HMRC letter.
     
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  12. Morris_mad

    Morris_mad New Member

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    A few of our enthusiastic volunteers from the operations department at Swanage Railway have put together a video for our ‘Save Our Services’ appeal:

    Thanks to many extremely generous donations £41,495 has been raised so far (07/04/20).

    However, despite nearly all of our staff being furloughed, the railway will still incur overhead costs such as rent for the station buildings and the leased track bed. The effects of COVID-19 are already having a financial impact and will continue to do so, potentially for years to come.

    Any contribution, no matter how big or small, will be gratefully received and help make a difference during these difficult times. Please support the railway and Save Our Service!

    To donate head to:
    www.saveourservice.co.uk


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  13. baldbof

    baldbof Well-Known Member Friend

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    Thanks to the idea (Tom's?) put forward on here, my canal society is now asking volunteers to donate what would be their travel costs to our depot and Lock 14 if we weren't in a state of shutdown.

    It's such a simple measure to help in a difficult situation - the "keep it simple" methods are the best.
     
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  14. MikeParkin65

    MikeParkin65 Member Friend

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    I asked the NYMR whether it would help if I joined as member in response to an official Facebook post before they launched their appeal. They said it would so I joined and am now enjoying the latest copy of Moors Line which they have sent electronically :)
     
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  15. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    QED!
     
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  16. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    The fact that heritage lines are getting donations has to be seen as positive, even if they do not fulfill hopes. All charities and many other small businesses are looking for donations, so demands for money are great. Many people who would normally contribute also find themselves in monetary need so will have to decline making any donations. Times are going to be hard and some lines will fall by the wayside.
    Many projects will have to be shelved it seems as they will not be the first call for any cash.
     
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  17. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    Deleted - posted twice for some reason
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2020
  18. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    I wish the rules relating to furloughed staff where a bit more relaxed with regard to charities and not for profit organisations. If you are furloughed, as I understand it, you can not do any work for your employer even as a volunteer, or you are not supposed to. If you do and are caught your employer would have to repay.

    For charities and not for profit organisation only I would like to see that relaxed so that once it is deemed safe enough for some to return to work, even if railways cannot reopen to the public, staff could return and the employer receive the furloughed contribution. That at least would mean staff could do some ongoing maintenance, prepare for reopening etc. Presently railways are going have to balance whether they can afford to bring staff back until they start having income again against whether they have to have those staff, whatever the effect on finances, as they are needed for maintenance etc.

    If I have hot the rules wrong I apologies and please just ignore this post. It was just when they first announced the support for staff I hoped it would have enabled staff to continue to do some work so whilst no income was a major downside at least railways could catch up on or complete some work. I cannot see railways opening for peak season but if they are then some railways could be short of locos, stock or have PW matters outstanding as they had to down tools so could not complete in the quieter operating months.

    I presume that virtually all railways have furloughed virtually all staff but it would be interesting if any have kept a fair percentage on so they can carry on "essential" work that they can not do from home whilst practising physical distancing.
     
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  19. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I understand the impulse to want charity workers to be able to volunteer, but the other side of that is the risk that unscrupulous employers (not necessarily unknown in the charity sector either) will stop paying wages, take the subsidy, and then benefit from the work of those people.


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  20. Bikermike

    Bikermike Well-Known Member

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    Does anyone have details for the Epping & Ongar, I emailed them to ask about making a donation and haven't had a reply..
    (Although I titled the email "cov19 donation" so maybe they decided they didn't want any...)
     

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