Public Servant Lifestyle

Take a fresh look at National Giving Week with the Charities Aid Foundation.

This year’s National Giving Week, led by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) was bigger and better than ever! Thousands were inspired by the campaign’s ‘Give it up for’ theme to give up a luxury, such as sweets and chocolate or their weekly takeaway, for the week of 16 – 22 October and pass on the money they saved to their favourite charity.

National Giving Week

Pictured (right): Actor/comedian(s) Melvyn Hayes and Donald Sinden with dancer Wayne Sleep, launching the campaign.

The campaign kicked off in style at a sparkling launch event at the Barbican on Monday 16 October 2006, with over 150 people from the worlds of charity and business attending. A special National Giving Week DVD was premiered at the event while celebrities – including Wayne Sleep and Sir Donald Sinden – mingled freely with those present.

Monday 16 October also saw the launch of a special National Giving Week celebrity auction, which gave donors the opportunity to bid for unique 'money can’t buy' celebrity items and experiences. Madonna’s signed Dr Martens boots, Ringo Starr’s signed tambourine and Mohammed Ali’s signed 'phantom punch' photograph were just three of the lots for sale. There were also ‘money can’t buy’ experiences for auction, including a Brands Hatch F1 racing day experience. There were so many fantastic lots that the auction raised over £50,000 for 30 different charities.

Mildmay Hospital in East London were one of the many charities involved and were thrilled with the amount raised. Their Corporate Fundraising and Events Director, Paul Sayer, told us "the £22,000 raised from the National Giving Week auction will help cover the costs of keeping Jajja’s Home, our unique children’s HIV hospital and hospice in Kampala, open in the coming year.

Long-Term Aim

“CAF have given our efforts a crucial boost and in such a fun way...we truly hope they repeat this campaign next year and we very much look forward to taking part again”.

Sheila Hooper, Executive Director of Individual Giving at CAF, said: “This year’s National Giving Week campaign was a fantastic success. But we couldn’t have done it without the support of our partners. So a huge and sincere thank you to all the charities, partners, companies and celebrities that helped to spread our message far and wide.”

CAF’s long-term aim is to encourage individuals to become planned givers and give in an effective way, ensuring that all donations wherever possible are made tax-efficiently. CAF offers a Charity Account which puts individuals in control of their giving and ensures that the charities they support make the most of what they receive.

Special Offer

Following National Giving Week, CAF is currently offering to add £50 to anyone who opens a new CAF Charity Account. That’ll be the easiest £50 your favourite charities will ever make! If you would like to find out more about the Charity Account and how you can gain an extra £50 to give to your favourite causes, please visit: www.cafonline.org/psl

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