Who is Opening Doors? Expand Who is Opening Doors? Opening Doors is the only national charity specialising in supporting LGBTQ+ people over 50 in the UK. We are here to let LGBTQ+ people over 50 know they are not alone. Mission: Opening Doors is here to support LGBTQ+ people over 50 to live full, vibrant and respected lives free from isolation, loneliness discrimination and prejudice. Threat: We need to raise £120,000 by spring 2024, or we face the possibility of closing down entirely. The critical services we provide: An overview of the breadth and depth of the things Opening Doors offers the 50+ LGBTQIA+ community We seek to change the lives the LGBTQ+ people over 50 on a personal, institutional and national level. Direct service delivery to 2,500 members Community Engagement activities where we deliver over 35 activities each month ranging from lunch clubs, to choirs, film clubs and trips all to bring LGBTQ+ people together, building connections and community as we age Befriending service where the most vulnerable and isolated LGBTQ+ people over 50 are matched with a befriender who calls or visits on a regular basis, ensuring they are supported and advocated for when they are unable to do this themselves Training, education and our Pride in Care quality standard to improve the services LGBTQ+ people over 50 access We deliver training to over 1,000 health and social care professionals each year to improve their understanding of LGBTQ+ people and how they support us Pride in Care is our quality standard that organisations can undertake to demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ+ people over 50, following a comprehensive assessment National research and policy influencing There is a massive gap in knowledge and data around LGBTQ+ people over 50, so we work with over 15 universities to improve this knowledgebase We use our considerable experience and expertise to influence local and national policy makers to improve the world for LGBTQ+ people over 50, now and in the future Need: Members: Our research shows that 92 percent of our befriendees have a disability, 80 percent have experienced mental health problems and 85 percent live alone We have over 95 volunteers contacting their befriendee each week More than 3,105 calls and visits with volunteer befrienders over the year 128+ befriending members supported and 243 referrals to external organisations and charities From Only Connect, a report by Opening Doors on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on our members: 50% of respondents reported a negative impact on their psychological wellbeing 18% felt much more depressed than usual 23% experienced worsened physical health during lockdown 37% felt more lonely than usual 27% hardly ever or never had someone to talk to
What are your fundraising goals for this campaign? Expand Saving crucial services like our Befriending and Telefriending schemes which provide invaluable points of contacts for our members. To continue running our Befriending service at full capacity (with 3 members of staff) it costs £160K a year. Strengthening our current services like the Dementia Support groups (for LGBT sufferers and carers) Strengthening and expanding our specialist intersectional services such as our BAME/PoC work and our Trans and Non-Binary work To raise funds to help us better meet the increasing needs of older LGBTQ+ people in the UK due to the cost of living crisis/austerity and an increasingly hostile environment To survive! There isn’t any LGBTQ+ specific older persons charity who can champion LGBTQ+ people at a national level or hold the expertise we do around older LGBTQ+ people.
How will my donation be used? Expand On providing support/services/connections for older LGBTQ+ people in the short and longer term Ensure the continuation of existing services; also working on building a more sustainable basis for the organisation so we can ensure greater stability and continue our pioneering work as the only charity for older LGBTQ+ people Your donation could fund: £10 will fund one support phone call to isolated people £25 will fund one home visit to those most at risk £50 will fund two befriending assessments of vulnerable people £100 will fund our outreach work with people from BAME/PoC communities for one weekend £250 will fund one support worker for one week £1,000 will fund our dementia project work for one month
Why are we in this situation? Expand Like many other charities, the COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis and recent economic and world events have had a devastating ripple effect on funding for charities like us. Many small charities like Opening Doors are facing closure or have closed. This situation has forced us to streamline our offer, working with minimal staff and limiting all expenses (like renting rooms to accommodate groups or events for example). While the staff team continues to work with tremendous dedication, supported by wonderful, committed volunteers, reaching our appeal goal would enable us to be secure for the future, allowing us in turn to continue the valuable work we are already doing and develop more diverse income streams, partnerships and ultimately projects we know are so badly needed. There is a lot of particular pressure on LGBTQ charities given current hostile environment. The UK was once ranked the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe. The 2023 Rainbow Map shows that the United Kingdom has once again dropped down the list, from 14th in 2022 to 17th this year. The in-depth report revealed anti-trans rhetoric has caused “serious damage” to the UK’s ranking again in 2023, with ILGA-Europe citing “hostile reporting” by mainstream newspapers, trans sports bans, former prime minister Boris Johnson excluding trans people from the promised outlawing of “conversion therapy”, as well as the Charity Commission approving the registration of the ‘LGB Alliance’ as a public charity despite disapproval from several NGOs and politicians. Hate crime rates in the UK were also described as having reached “dramatic numbers”, with homophobic hate crimes increasing by 41 per cent and transphobic crimes by 56 per cent in England and Wales – the “starkest” such increase since 2012. Please read the Pink Paper article here Pressure on trusts and foundations, pressure on corporate supporters and pressure on individuals all leading to overall reduction in level of funding for charities
How do people know their money is safe donating to us? Expand In past 15 months we have reviewed our operational practices and structures to ensure we are running a well-managed and effective organisation Now fully independent so clear lines of accountability Strong and skilled Board of Trustees Compliant with all regulatory requirements Transparency/accountability Board/staff/volunteers are all part of the community we seek to support
Can I see your financial statement? Expand Opening Doors accounts, and financial history, are freely available on the Charity Commission site here Our most recent Annual Review can be downloaded from our website here
Are my donations tax-deductible? Expand Donations by individuals to charity are tax-free; this is called tax relief; click here to find out how this works If you are a tax payer, you can make a donation here and we will claim Gift Aid (at no cost to you) on your donation
How much of my donation goes to overhead and administrative costs? Expand The absolute bare minimum of your donation goes to overheads and administrative costs. We are a super-lean charity and regularly monitor (at least quarterly) what we are spending and where we can make savings. No member of staff receives more than £60,000 (see charity commission) Small number of full-time staff and a large number of volunteers Our accounts are reviewed by an Independent Examiner
How can I trust that my donation will be used wisely? Expand Governance structure, including board members and their skills / background experience Membership of the Fundraising Regulator Membership of ICO (data security) Registered charity - Charity Commission site here
Can I donate in other ways, like volunteering or in-kind donations? Expand Right now, we need money, but we understand that times are very hard on a lot of us, so we only want you to donate what you can afford, and only if you can afford to. Every donation, large or small will help us continue this pioneering service. We always welcome offers of volunteering and we suggest you check our volunteer opportunities page to see if there is anything you feel you could help out with Please share our story: Spread the word about our urgent appeal within your network. Encourage friends, family, and colleagues to join us in this fight for the future of Opening Doors. You can find us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Fundraising: https://www.openingdoors.lgbt/ or email [email protected]. Host your own fundraiser, whether it's a bake sale, a dinner party or a sponsored challenge. Every pound raised gets us one step closer to our target.
How can I stay informed about your charity's work and impact? Expand Friends newsletter Social media channels Annual Report Link to Mercers’ report on Befriending Opening Doors