Right you are Dan. Happily JDRF are extremely miserly when it comes to overhead - they've featured in Forbes as one of the top three donations-to-research converters/ lowest overhead operators and the ethos is mirrored around national and regional offices. Many of us on fund-raising committees and regional boards are unpaid volunteers - and when I say unpaid I mean we don't claim expenses and often shell out for 'essential supplies' (wine or beer) after meetings
The board of directors in the UK are encouraged to make an annual gift to the charity to ensure a negative balance in favour of the Charity.
It does chaff to have to hand over the dosh to Mr Bedford but that's the system and we're happy to play it. The benefits to JDRF are plentiful - with 130 runners out there on Sunday we're looking to net (nett) around a quarter of a million pounds - that buys a good chunk of research. One can argue the validity of one charity over another until El Gordo crosses the finish line - as you know my connection to JDRF is personal so I can't be expected to be too objective. But I do know for example that JDRF have a scientific committee who screen applicants for research grants. I've seen them in action and they're scary people! Again this is driven by the high quotent of sufferers/ parents/ friends of sufferers in our ranks and on our board.
As an aside on the GB places we're indebted to my predecessor Tony Reeves who identified GBs as the way forward and proposed investing in block purchase of GB places. Tony was instrumental in raising the money to buy into the scheme. This involved buying GBs in advance at a time when the FLM was still growing in popularity. It proved to be a master stroke for JDRF and I was lucky enough to follow in Tony's footsteps, inheriting a strong nucleus of guaranteed places. There are a number of notebale charities who missed that particular boat. Unsurprisingly they're amongst the people moaning about the system now (one was the catalyst for Barne's
Times piece on Monday).
In addition to all this FLM appoint an official charity for each year. The lucky group are first call for those unlucky in the ballot and have no limit on numbers. This works because, like JDRF, the official charities operate a minimum fundraising amount per entrant. Official charity status is high on our agenda. Bids are pretty technical and must include nailed-on celebs that the charity can offer to boost publicity of the event. We've applied twice and feel we're getting closer. Revenues for the official charity are talked of circa one million pounds for the one event.
Phase 1 of the Flora London Marathon 2009 online entry ballot has now closed
