An update on the Benevolent Fund
22/01/2015
Since its formation in 1989, the Institute’s Benevolent Fund has helped many members, ex-members and their dependants who have fallen on hard times. It is a longstop for people in difficulty or distress. The main reasons for people needing its assistance are sickness, bereavement and unemployment. It offers financial help, but its services go beyond this. When times are hard and misfortune strikes, a friendly word from a colleague means a great deal.How it works
The Benevolent Fund is a registered charity (No 328481), regulated by the Charity Commission. You can get an overview and follow its performance at the Commission’s website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
The Fund’s charitable purposes complement those of the Institute and we work closely together, but the Fund is separate and has its own Board of Trustees – an arrangement that works very well. The Institute’s support gives strength and confidence to the Fund as it goes about its own work.
The Trustees manage the Fund and there is a network of voluntary Welfare Officers, most of whom are prominent members of the Institute’s Branches. The Welfare Officers work directly with beneficiaries, identifying needs, arranging local support and maintaining contact. Members of the Institute Secretariat provide administration and a friendly personal service.
You can become a Member of the Fund on an annual basis (£5 per year) or as a Life Member (£40). Membership confers no specific advantage or preference, but is a welcome opportunity to support other, less fortunate people. There is a feeling of well-being from contributing to and participating in an active, caring community.
Sound finances
The Benevolent Fund is soundly financed thanks to the generosity of Individual Members, Branches and Corporate Members and the hard work of those who raise funds. None of the money collected is spent on administration, it all goes on charitable purposes – either directly to beneficiaries or to strengthen the Fund’s resources to meet ongoing and future needs.
Under present circumstances, the Benevolent Fund can meet all valid requests for assistance. There is an audit trail to ensure that the funds so generously provided by our supporters are spent correctly and with the correct level of approval.
Getting help
We hear about deserving cases in a number of ways. Occasionally, people contact the Fund or the Institute on their own behalf. More often we hear indirectly that someone has a problem. The NDT community is tightly knit and compassionate. Nevertheless, we fear there may be hardship that never comes to our notice. This is where you can help.
If you know of anyone who is in difficulty, please contact the Institute CEO, Cameron Sinclair, the Benevolent Fund Secretary, Joan Paintin, or any member of the Benevolent Fund’s Board of Trustees. Our names and contact details are in the Institute’s Yearbook and on the Charity Commission website. We treat all information in confidence and always follow it up. The Fund takes pride in acting swiftly, confidentially and with minimum bureaucracy.
Remember, too, that support is available to ex-members, spouses and dependants.
What we do
Examples of what we do are manifold. In its early years, the Fund provided cash grants to help with living expenses, rent, mortgage payments, unexpected debt and bereavement expenses. These needs still exist and we continue to provide such assistance when necessary.
We help a number of people to maintain their links to NDT and condition monitoring and we help some unemployed people in their search for work.
We keep up to date and can provide modern technology to ease the burden of distress and disability. Motorised scooters help those with impaired mobility to lead full lives of high quality. Chairlifts enable some of our beneficiaries to retain their independence and continue to live in their own familiar surroundings.
Technology such as this requires servicing, maintenance and insurance. Fortunately, the Fund can provide the ongoing support required. The Trustees take these expenses into account from the beginning. It’s all part of the service!
In the UK, we benefit from a health service that is free at the point of delivery. If a strong case is identified, we can supplement this to ensure that our beneficiaries promptly receive the best of care. In other countries, where members of the Institute live and work, the health service is not necessarily free. Here, individuals and companies must make their own provision for sickness and accidents. On occasion, the Fund has stepped in to provide life-changing support to overseas beneficiaries at critical times – urgent heart surgery is one example.
Development issues
Of course, as with any organisation, there are issues that the Trustees of the Benevolent Fund must face. Among these are:
- encouraging people to participate in the work and affairs of the Benevolent Fund;
- maintaining the finances of the Fund in a healthy state;
- the continuity of incoming funds;
- evolving strategy as the Institute extends its membership within the wider community of NDT and condition monitoring;
- the extent to which we should fund improvements in quality of life without compromising cases of urgent need;
- publicising the work of the Benevolent Fund;
- succession management for the Board of Trustees.
How you can help
Your support is vitally important. You can help by:
- becoming a Member or, preferably, a Life Member;
- making a donation, supporting or organising fund-raising;
- identifying cases of hardship and bringing them to the attention of the Fund’s Officers or the Institute’s Secretariat;
- volunteering to help.
It is difficult to over-estimate the impact that the Benevolent Fund makes to some people: it changes lives for the better. Long may it continue!
For further information, contact Joan Paintin, Benevolent Fund Secretary, at Institute Headquarters (Tel: 01604 89 3861; Email: joan.paintin@bindt.org) or the Honorary Secretary (and author of this article) Dr Harry Harper (Tel: 01423 885003; Email: h.harper@talktalk.net).
