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We are seeking funds to improve the quality of life of thousands of people in Leeds by helping to set up, support and train voluntary groups along with assisting them in finding volunteers to work across the city that desperately need their services. We run the Leeds Volunteer Centre which places eager volunteers from across the community into opportunities which best suit their skills and interests. In just seven months the bureau has placed 349 people into a growing number of over 415 potential volunteering opportunities across the city. If each of them goes on to do only two hours voluntary work a week then our bureau will so far be responsible for a staggering 36,296 hours of volunteering being completed across the city a year. Click here to take a look at the testimonies of volunteers, charity workers and prominent members of the community and you will see for yourself what a big difference volunteering through our bureau makes to peoples lives. We also run a Small Group Development Service which aids the creation or development of over 450 small community groups in the city per year. These groups in turn address the needs of the most vulnerable members of society. Much of our work in this city is by its nature "behind the scenes" and rarely grabs the headlines of the local press. But does that make it any less important? Not when you consider the achievements we have made that allow grassroot community groups to make a positive difference in their neighbourhoods. Over the last three years alone we have trained almost two thousand local people in how to run a community project successfully. However because the public at large rarely hears much about our work, we find ourselves severely disadvantaged when it comes to fundraising. Put simply, if we stood on the streets of Leeds with a collecting bucket like many other charities do so successfully, few would recognise the clear benefits of the work we do. You on the other hand, are different. Having surfed through this website you now have some understanding of the impact our work has on Leeds. We hope to raise the money needed with help from people such as you who are willing to take the time to read and understand what it is we do and why it is so important. As a charity we have historically been fortunate to be entrusted with funding for many of our core costs from City Council grants. This money has been prudently used to maximise its positive impact in the community. However now we find ourselves in a position where only 67% of our costs are covered by the grants we receive. Therefore for our services to continue at the level needed we need to raise at least £60,000 this year. With your support we would be able to continue making high quality, positive, practical and lasting improvements to the lives of the most vulnerable people in the community of Leeds. Should our work be of interest to you we would be more than happy give you further details, answer any questions you have or maybe meet up to discuss things further. Please don't hesitate to get in touch. Either email or call Richard Jackson on 0113 297 7923. You can make a secure donation to VA-L on-line right now with your debit or credit card. Go to www.givenow.org and put "Voluntary Action" into the search engine. Once you have opened the page about VA-L follow the simple instructions to carry out the transaction. Supporting our work in the community has never been easier! If you buy goods on the internet, why not visit our online shop at www.buy.at/VALeeds where you will be able to follow links to purchase goods from a number of retailers from whom we receive a percentage of the profits. Retailers including Amazon, Marks & Spencers, Comet, Blackwell's Books, Oddbins, CDwow, Travelselect, Co-op, Virgin Mobile, Furniture123, The Kids Window and much more. Check it out! Voluntary Action-Leeds welcomes support from business. If your company would like to provide a donation or sponsorship towards the cost of a wide variety of projects please contact us. A partnership
with the Voluntary Action-Leeds could offer: We also very much appreciate "gifts in kind" from corporate supporters. We are constantly in need of technological support, office and building products, merchandise suitable for competition prizes, and services for our projects. Whatever your business has to spare, it could be of use to us! What's more, gifts in kind are a tax efficient way of supporting VA-L. The original cost, which you incurred in purchasing the goods, is allowable as an expense when calculating your profits, which are liable for tax. For VAT purposes, the gift to a charity for resale is zero-rated; this means that you are allowed to reclaim any VAT as a result of donating goods to VA-L. For further information please email or call Richard Jackson on 0113 297 7923. The Printer Cartridge Recycling Scheme We collect used printer cartridges to recycle and raise money for our work. If your organisation uses a quantity of cartridges, why not let us put them to good use after you are finished with them? Each empty cartridge can be worth up to £2.50 to us. Bring your used cartridges to our offices in Hunslet and we will be happy to recycle them. In 1993 we were able to pay for the purchase of our headquarters in Hunslet thanks to the generous legacy of one wealthy individual. For almost ten years this fantastic donation has allowed us to expand and develop our work, offering services that would otherwise not have been possible. A special gift to us in your will, however large or small would be wisely invested to best aid the needs of the local community. We would develop projects which will be of lasting benefit to the city of Leeds as a whole. And we'll help you get started! We can help you find a solicitor and tell you what information they will ask for. We can also show you how a gift made through your Will can make a significant difference to future voluntary work in Leeds. Whether you decide to make a special gift to VA-L or not, it's very important to make a Will - it's your chance to make gifts to your family and friends and remember worthwhile causes such as VA-L. It makes life easier for those people left behind and makes sure your wishes are clearly set out to avoid misunderstandings. With proper advice you can minimise the tax bill and help charities like VA-L to carry out vital work with voluntary and community groups in Leeds for many years to come. For further information please email or call Richard Jackson on 0113 297 7923. There are over 9,000 grant making trusts and foundations in the UK. Set up by generous individuals and organisations for the benefit of charities working in the community. We are always interested in hearing about trust funds that we could be eligible to apply to in order to continue our valuable work in the city. If you know of, or perhaps represent one such trust fund that could help us. We'd be enormously grateful if you could tell us about it. For further information please email or call Richard Jackson on 0113 297 7923. Would you like to organise a fundraising event for our benefit? We would be delighted if you did! It would be hard work but satisfying and fun for you and would give us much needed funds. Our fundraiser would be only too glad to offer you as much advice and support as you feel that you need. There are many different kinds of sponsored events that you could organise for yourself or a larger group of people. There are also a number of events that our fundraiser has the necessary contacts and knowledge to arrange on your behalf. If you want to do any of the following we will be only to glad to help you to make them happen. A Parachute jump Do you belong to a group that organises events such as open days, award ceremonies, fetes, coffee mornings, golf days or Christmas parties? We welcome the opportunity to organise and run raffles, auctions or other means of fundraising at these events. All you need to do is provide us with the opportunity. For further information please email or call Richard Jackson on 0113 297 7923. |
