ANNUAL REVIEW
The Year in Brief by Robert Robson Chief Executive
What a difference a year makes. I am struck most forcibly by the number of milestones we passed in my first full year as Chief Executive: our inaugural event with our Patron; the endorsement from the Navy Board as their charity of choice for the Naval Service; our first fundraising events; the first ship in the Navy to be signed up 100% to the payroll giving scheme SABS (there will be more!); the impact at HMS RALEIGH, whose ship’s company and new entrants have embraced the Charity; and the unveiling of a new identity and brand, which has been well received as fresh and innovative. Much has been achieved as the vision of the founders of the Charity takes shape.
We also have to recall that at the turn of the year we faced an unprecedented economic storm. To look back at the year end and see that every one of our income lines was up year on year, with increased investment income, more donations and payroll giving finally beginning to increase, is representative of the many partnerships that have to work to make the RNRMC a success. We have to build the right links, with the right messages, with the right people to turn a charity that exists for ‘you’ into a cause that appeals and thus becomes ‘your’ charity. With 2010 continuing to produce income growth we are working hard to broaden and embed our message about what we do.
And it is what we do, make grants, that lies at our heart. With our Benevolence grants up 35% and the money we gave to Amenities up 14%, we are putting more where it is needed. The really good news was the significantly lower number of Dependants grants, but we remain ready to respond as our men and women go in harm’s way. We passed another milestone as the RNRMC assumed responsibility for the allocation of funding provided by Greenwich Hospital to Naval Charities. This was the first time in its 300-year history that the Hospital had delegated its decision-making and provides the RNRMC with the firepower to effect a real difference, alongside the rising income from our own investments, donations and fundraising. We welcome our close relationship with the Hospital and see it as a source of strength for the Naval Charity sector.
Our purpose is to give out money but to do so we need to raise more and we are focusing our initial fundraising efforts on the serving men and women – ‘charity begins at home’ – as well as building our relationships with industry for whom the Royal Navy is a key partner. Following last Autumn’s launch of the RNRMC, the response has been encouraging, with major donations from around the Commands, Fleet and Commando units and with both MBDA and BAE Systems making significant contributions. As we go to press, we have heard that the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, made up of the companies who are building the new carriers, have elected the RNRMC as their strategic charity of choice. Major efforts were put into the payroll giving scheme, SABS (Sports, Amenities & Benevolence Scheme), where the Navy at 15% take-up lags far behind the RAF and Army – both hovering around the 90% mark. SABS really matters because for every 1% increase in sign-up we can give out around £18,000 more. We have now rebranded the SABS scheme and brought it under the RNRM C’s control to make it the success which it must be.
I wrote last year of teamwork being paramount as we shape a new brand out of multiple old but often cherished identities. That individualism is crucial as we develop a federated approach that is stronger than its constituent parts. At the end of 2009 the Council of the WRNS Benevolent Trust and Board of the RNRM C agreed a form of closer working that is indicative of the flexibility we encourage to create a single focus for Naval Charity. We are in active discussions with other charities about working more closely in the future.
The year also saw important developments in the Charity’s positioning in the wider service charity sector. In October, the members of COBSEO elected the RNRM C to the Executive Committee to sit alongside our two sister charities, the RAF BF and the ABF – The Soldiers’ Charity. COBSEO ’s role is often unseen but of increasing importance as the military covenant is ever more in the public eye, and we look forward to playing our full part. Similarly we took our place at the Maritime Charities Funding Group, a small but focused team of the major funders across the Naval, merchant and fishing sectors.
Finally, we moved into our own offices and began to build a team independent of Navy Command. As a result of a three-year grant from the PF Charitable Trust, we have funded a new role to focus on marketing and fundraising and we also have a new Grants Administrator in place. My deep thanks go to our small and very hardworking team, and a tireless and representative Trustee body. But my biggest thanks go to those who have chosen to support us in raising our profile and raising money, thus helping us to fulfil our mission, to give a better quality of life for serving and former Naval personnel.
