2009 is proving to be a challenging year...
To our supporters,
2009 is proving to be a challenging year for most businesses and organisations as the global recession impacts Australia’s economy. Many charities are also seeing a decline in income as a result of the tightening economy and Starlight has been affected.
As a result Starlight’s Board and management team had no option but to take some difficult decisions about cutting back costs in all areas. Unfortunately this includes our programs for seriously ill children and their families.
As a valued supporter, we want to make sure you understand the decisions we have made and the impact on our programs. This document intends to anticipate your questions.
How has the economic downturn impacted Starlight?
At the end of last year Starlight saw a tightening of community investment budgets with business partners as a result of the global economic crisis. We have also seen a decline in the average donation value from individuals as people become more nervous about the Australian economy. This has continued into the first 3 months of 2009 and we have been forced to reduce overheads by 24% year on year.
If current trends continue we anticipate Starlight’s income may decline by $2 million or more during 2009. As a result we now have no choice but to reduce or withdraw some of our services currently supporting seriously ill children and their families.
What services will be affected?
If we cannot generate sufficient funds Starlight will be forced to:
Cut the opening hours of Starlight Express Rooms in 7 major pediatric hospitals throughout Australia. Hosted by Captain Starlight these rooms provide a haven for 37,000 hospitalised children and their families every month.
Withdraw the Starlight Express Van program from New South Wales, Victoria, ACT and South Australia, meaning Captain Starlight cannot bring relief and laughter to 18,600 children living with serious illness or disability in hospitals in many metro and regional areas.
Reduce the number of Starlight Wishes that can be granted each year. Currently 439 wishes are waiting to be granted and the decline in funding means currently only 200 of these can be completed in 2009.
Scale back the Starlight Escapes Program that support families by providing respite activities from the pressures of living with serious illness and disability. Last year 1,182 families were given the opportunity to enjoy Starlight Escapes and this cut back will mean reducing Escape activities by 38%.
This is particularly concerning as these families need our support at this time more than ever before. Many families in this situation already suffer financial hardship, as often one parent has to leave their job to care for the sick child during treatment. This means their partner is juggling the other siblings, organising the home and managing their work, putting enormous pressure on the whole family. The economic downturn means that Starlight’s support for these families is more essential than ever before.
Why has Starlight been impacted?
Most charities have been affected.
We have been particularly impacted because we rely solely on the generousity of individuals, community groups, corporate sponsors and volunteers to exist. We don’t receive government funding for our core services so if our fundraising declines we feel the effect immediately. Some charities receive as much as 80% of their funds from the government so in that sense tax payers have already contributed their support to those causes.
As soon as we saw the recession was affecting our donations to such a level, the Board took the sound decision to reduce overheads, these cutbacks have been planned to keep the maximum number of services running.
How has the Victorian Bushfire Appeal affected Starlight?
Well this has been a really terrible tragedy which has naturally attracted the compassionate support of many Australians and companies – and deservedly so.
We don’t actually think the Victorian Bushfire Appeal will mean our loyal donors will stop giving to Starlight, but we have seen some corporate donations and community fundraising being diverted to the appeal so we think this, coupled with the economy will impact our income in the short term.
Our real fear is the global recession because it seems unlikely to ease in the near or medium future.
Does the impact of the economy mean Starlight’s future is Jeopardised?
No, that’s not the case.
We have acted responsibly by looking at which services we need to cut in order to ensure Starlight can continue, so that we can protect this cause for the long term.
How can I help as a Starlight supporter?
It is really important that we maximise the opportunity of Starlight Day – this is our largest single fundraising event and this year we need to raise $1.6 million. We know the more volunteers we have out there selling merchandise the more funds we will raise. If your team haven’t already volunteered we would urge you to do so, or if you know friends or family that maybe able to help please ask them to visit our volunteering page to find out where we need shifts filled and how to register.
Also Starlight Day offers a great opportunity to hold a fundraising activity for Starlight in the month of May
Another significant fundraising opportunity is the Starlight Five Chefs dinners which take place in 5 cities throughout Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne). These are premium food and wine events that offer a unique opportunity to entertain clients and demonstrate your support for Starlight.
Every dinner features five leading chefs who work together as a team, giving their time freely. All ingredients for the evening are sourced pro bono as far as possible, so as well as being unforgettable evening, every dollar raised goes straight to helping seriously ill children and their families. Full details available on our What's On page.
What more can people do to help?
We know this is a very worrying time for people but we would just urge you to think about what it would be like coping with the current economic challenges on top of all the stress and trauma that having a child living with serious illness or disability brings. For these families it is very hard to cope and just to see Captain Starlight make your child smile in spite of their pain can give you the hope to keep going.
The easiest way for people to help is simply to donate – every dollar makes a difference. Also some people may feel they have time to volunteer to help us provide the services to the families.
- $50 will help to keep Captain Starlight in your local children’s hospital for one hour bringing fun, laughter and support to 29 children.
- $100 will mean the Starlight Express Room can open for an extra 2 hours providing positive distraction for 58 children.
- $200 will provide the family of a seriously ill child a desperately needed break from the pressures of serious illness by offering them a Starlight Escape together for a day at the zoo, a sporting event or show.
- $500 will allow the Starlight Express Van to be out on the road for a day visiting the pediatric wards in local hospitals
- $6,000 will fund a Starlight Wish, the “once in a lifetime” dream for a child living with serious illness of disability.
All contributions will be used to help Starlight’s most urgent funding needs for programs benefiting seriously ill children and their families in Australia
Thank you for all your support for Starlight children and families. Please be assured of the team’s continued commitment for the future.
Sincerely,
Jill Weekes
Chief Executive - Starlight Children’s Foundation
