7th October 2005
The UK’s foremost international equine welfare charity, the Brooke, beat some of the country’s top charities to win one of the charity industry’s most important accolades - ‘Fundraising Team of the Year’- at last night’s Third Sector Excellence Awards 2005.
The award crowns a remarkable transformation for the Brooke, which only three years ago faced a financial crisis that threatened its very survival. In 2002, the charity, formerly known as the Brooke Hospital for Animals, had no fundraising programme and was likely to go bust by 2007.
Instead, its fortunes were revived by the appointment of a far-thinking and innovative new CEO, Mike Baker. Under Mike’s inspirational leadership, the Brooke invested its reserves in a five-year recovery plan which included recruiting an entire fundraising & communications team, developing new fundraising programmes to create sustainable and growing income streams, and re-branding itself as ‘The Brooke’.
It paid off – between 2003/4 and 2004/5 net income grew by 23% enabling the Brooke to unfreeze spending on its overseas operations.
And it has just launched a £5 million programme to help millions more working equine animals and their owners in the developing world.
This year the Brooke launched ‘Courses for Horses’ – a nationwide fundraising campaign targeting the horseracing and equestrian worlds. Not only did it raise twice the budgeted amount but it helped boost media coverage of the Brooke, which was up by a staggering 355 per cent on the previous year.
These achievements were additionally recognised with a second Third Sector accolade for the Brooke: it was ‘Highly Commended’ for ‘Business Strategy of the Year’.
“Being voted Fundraising Team of the Year is a tribute to the dedication and hard work of our amazing staff over three very tough years,” says Mike. “We’ve had to make some bold decisions but they’ve paid off.”
“Not only has our income steadily increased,” adds John Trampleasure, Brooke Director of Fundraising and Communications. “But we’re now in a strong enough position to invest more ambitiously overseas, and extend our work to reach many more millions of working horses, donkeys and mules in need.”
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