Thank you, cheers, danke, muchas gracias, merci beaucoup, we’re grateful, we’re very much obliged, we couldn’t do it without you. There are lots of ways to say it, but none quite seem enough.
This week is thank you week at St Mary’s Hospice. That’s when we get on the phones and get out and about around Furness and South Lakes to spread our message of thanks to our incredible supporters.
We only get around a fifth of our funding from Government and, while our services are always free for patients and families — only 21% of our costs are covered by the Government. That means that eight out of every 10 patients have their care funded by ‘voluntary income’ — and without people making donations, eating at the Orangery or buying form our shops, we wouldn’t be here. It means that without businesses supporting us, people playing our lottery, or leaving us gifts in their wills, we wouldn’t be here.
So, while we’re always grateful, one week each year we come together to say a special thank you.
Head of Fundraising Helen Carlson said: “We really want to thank our community of supporters because we wouldn’t be here without them.
“We have activities going on all week, starting today (Monday, September 25th) with our ‘Thank You’ calls.
“We have a small army of staff and volunteers in the Hospice making calls to our supporters to say thank you. People often expect a follow-up ask but there isn’t one, this is just us taking the time to say thanks.
“Over the rest of the week we’ll be using our website and social media channels to spread the message of thanks — we’ve even got some special cup-cakes from The Orangery that’ll be going out to some lucky supporters.”
Not every donor will receive a call; the St Mary’s team randomly picks numbers from their supporter database, but those who do are usually delighted.
Helen added: “We have some amazing conversations with people. Everyone has a story about why they support our hospice, and it is so nice to hear from them.”