01
The Great Northern Raffle is the brainchild of The Middleton Foundation (registered charity number 1168170) and its wholly owned trading subsidiary Charity Escapes (registered company number 10480807.)
Founded back in 2017, the Foundation was set up by Jeremy and Catherine Middleton with the aim to support as many good causes as possible.
02
Charity Escapes traditionally sources donated prizes from a range of businesses, which they then place into online and/or physical fundraising events to be used as auction and raffle prizes. They have helped over 230 charities with their fundraising events raising £360,000 to date.
When a charity uses a prize, they keep 80% of what it raises, and Charity Escapes asks for the remaining 20% to come back as a contribution to The Middleton Foundation.
03
Since Covid-19, all physical fundraising events (Gala Balls, Afternoon Teas, etc) have been cancelled or postponed until 2021. This has had devastating consequences for all the charities we work so hard to support. The creation of the Great Northern Raffle is our way of trying to adjust to the new fundraising landscape we are presented with.
04
For every £5 text donation received £4.70 (94%) will go to the participating regional charities and social enterprises, and 30p (6%) will go to Donr for providing such a wonderful text service! The Middleton Foundation collects and distributes the donations received from the Great Northern Raffle to all the participating charities and social enterprises.
05
Even though the Raffle was created in response to Covid-19, it is our hope that a draw will take place every month for years to come. It’s a great way for those of us living in the North East to show support for multiple regional charities and social enterprises at the same time (and all from the comfort of our sofas!)
Jeremy Middleton
"It is our hope that the Great Northern Raffle will provide a real boost to our regions charities, when many now face their biggest challenge to date in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. One in 10 UK charities are facing bankruptcy by the end of the year as they struggle to cope with a £10bn shortfall caused by soaring demand for their services and lost fundraising income. We are aware that our smaller, locally based charities are especially exposed to the crisis, with nearly two-thirds reporting they have already made "significant" cuts to services. Now is the time for the North East to throw its weight and love behind our amazing charities. We do hope you will choose to participate in our raffle."
