I am Dr James Jackson, part of Tinnitus UK’s Scientific Advisory Board. I reach out to you today in a way I have never had to before – to ask you to make a donation, now, to secure the immediate future of Tinnitus UK. I have lived with chronic tinnitus for almost my entire life and have spent my working life focusing on the causes and treatment of tinnitus and trying to understand this debilitating and misunderstood condition.
My role with Tinnitus UK is a crucial element of my clinical work and I have been proud to partner with this passionate and committed charity. But now they face an exceptional funding crisis – and they need the help of their community to give support in this moment of urgent need.
Every single day Tinnitus UK spends £2,542 giving free support to the UK’s tinnitus community. From the beginning of the pandemic onwards I witnessed their efforts to maintain as many of their crucial services as they could, but the ongoing effect of the cost-of-living crisis has also been severely damaging. If Tinnitus UK cannot fill the funding gap, there is a very real prospect that they would have to close their core services.
So today, on behalf of every tinnitus sufferer, I ask you to make a personal donation to help Tinnitus UK through this troubled time – and allow them to reach the end of the year with a solid plan for the future.
Please donate to Tinnitus UK, give what you can today. Any gift you can manage – of any size – is vital and will be very gratefully received. Thank you for your support.
Dr James Jackson, C.Psychol. AFBPsS. SFHEA.
Scientific Advisory Board
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Donate to the Tinnitus UK urgent appeal now
Thank you for helping to secure the future of Tinnitus UK, and the tinnitus community.
Please enter your details below to complete your donation. If you have any problems, get in touch by emailing fundraising@tinnitus.org.uk or by calling 0114 250 9933
We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator
FAQs
Why does Tinnitus UK need an urgent appeal?
Like many other charities, Tinnitus UK is facing financial difficulties for several reasons, including increased demand for services, rising operational costs, and an extremely challenging economic and fundraising environment. Since the pandemic, we have been desperately trying to maintain as many of our crucial services as possible to support the tinnitus community – we are the only charity that has direct support services for tinnitus sufferers. But the ongoing cost of living crisis has been severely damaging and now we are asking our community for their help.
How will you make sure you don’t need to have another emergency appeal?
The charity’s new Chief Executive, Alex Brooks-Johnson – a passionate, successful charity leader who has also lived with tinnitus for many years – has worked with the board of trustees to create a business plan focused on stability, financial security and sustainability. From the next year onwards, a new fundraising programme and organisational strategy will bring in the money we need to maintain core services. From there, we will build back, carefully and prudently, to expand services, campaigning and research once more.
Why are you asking for money now?
As a charity, we rely entirely on voluntary donations from the general public, private grant makers and corporate partners. We do not receive any money from the government, the NHS or other sources. Without asking for money and receiving voluntary income, we simply wouldn’t be able to exist. Although we have been working with private funders and corporations for the last few years, we still face a funding crisis because we have used up most of our organisational cash reserves providing free support to the tinnitus community. This is the first public appeal we have made since early 2023 and we are hoping our community will stand by us at this critical moment.
Why are you contacting me / How did you get my details?
We are contacting you because we are in an extraordinary, urgent financial situation and we are asking everybody in our tinnitus community for their support. We consider you a supporter because you have previously made a gift to Tinnitus UK, you are a member, or you have signed up to receive information about news, events, research and fundraising through our e-newsletter. If you do not wish to be contacted by Tinnitus UK in the future, or you would like to update your preferences on how we contact you, please email us at fundraising@tinnitus.org.uk or call 0114 250 9933 during office hours. We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, and you can read our privacy policy here.
What have you spent my donations on?
It costs almost £2,500 per day to run Tinnitus UK and provide free support, advice and resources to the tinnitus community, including our website, helpline, regional support groups, forum and research projects. Last month alone, 49,000 people visited our website seeking advice and reassurance, and we directly support more than 13,000 people per year through our helpline, webchat and emails. In addition, we fund research projects seeking better treatment for tinnitus and, eventually, a cure, we educate people to protect their hearing and prevent tinnitus, and we advocate for better knowledge of tinnitus amongst the healthcare profession by providing training courses and working with the hearing industry.
What happens if you don’t raise the money you are asking for?
Unfortunately, there is a very real possibility that if we cannot fill this funding gap, then we will have to close some, or all, of our core services. We simply wouldn’t be here any longer to support people with this debilitating condition, to facilitate future research or to prevent the spread of tinnitus.
How much is spent on staff salaries?
We are a small team with just 10.5 full-time-equivalent members of staff and 35 volunteers. We want to be a fair employer, so our pay levels are in line with industry benchmarks and none of our staff receive bonuses or commission payments. You can see exactly what we spend on staff salaries by checking our audited financial information on the charity commission website, click here.
What is happening with your leadership and team?
Tinnitus UK has undergone significant changes in leadership in recent years. However, it has just appointed a new, permanent CEO, Alex Brooks-Johnson, which marks a crucial step towards achieving stability and setting a clear direction for the future. Alex is a highly experienced charity CEO with a strong record of success in solving financial problems and creating pathways to the secure, well-funded future that all charities need. To read more about Alex and his experience, click here.
How much have you spent on this appeal?
We’ve kept costs to a minimum by doing as much as we can in-house and we were gifted free design work from a generous supporter and design agency. We’ve been extremely strict with the budget, deliberately keeping the mail pack simple and uncomplicated. You can always check how much we spend on fundraising and activities by checking our audited financial information on the charities commission website, click here.