Like all charities, our work is carried out largely in part thanks to donations, big and small.
All our Money Matters advisors have to be authorised to deliver money management and debt advice by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), each one receives vigorous accredited training via Community Money Advice. This means they are qualified to the level of a professional adviser – meaning great service for our clients and a truly meaningful and rewarding experience for our volunteers – many of whom find that volunteering has turned their own lives around by giving them the confidence to secure paid employment after many years of unemployment and their own money worries.
Because we are FCA regulated, even recruiting and training volunteers doesn’t come cheap – about £1,500 per year after training and other costs. But our volunteers repay this to the community many times over. An average volunteer will dedicate around 200 hours a year to supporting people in need of impartial, accredited money advice.
A donation of just £7 will, therefore, pay for one hour of a volunteer’s time – enough to give someone in need crucial help in navigating the benefits system maze.
Around £50 pays for us to support someone who maybe – through redundancy, unexpected sickness or perhaps falling prey to loan sharks – has fallen into debt and just needs a bit of help to get them back on an even keel by having an expert support them in negotiating individual payment plans.
