Raising money
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, 2005 was a recordbreaking year. Our total fundraising income, including income from shops, was £136 million.
The year began with our biggest ever appeal following the tsunami, which raised £26 million. And throughout 2005, people kept giving. We launched four other major overseas emergency appeals and continued fundraising for our Sudan Crisis Appeal.
On top of this, we raised £9 million for the London Bombings Charitable Relief Fund and millions more for the combined Disasters Emergency Committee appeals for the tsunami, West Africa and Pakistan.
Building regular support
Emergency appeals are a vital part of responding to disasters. But it is equally important to ensure that we have reliable, long-term support. This gives us a firm financial base and enables us to plan for the future. Last year, the number of people who give to us on a regular basis increased from 130,000 to 167,000.
Despite this, we cannot afford to be complacent. There are still millions of vulnerable people in the UK and overseas who need our help. We are planning to encourage even more people to support us with regular gifts next year.
Spending wisely
As our supporters invest record sums of money in our work, it is vital to ensure we are using our income in the best possible way.
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 | | | One of the big challenges of 2005 was spending tsunami income effectively. Reconstruction has been complicated by many factors, not least the fact that the tsunami swallowed up large areas of land.
Focusing on Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, we have supported efforts to secure full legal ownership of the remaining land. Working closely with those
affected, we have designed safe houses to withstand future disasters. As 2005 closed, we began building the first new permanent homes. | |
To mark the first anniversary of the tsunami, we published a report on our progress so far, also outlining our three-year recovery plan.
We also modernised our financial systems, in line with new reporting guidance from the Charity Commission. This will help us ensure we are spending more effectively on our core aims and objectives. | |
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