Four major charities have informed organisers they no longer wish to be main charity partners of the sponsored walk events
Four major charities have withdrawn as main partners of the 2015 Kiltwalk.
Aberlour, Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Clic Sargent and Cash For Kids have all ended their agreements with the charity which aims to raise funds for Scottish children’s charities through a series of sponsored walks.
Teams of five walkers or more can nominate a children’s charity to receive a share of the money they have raised as a team with the remainder being shared among the main charity partners.
As they are no longer main partners the charities will lose access to the larger pot of money and only receive a share of money raised specifically for them by groups of walkers.
Clic Sargent fundraising manager Jill Robinson said it had made the decision to stop being a partner as it was receiving less money despite more money being raised by the charity.
In 2015, we are embarking on a refreshed events portfolio which means we have decided that we will not be a main partner of the Kiltwalk
She said: "Regretfully Clic Sargent has decided to no longer be an official charity partner to the Kiltwalk.
“We are sad that we've had to make this decision, but we faced a situation in the last few years where despite the increase in walkers and money raised, less money was actually getting to Clic Sargent to be used on our work.
"By making this move we will be able to put the time and resources we had previously put into supporting the Kiltwalk in to other fundraising activities for young people with cancer.
"Our decision to withdraw as an official partner does not prevent anyone who has already signed up to walk on our behalf from taking part. They will still be able to nominate Clic Sargent as their beneficiary charity it they want to."
As well as the four charities to have pulled out TFN also understands one other major charity is currently in talks with organisers about withdrawing as a main partner.
A spokesperson for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, which benefited from the Edinburgh walk said walkers could still walk for it to raise funds, but added: “We’re no longer able to commit the resource required to being a partner charity of The Kiltwalk.”
A spokesperson for Aberlour said: “In 2015, we are embarking on a refreshed events portfolio which means we have decided that we will not be a main partner of the Kiltwalk.”
The Kiltwalk charity was born in 2011 out of the Tartan Army Children’s Charity Kiltwalk which first held the sponsored walk in 2010.
Since then it has grown from 400 walkers at one event to over 12,000 in 2014 at walks in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Speyside and Dundee.
Its most recent annual report for 2013 showed that £1,272,935 million, sponsorship income including Gift Aid was raised and the Kiltwalk paid £776,406 to charities as grants.
The Kiltwalk chairman Michael Ure told TFN while he was “disappointed” the four partners had chosen to withdraw themselves he was looking forward to all six events in 2015 in the belief that the charity will be able to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands more children.
He added: “Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Aberlour and Cash for Kids have simply chosen to focus their attentions on their own events rather than The Kiltwalk, however they are still incredibly supportive.
“While Clic Sargent were disappointed that their grant was smaller than previous years when the events have grown in size, they too will still support teams who enter in their name.”
“In three years The Kiltwalk has distributed more than £2.4 million, including £1.2 million to 165 other causes in 2014 alone.
“This increase in grants to nominated causes does mean that the share for partner charities has naturally reduced with team grants being the biggest opportunity for fundraising while the partnership grant is an added bonus.
“Last year our top level partner charities – including Aberlour, Clic Sargent and Cash for Kids – shared £166,000 through team grants generated by their walkers and are due to receive their partnership grants in March.
“These charities contributed just 15% of the donations through walkers nominating and will receive 34% of the grants.
“Our participant donations in 2013 total £1.133 million, excluding Gift Aid.
“£776,406 of this was paid in grant to charities, equating to 69% of that money."
