Predict. Prevent. Protect.

This month we renew our 'Spotlight' series looking at the brilliant charities that ShareGift has had the pleasure to support.

Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity funding ground-breaking research solely aimed at preventing breast cancer for future generations. Nikki Barraclough, the charity's Executive Director, gave me the lowdown on the pandemic's impact and her hopes for a breast cancer-free future one day...

What were your typical challenges, and ways of operating, prior to the coronavirus pandemic reaching the UK?

Prevent Breast Cancer receives no government funding, so all our income is generated through fundraising and donations. Our most successful income streams in the 12 months leading to the pandemic were sports challenges, Trusts and Foundations, events and community and corporate partnerships.

Tell us about trends you’d noticed prior to the pandemic, and if these have altered or if you expect them to alter?

Sport challenges were going from strength to strength, this included one day challenges in the UK as well as much bigger events such as overseas treks and cycle rides. Although these have been popular in the charity sector for many years, we were seeing a resurgence in popularity. Our profile had also increased considerably in 2019 due to our Charity of the Year partnership with Prudential RideLondon. 

As a breast cancer prevention charity, many of our supporters are women, yet our sport events and challenges appeal to a more diverse audience and in many circumstances give men an opportunity to show their support for their loved ones who have been directly affected. 

In the 12 months prior to the pandemic, we strengthened our links with businesses, particularly with companies head quartered in the North West where we are based. We had secured a number of Charity of the Year partnerships and we were working closely with these businesses not only to support their fundraising, but also to offer information and deliver health promotion talks to their employees about breast cancer signs, symptoms, risk factors and the importance of breast screening.

How quickly did you feel the impact of the pandemic? / when did the pandemic start to affect you?

Immediately, all our events and plans for the year ahead were cancelled including events we organise and sport events we buy places in e.g. RideLondon, London Marathon, Great Manchester Run etc. Everything went very quiet as people focused on dealing with the day-to-day challenges, we were all facing. We felt that, in the immediate weeks following the lockdown we should focus on posting positive content on our social media channels and not just appeal for donations. 

How has the pandemic changed the way you…

...fundraise? – we have been investing in our digital marketing, which obviously is more important now than ever before. We have always prided ourselves on being approachable and knowing all our supporters, who in turn know all the fundraising team. So, we have been conscious to ensure that the team is still visible on these channels and that we do not become a faceless charity/ organisation. Like many charities, we have created a series of virtual events, including informative talks from our experts, exercise classes, entertainment events, concerts and we’re in the process of organising some masterclasses. All are much lower risk than organising physical events as the costs are considerably less. 

Our supporters have also been absolutely wonderful and come up with some great ideas, especially setting themselves challenges to keep fit, which have inspired us to develop new campaigns. 

We now have a successful online shop, which has been a completely new income stream for the charity. Although we sold merchandise online prior to the pandemic, sales were minimal, and it was not an area we had really invested in. We have been selling a range of products including stock donated by a leading nightwear brand and doing targeted advertising on social media, which has really helped with sales.

...support beneficiaries?

Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, the different risk factors and the importance of breast screening has always been a priority for the charity. And now we can reach a bigger audience online. Whether it be through health awareness posts on our social media channels, or the delivery of important health promotion talks to businesses and community groups, new ways of working mean we’re reaching a bigger audience. We’ve delivered our health promotion talks to companies worldwide and this not only supports beneficiaries by providing vital information about breast awareness, but in turn leads to companies supporting the charity through donations and/or fundraising. 

...organise your staff & volunteers?

We already used Teams and Office 365, so we were already pretty much set up prior to the pandemic, although Zoom was new to us all. Obviously like most teams working from home has been challenging, however daily team meetings have ensured we’re all communicating with each other regularly and video calls have been brilliant, as have good old fashioned phone calls!

The charity is based at The Nightingale Centre and Prevent Breast Cancer Screening Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, where we run a much-valued coffee bar for the NHS staff and patients attending appointments. We have kept this service running throughout the pandemic as clinics have remained open. For the most part the fundraising team have been manning this service as due to Covid, we have had to temporarily stop the volunteers from coming to the hospital.

Our volunteers provide an important service in the coffee bar and they also meet and greet patients arriving for their appointments, not being able to see them has been heart-breaking. We are very aware just how important volunteering is to each of them and we cannot wait to welcome them back. In the meantime, our Volunteer Co-ordinator is doing a brilliant job of keeping in touch with all our volunteers, checking that they are ok and updating them with our latest news.

...communicate with your trustees?

For the first few months of lock-down we were meeting on Zoom weekly, but our meetings have now resumed to one formal Board Meeting per month. All the Board members have adapted well to Zoom calls and the meetings are more succinct. We are also holding regular meetings with our scientists, so that they can update the Board and the Fundraising team on the progress of our research projects.

Do you think the impact of the pandemic will permanently change the way Prevent Breast Cancer operates? 

Yes, I do. I believe it will be a marriage between old ways and new methods of fundraising, both equally important. I think the beauty of the charity sector is that we need to be adaptable and we’re used to reacting and changing our focus and this has never been more apparent than it is right now.

How can corporates best support you at this time? Do you have a specific message for them? 

Less than 4% of all cancer funding is spent on prevention and that is why we need your support now more than ever before. We need to fund more vital research so we can accurately predict who is at risk of the disease and provide appropriate preventative measures, which is why we need corporates to get behind the charity and nominate Prevent Breast Cancer as their Charity of the Year.

But we also want you to think about how you can support your employees and demonstrate how much you value them. So, book one of our Health Hour – Awareness Talks and equip your team with the knowledge of the different signs, symptoms and risk factors of breast cancer.

How can members of the public best support you at this time?

There are so many ways you can get behind the charity, from a simple donation through our website, making a purchase in our online shop, or by getting involved in one of our many campaigns. Fundraising can be so much more than just raising money - especially at this moment in time. Setting yourself a challenge, however large or small, gives you a focus and you can learn so much about yourself, with the knowledge that you are also supporting a great cause. For more information about how you can get involved visit our website. 

Where do you see Prevent Breast Cancer after the pandemic in say one, five or ten years’ time?

I think it will take at least 12-24 months for our income and profile to return to where they were prior to the pandemic. So much will be dependent on economic circumstances and we will need to continue to adapt to our external environment. The focus will then be to fund more research with the aim to see the results of our studies implemented into clinical practice. Several of our studies are already in clinical research trials, so I do believe this is achievable.

We are currently supporting a capital project by raising funds for the National Breast Imaging Academy, which will serve two vital purposes: to address a national shortage in the breast imaging workforce and to cater for the increase in demand for breast services across Greater Manchester. In five years’ time it will be fantastic to see the building up and running, training the next generation of breast imaging experts and supporting women, but we need to raise the funds before this will become a reality. 

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