Invest in ME Wins Direct Debit BIG Break!

You did it - Invest in ME won! We did it for Invest in ME last year - now we have done it again.   Thanks to another round of incredible efforts by patients, families and friends to vote and spread the word, supporters once again secured over 3500 votes achieving 1st place for Invest in ME in The Big Break for the second year running, winning a donation of £2,000 from Direct Debit for much-needed biomedical research into ME.  Direct Debit tweeted confirmation yesterday: 

"Big congratulations to @Invest_in_ME after winning our March Big Break for Charity vote and scooping £2k #DDBigBreak4Charity"  

Invest in ME replied:

"Thanks so much to Direct Debit for doing this for charities & helping raise funds for much needed biomedical research for ME/CFS and thanks again to everyone who voted for us – many devoting great effort and resources to raising awareness of ME/CFS". 

They also wrote on Facebook: 

"It is thanks to unpaid and passionate patients, and their families and friends who have made a difference. Thanks again to all those who took part in promoting this despite difficult personal circumstances."

Sambat Trust were very worthy winners of 2nd place and exchanged congratulations and kind messages of support with Invest in ME. 

Direct Debit shared our Thank You graphic on Facebook, posting:

"Well done to Invest in ME after winning our March Big Break for Charity vote and landing £2k. We like this pic that's been created to celebrate, very good!"

Let´s do it for ME was also complimented by Penny Alexander, who tweeted us: 

"@Letsdoit4ME so well done, I am writing a post as DD'S blogger ambassador on how to gain votes, any tips for next month's charities?"

We think our top tip is summed up in this comment by Invest in ME - have the best supporters in the world! IiME had posted on 1st April:

"There is not doubt we have the best supporters in the world. Thank You!
We'll update the web site asap and our newsletter which is being prepared for April will recognise the wonderful, positive spirit of the supporters we have.

Patients, carers and friends are making a difference.

Let's Do Research! Let's Do It For ME."

Last year, Direct Direct raised a huge £150,000 for charity as part of the Big Break Campaign.  Thanks to over 3500 votes in the month in which they nominated, Invest in ME won the top prize of £2000 and also raised much-needed and most welcome awareness.  In a press release, Mike Hutchinson, head of marketing at Bacs, had said: 

“The work that Invest in ME carries out is not only crucial for the development of better treatments for the illness, it’s also carried out for free by volunteers so it’s great to be able to support the charity and announce it as the second winner in our Big Break initiative to help 100 good causes.” 

Kathleen McCall, Chairman at Invest in ME, added:

“We’re absolutely delighted to have won the £2,000 from the Big Break campaign. On behalf of all the volunteers at Invest in ME, I would like to thank everyone who voted for us.”

Each month from March until June Direct Debit will donate £5,000 to the causes that are decided to be the most deserving. The cause that receives the highest number of votes each month will receive £2,000; the cause with the second highest number of votes will receive £1,000; and the remaining £2,000 will be divided amongst the runners up.

All involved with Invest in ME give their time for free, and all donations go towards  raising awareness of ME, improving education about ME or facilitating and funding biomedical research into ME. Invest in ME have no salaries - all work is voluntary.  Your votes for the charity in this contest have helped them continue to progress research into this disease and bring hope to all who are affected by it.    A big THANK YOU to all involved in helping Invest in ME to help us from the team at Let´s do it for ME! 

We did it for Invest in ME!

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*Let's do it for ME! is a campaign to help raise awareness of the work of independent UK charity Invest in ME (Research) and funds for the biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis that the charity is organising and/or funding. Invest in ME is run entirely by unpaid volunteers who either have ME or are parents and carers of ME patients. They are driving the agenda of scientific biomedical research into diagnostic tests and treatments for myalgic encephomyelitis in UK in collaboration with international researchers of world renown - 2014 will be an exciting year for progress in M.E. research - you can help*

Let's do it for ME!

ldifme.org

Invest in ME (Research)

investinme.org

Invest in ME International Biomedical Research Conference (IIMEC)

investinme.eu

IiME/UCL/UK rituximab trial 

ukrituximabtrial.org

Press Release for IiME's Big Break win of £2000!

Invest in ME statement - http://www.investinme.org/IIME-Newslet-1306-01.htm

"Thanks to a tremendous effort from (over 3500!) supporters and colleagues Invest in ME were able to win the Direct Debit The Big Break 100 good causes initiative for April.  Apart from winning the first prize of £2000 - all of which has gone directly to the IiME Biomedical Research Fund to support biomedical research into ME - this has also created much needed awareness of ME in the public.  Here is the Direct Debit press release .. "

Bacs Press Release:

Independent UK charity, Invest in ME (IiME), has received an unexpected windfall in a nationwide campaign to give 100 good causes a Big Break, courtesy of Bacs Payment Schemes Ltd (Bacs), the organisation behind Direct Debit.

Each month Bacs is setting aside a £5,000 pot to be shared between charities and good causes and is encouraging members of the public to vote for their most deserving good cause. The charity with the most votes will win £2,000, the second most popular will win £1,000 and the remaining £2,000 will be shared between 200 runners-up.  

Invest in ME, a charity run by volunteers, campaigns for research and funding to establish a better understanding of the causes of Myalgic Encephalomyeltis (M.E.) and help develop better medical treatments for the illness. And the charity is now £2,000 better off after coming out top in April’s public voting.

Mike Hutchinson, head of marketing at Bacs, said: “The work that Invest in ME carries out is not only crucial for the development of better treatments for the illness, it’s also carried out for free by volunteers so it’s great to be able to support the charity and announce it as the second winner in our Big Break initiative to help 100 good causes.”   

Kathleen McCall, chairman at Invest in ME, adds: “We’re absolutely delighted to have won the £2,000 from the Big Break campaign. One of the charity’s main objectives is to create a UK centre of excellence, which can provide proper examinations and diagnosis for M.E patients and the £2,000 prize money will go a long way in helping us to achieve this. On behalf of all the volunteers at Invest in ME, I would like to thank everyone who voted for us.”

Let's do it for ME supporters have energised biomedical ME research.

Thank you so much for your support fro, the team at Let's do it for ME! 

Small charity - BIG Cause - Big Break!

Let's help Invest in ME try to win £2,000 for much-needed biomedical research into ME by voting for them in the Big Break in April.  To vote, just click on this link and click on the red button "vote for this cause". You can log in to vote with your Facebook or Google account or you can vote by post.   Voting ends 30th April. https://www.directdebit.co.uk/TheBigBreak/100GoodCauses/Pages/CauseDetail.aspx?CauseId=539  

You can only vote once so there's no need for daily voting - but to increase the chance of winning please share and tweet etc.  1st prize is £2,000.  2nd prize is £1,000 and a further £2,000 will be divided between the runners-up.  The Invest in ME biomedical research fund is currently at £88,100 and winning this would help us reach the initial £100,000 target of the Let's do it for ME campaign to fund the foundation research project at the University of East Anglia - please see our main website or Invest in ME for full details.    

Thank you for your support - Let's vote for Invest in ME!