Funds where they are needed most.
When people think of charities it is usually of high-profile ones such as Oxfam, Dr Barnardo's, Help the Aged, or RNIB. Few consider occupation or trade charities. Yet there are many benevolent funds, large and small, which cover a wide range of professions, trades and services, including hotel and catering, fire services, road hauliers, architects, engineers and accountants.
CIMA's Benevolent Fund may not be well known, but to some people it is a lifeline. Last year, for example, one member was struggling to manage on state benefits for him, his wife and his 10-year-old son, and could not afford to pay for the washing machine to be replaced when it was beyond repair. The fund gave him 300 [pounds sterling], but the real value of its help far exceeded the amount of cash given -- for this member, it meant one less thing to worry about day to day.
Many might think accountants would not need help and this, on the whole, true. But occasionally disasters happen when they are least expected, and unemployment, ill-health or the death of relative can mean financial hardship for people and their families.
In the UK, state benefits provide basic support, but entitlement depends on personal circumstances. State welfare does not exist to the same extent in other countries where family support, not government aid, is still the norm.
When someone becomes unemployed, they lose all their employee benefits -- life assurance, health insurance, medical care insurance, company car -- at a time when they are most vulnerable. Their income is greatly reduced and they are forced to adjust their family expenditure radically. Similarly, long-term ill-health can have a profound impact on individual and family resources.
Chris is 48, married with a son of 21 and daughter of 19. He has had multiple sclerosis since 1987 and has not worked for 11 years. He lives at home and is cared for by his wife and family with help from local social services. The family depends on state benefits and relies on local and other available support services. Help from the fund in the form of weekly payments of 20 [pounds sterling] and grants towards fixed costs -- a total of about 2,500 [pounds sterling] a year -- helped immeasurably.
The fund also helps others with MS. Ron is 47 and is married with a five-year-old son who started school last year. He can get help with respite care costs (80 [pounds sterling] per night), home adaptation costs (1,000 [pounds sterling]) or to buy special...
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