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Why become a partner organisation?
Working with the Brain and Spine Foundation as a partner organisation can bring many benefits - benefits which will be tailored to your particular needs.
Want to find out more? Read on for case studies from two of our existing partner organisations, Cavernoma Alliance UK and the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum, and find out how you can become a partner organisation.
Want to find out more? Read on for case studies from two of our existing partner organisations, Cavernoma Alliance UK and the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum, and find out how you can become a partner organisation.
Case study: Cavernoma Alliance UK
A 2-way exchange of expertise and publicity
Cavernoma Alliance UK is a small charity with a mission to improve the quality of life for those affected by cavernomas through education, support, and promotion of research. Cavernoma Alliance UK have been a partner organisation with the Brain and Spine Foundation since October 2010.
"CA UK enjoys working with the Brain and Spine Foundation," says Dr Ian Stuart, Founder Member and Co-ordinator for the charity. "They are a recognised charity whose support and example as leaders in the field are vital if our charity is to succeed."
That support, however, works two ways. While the Foundation has helped Cavernoma Alliance UK by raising the profile of the charity and giving advice on setting up a helpline, Cavernoma Alliance UK have also provided valuable input into the development of a new publication on vascular malformations of the brain - a collaboration that helped both sides. With access to a highly specific group of service users - all of whom are affected by cavernous malformations of the brain - Cavernoma Alliance UK can give feedback and input that the Foundation would not find elsewhere. And it's a win-win situation - Cavernoma Alliance UK can ensure that the information being published by the Foundation accurately reflects its service users' needs - and will receive free booklets to send out to them.
The partnership between Cavernoma Alliance UK and the Foundation will keep going following the publication of the new booklet - there are always new updates that the Foundation can publicise, and new developments that Cavernoma Alliance UK can make the Foundation aware of. Ian Stuart is particularly keen to point out the advantages for a smaller charity in linking with the Foundation:
"Any small organisation should not be in awe of the Foundation but be encouraged to get involved, and find out how they might be able to benefit," he says.
Case study: The Spinal Cord Tumour Forum
Spreading the word, mutual support
The Spinal Cord Tumour Forum is a website for people in the UK who have had, or whose lives have been affected by, benign spinal cord tumours. It was created by spinal cord tumour sufferers Carole Levine and Helen Powell. The Spinal Cord Tumour Forum has been a partner organisation with the Brain and Spine Foundation since November 2010.
"Spinal Cord Tumours are rare and many sufferers have never made contact with others with this condition," says Carole Levine, who runs the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum. "We've been able to put many users of our website in touch with people who have the same symptoms as their own, and they have said they find it very helpful to be able to share their experiences. We are trying to find ways to raise awareness of our website and to bring it to the attention of more spinal cord tumour sufferers, and the Brain and Spine Foundation is assisting us with this by bringing us to a much wider audience on its website, its newsletter, and also by being one of its partnership organisations."
"I would definitely recommend to small charities and other organisations that they become partnership organisations with The Brain and Spine Foundation," says Carole. "Each partnership organisation has the opportunity to highlight on the Brain and Spine Foundation website what advice and help they can offer, and a wider group of people will become aware of them."
In fact, the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum has always had links with the Foundation. "I had a benign spinal cord tumour removed and five years ago the Foundation put me in touch with Helen who has the same condition as my own," says Carole. "We contacted each other and a few months later we wondered if there were other benign spinal cord tumour sufferes in the UK who would like to make contact with fellow sufferers. We then decided to start our support group and since then we have often said that if we had never been introduced to each other by The Brain and Spine Foundation there wouldn't have been a Spinal Cord Tumour Forum!"
Working so closely with the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum means that the Brain and Spine Foundation can put helpline callers in touch with the service, knowing that it has contact with a wide range of people all with spinal cord tumours who can offer peer support. And when the time comes for the Foundation's Spinal Tumours booklet to be updated, the Spinal Cord Tumour Forum will be able to provide feedback and advice, and the Foundation will supply free booklets for the support group. "We look forward to seeing the updated booklet on spinal tumours and we know that many users of our website will find this helpful," says Carole.
Want to find out more?
If you're interested in working with us as a partner organisation, please get in touch. Benefits to your organisation include free publications, a profile on our website and in our email newsletter, and the opportunity to have an input in the development of Brain and Spine Foundation publications. The partnership can be flexible and can be guided and developed to suit the needs of your organisation.
If you are interested, please email helpline@brainandspine.org.uk for more information.
