7/27/2019 Case Study: BBC Children in Need

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BT proudly supportingBBC Children in Need

For three decades the BBC has succeeded in transforming the lives of disadvantaged children in the UKthrough its BBC Children in Need Appeal. At its heart is a live telethon every November. While BT

technology handles the call trafc and transacts millions in donations, BT people help to answerthe phones.

And many more BT employees like Karen Goodrum are proud to invest their time,energy and imagination in fundraising activities. To date, with BTs help, BBC Childrenin Need has raised more than 650 million; money that has meant a safer, happierlife and a future where children are able to reach their potential. Thats a greatfeeling for Karen and everyone involved.

CASE STUDY

I get a great deal of pride and satisfaction from hostingand organising fundraising events in Warrington. Its

such a good feeling knowing that youre making adifference to disadvantaged childrens lives and

helping keep them safe and secure.

Karen GoodrumVolunteer for the BBC Children in Need Appeal

BT Call Centre, Warrington

Disadvantaged children get hearts-and-mindscommitment from BT people and technology

BBC Children in Need

7/27/2019 Case Study: BBC Children in Need

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Behind-the-scenes BT technical know-how and volunteers have

helped raise over 650 million for young people in the UK

Making a difference bychanging lives

Too many children across the UK face

challenges in their lives such as disability,

poverty, abuse, and neglect. These create

barriers to personal and social development,

not just in childhood but throughout adult

life. The BBC wanted to make a real difference.

Since 1980 its been raising money for

disadvantaged children through its annualcampaign that culminates in November with

a live telethon: one of the biggest fundraising

events in the BBC broadcasting schedule.

BT helps make it happen. Behind the scenes

the BT network infrastructure underpins every

appeal night by carrying and routing calls

from donors without impact on a November

evenings normal trafc. Meanwhile, BTs

MyDonate for Telethons and Appeals platform

processes debit and credit card transactions. In

the course of the seven-hour TV marathon on

16th November 2012, BT technology handled

more than 182,000 calls which helped BBCChildren in Need to reach a record-breaking

on-the-night total of 26.7 million, bringing

the BBC Children in Need total to over 650

million since its beginnings.

In 2012, BBC Children in Need also made BTs

MyDonate for Fundraising platform its ofcial

online fundraising partner.

Support with a human face

But the BT commitment to the charity goes

beyond technology. This annual appeal has

won the hearts and minds of BT people too.They line up enthusiastically every year to join

the volunteers who answer calls from donors.

In 2012 more than 700 of them were on duty

Incredible technical expertise and the inspirational commitment ofstaff have put BT at the heart of BBC Children in Need for over 30years. During that time we have raised over 650 million which has

been used to help hundreds of thousands of children living toughlives right here in the UK.

David RamsdenChief Executive

BBC Children in Need

Offices worldwide

The services described in this publication are subject

to availability and may be modified from time to time.Services and equipment are provided subject to therespective British Telecommunications plc s tandardconditions of contract. Nothing in this publicationforms any part of any contract.

British Telecommunications plc 2013

Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJRegistered in England No: 180000003/13

CASE STUDY

BBC Children in Need

in London, Lincoln, Warrington, Newcastle

and Glasgow. From engineers and advisors to

managers and technical experts, they come

from every part of the company. For many, its

a xed date in their calendar, year after year.

Angela Kelly, a senior marketing manager

at BT, explains: Taking part in the telethon

gives those who volunteer the opportunity

to give something back to the area in which

they live. For example, its really important tothe BT team here in Newcastle because they

know that donations go directly to the local

community as well as supporting projects

across the UK.

In these times of austerity, its great that

every single penny goes towards helping

a child in need in the UK and this is a big

deciding factor to our volunteers.

Year in, year out, a rewardingexperience

Beyond the telethon itself, thousands more

BT employees take pride in coming up with

their own ideas to raise money, at work and

in the community. Examples include holding

a Pudsey Tea Party at the BT Tower and an

initiative by BT Retail called Rainbow Week.

BT also encouraged participants to set up their

own fundraising pages on BTs MyDonate for

Fundraising platform to collect money from

sponsors online.

Those funds go into action in communities

right across the UK through BBC Children in

Need grants. These range from sums of a few

hundred pounds to several thousand pounds,

and last year a record total was distributed

across the UK. There are also emergency

essentials grants too. In 2013 around 2 million

will be distributed in this way: money thats

available fast to help children and their families

in times of crisis, funding basic needs like beds,

cookers and clothes.

The results shine through. In Leith in Scotland,

as one example, 25,700 from BBC Children

in Need is funding books and a project worker

for Bookbug. Its a scheme to familiarise pre-

school children from deprived communities

with nursery rhymes, letters, numbers,and the pleasures of storytelling. In Essex,

teenagers with impaired hearing learn new

communications skills, make new friends, and

gain independence through performances and

workshops at Zinc Arts Launchpad, with the

help of 285,625 from BBC Children in Need.

While in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, the Twinkle

House Sensory Room creates a magical space

for children with disabilities such as cerebral

palsy and ADHD. Here they can turn the room

into a space ship or underwater sh tank and

enjoy play, relaxation and new sensations

with a water bed, massage table, and huge

touch screen computer, funded by a grantof 102,116.

BBC Children in Need is just one of the charity

telethons supported by BT technology and

people. Theyve worked with the Comic Relief

Red Nose Day since 1985, and Sport Relief

also since its inception in 2002. The company

also provides call centre services, telephony,

network infrastructure and MyDonate for other

ad hoc telethons. These include Soccer Aid in

support of UNICEF and the Disasters Emergency

Committee (DEC) the organisation that brings

together UK aid agencies to take joint action

when people are affected by major disastersanywhere in the world.