The Sunflower Fund, founded in 1999, is a non profit organisation, with its Mission: “to educate and recruit a viable source of well informed potential bone marrow stem cell donors who are ethnically diverse, in an effort to save the lives of those needing a transplant when suffering from life-threatening blood disorders. It strives to maintain the associated donor records of the South African Bone Marrow Registry”.
Our strategy was fully implemented during 2009/10 and despite an ongoing difficult economic climate, which made fundraising a challenge, we are still proud to report on the progress attained in this regard.
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Regarding Awareness-raising, 177 events and talks were held nationally at Universities, corporates and schools, with 117 703 people exposed to Sunflower. This was a 75% increase over 2008/09.
Over R20.5 million in value of publicity was obtained nationally on Radio, TV and Print. This has been successfully monitored with the pro bono support of Newsclip Media Monitoring, which has made an incredible difference to the organization. This value was 100% increase over 2008/09.
20 358 Centre enquiries were received and 104 874 website hits were recorded as a result of the publicity and awareness talks.
Our educational DVD was put to good use to educate the SA public at companies, schools, universities, shopping centres and any other places that our PR managers address the public and give awareness talks and recruit donors.
Educational literature that had been translated into 5 languages, including Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho, was distributed by the PR Managers nationally. |
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With respect to Donor Recruitment, The Sunflower Fund tracking database for donor recruitment continues to work well and is able to monitor and evaluate the effective implementation of the strategic objectives. Last year a total of 1 981 donors were recruited via the call centre, of whom 31% were Black, Coloured or Asian. |
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Regarding Tissue-typing, the Recruitment Policy specified that ALL new Black, Coloured and Asian donors under the age of 40 years, as well as White donors under the age of 40 years who are stated active blood donors be DR typed, thereby enabling the effective increase in the proportion of HLA-ABDR typed donors in the Registry from 8% in 2008 to 9.5% in 2009, moving towards the international norm of sixty percent (60%). A total of 1 041 (53%) of the recruited donors were allocated for DR typing.
Total cost for recruited donors in 2009/10 is R 1, 304, 000 with total tissue typing invoices submitted for payment being R 691, 888 with approximately R 600, 000 in bills still outstanding. General donations exceeded target by R 227, 500. |
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It was jointly agreed to postpone the updating of old existing donor particulars on the National Registry database and rather focus funding and energy on DR typing of new donors. |
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With reference to meeting the costs of certain limited donor searches of the National Registry database, the process (viz. Terms of Reference) and decision making forum (viz. an Independent Panel of Clinicians) to evaluate the clinical appropriateness and needs assessment of local indigent patients requiring a donor search, is in place and working well. Searches were approved during the course of the financial year with The Sunflower Fund only spending R16 304 of the allocated funding cap of R 50,000. |
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The outlook for the future is that The Sunflower Fund continues to operate from a firm base but continues to face an ongoing fundraising burden given the global economic climate and the high cost of DR typing. If The Sunflower Fund were able to reach and sustain the ideal goal of donor recruitment of an average of 500 per month, the implications with the increased cost of DR typing, are that it would cost up to R5,5 Million in tissue typing costs alone. Based on the relative proportional Cost of Sales and Operating expenses, The Sunflower Fund would need to raise a total of R11 Million per annum.
The major source of funding has always been Public goodwill and events, and more recently, with the appointment of a National fundraiser, The Sunflower Fund has begun to engage with some funders and will have to continue to look at innovative ways to expand the sources of funding into the future, given the highly competitive environment where there are many competing demands for donations, as well as the emergence of donor fatigue. The Sunflower Fund looks forward to the year ahead supporting the South African Bone Marrow Registry by continuing the focus on targeted campaigns to increase the ethnic diversity of the registry and to improve the level of tissue typing to DR level. This will ensure that there is a solid Bone Marrow Registry in South Africa fulfilling our mutual objectives to “Share a little, to Save a Life”.
We aim to continue raising funds, which will be used for the following:
- To promote public awareness of leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders, through education and similar awareness programmes around South Africa.
- To recruit donors for the National Registry of SABMR.
- To meet the cost involved in tissue-typing samples provided by donors.
- To assist in the regular and on-going updating of donor particulars on the National Registry database.
- To assist, where possible, in meeting the costs of certain searches of the National Registry database.
Tissue typing at the internationally accepted DR level costs around R 1 000 per person or R 300 to test to an AB level. It is important to know that NO potential donor will be turned away by The Sunflower Fund but they will now be encouraged to assist us by being asked to pay either R 300 AB level test cost or R 1 000 for the DR level should that be affordable.
Should prospective donors not be able to pay either cost, we will capture their donor details onto our waiting list and as soon as funding is available they receive their form by email, along with a note informing them that their tissue typing test has been sponsored by The sunflower Fund. Once going for the blood test – their details will then be captured and they will be registered on the SA Bone Marrow Registry.
Essentially the donor process remains the same – call toll free 0800 12 10 82 – (9am – 1pm or 2-4pm weekdays) so that we can make sure that you meet the criteria and will then complete your Sunflower/SABMR Registration Form with a Reference Number.
The critical need for donors of all ethnic groups remains core to our strategy and we feel very passionate about not allowing donor recruitment to drop off in any way due to lack of funding.
I urge all South Africans who meet our criteria to consider becoming a donor by taking a step in the direction of helping to save a life.
I would appeal to all corporates and funders not to wait until leukaemia or another life-threatening blood disorder affects someone you know and love – help us make that difference now – become a donor yourself and please consider sponsoring or funding others on our waiting list for 2010 and 2011.
| Thank you for being prepared to SHARE A LITTLE, TO SAVE A LIFE. |
