Withdrawal of the Bmycharity online fundraising service

Over the next three weeks we will be withdrawing the Bmycharity online fundraising service.

We've had a fantastic response to our commission-free service and have successfully recruited corporate sponsorship.  A queue of charities is waiting to register and donation volumes and average values have surged.  For some time we have been seeking additional resources to help us to develop our system, grow our team and engage with charities and corporate sponsors to support this growth.  We are a two man team with no external investors in a market increasingly characterised by companies with scores of employees and multi-million pound backing.  Our search for investment has been unsuccessful, culminating in the failure of a proposed deal in the last few days, so the time has come for us to withdraw our service.  We regret the inconvenience this will cause to our users and clients.

Since 2001 we've helped 300 charities raise over £28 million.  We'd like to thank the thousands of fundraisers and donors who have encouraged their friends to use Bmycharity, the hundreds of charities that have registered with us, and the many suppliers and advisors who have contributed.  Without additional resources, we've done all we can to contribute to the development of the market for online fundraising in the UK, and now the time has come to seek other challenges.

With Best Wishes

Ben Brabyn and Matt Cooper

Notes

1. All donations processed by Bmycharity are safe.  Donations will be passed to charities in the normal way, with the final transfers taking place in April 2010.
2. Donation and fundraising pages will remain live (able to take donations) until the end of 19 March 2010
3. Fundraising pages will be visible until 31 March 2010
4. Charity reporting services will be available until 31 March 2010 - please ensure all donation data is downloaded by this date since it will not be available thereafter
   
5. No further charity sites will be launched and any fees from unlaunched sites will be refunded

Comments

[Ham]

Very sad news, all the very best for the future. Beginning to feel a little like the High Street.

[johnny woolgrove]

sorry to here this
i wish you both all the best in the future what ever you both do.
and thanks for all your help you will be missed by a lot of people

[Sue Mills]

I am so sorry to hear your news. May I wish you the best of luck for the future. Thank you for previously helping me to raise funds and for the many people that you have helped.
Good luck.

[Helen]

This is a shame. Thank you for the work you have done and good luck for the future.

[Beth colley]

I'm shocked! Such a shame - you have made the sometimes difficult job of raising funds so much easier - good luck to you both for the future.

[Jaye]

I have used your services for the Moonwalk over past three years, I had no idea there were just two of you.

You ran a fabulous service, I hope things change and turn around for you.

XX
J

[Darren Oliver-Jones]

A great shame - will all the fab work you guys do I would have thought people would have been lining up to support you.........I wish you guys all the best with whatever you do next.

[Mike Gorshkov]

What a shame, sorry to hear this.

You should be commended for being a success for so long with such limited resource.

Thank you for the work and effort you have put in to bmycharity - you have created a fantastic service for fundraisers and charities alike.

Good luck with your future plans.

Regards

Mike Gorshkov

[Camilla]

I am so sorry to hear this. If it wasn't for Bmycharity I wouldn't have raised nearly as much money as I did in the end. Thank you and best of luck for the future.

[Celeste]

That's a real shame. I hope there's still time to turn it around - is there anything that can be done to help? After all, you've helped us!

[Gareth]

Real shame guys. Always liked your site - it had a more personal, less corporate feel to it. Thanks for all your hard work and good luck with future projects.

[Corinne]

Success is failure multiplied - or something! You have done a fantastic job and I am sure that whatever you both go on to do will be all the brighter and stronger from this experience. How great to know you have made such a difference to so many charities - you can be really proud of that legacy of Bmycharity. Well done!

[Tony Lloyd]

Sorry to hear this as you guys did a great job. It was a pleasure to meet you and hopefully as one door closes and another one opens.

[Gail]

Sorry to see this end, great job from you guys. Best of luck for the future!

[patricia]

Very sorry to hear this, made my sky dive a great success, don't give up chaps!
Patricia

[Geri]

So sorry to learn that the charity world is to lose you. Am shocked to discover that there are only the 2 of you, as you've done an amazing job. What a pity to lose you, when the big corporates are already everywhere. Good luck to you both for the future and thanks for everything that you have done for charities over the years. x

[Martin Brewster]

A sad loss to the charity fundraising world.
Only been siged up for a month, but can see you have done a great job. All the best for the future.

Best Regards
Martin Brewster.

[Iyas AlQasem]

Gentlemen, you have been a credit to the charity world, and examples of how much could be achieved with so little resource but with a vision and a bucket load of passion. Thank you for your tremendous support, your flexibility when we needed it, and for what you've achieved. Sad to see you go, and wish you the best of luck with future endeavours.

[Fiona collins]

Really sad news. You helped me and my friends raise so much money for a well deserved charity and spread awareness and hope on a rare condition impacting baby boys. This is a genunie loss to the cyber world. Was a fantastic tool. Best of luck and fingers crossed we see you return.
Fiona Collins
(ps for every one person who has written on here there are a 100 more thinking the same)

[Phil Pelling]

This is a tragedy. When the Lottery funds film making to get people Oscars it seems a downright shame that a system like yours cannot get necessary backing.

This type of service SHOULD be free. I am not sure what can be done or indeed if it is too late but if I bung in £50 or so and loads of others did too could it be saved? Could you get 1000 'shareholders' to do the same?

Snarler Pelling (www.damnblisters.co.uk)

[Rachel Hatchard]

Very sorry to hear this. It's been a wonderful site and a wonderful service. You should both be very proud.

Thanks for helping us to collect many donations for the Michael Garvey Bursary Fund (BSES Expeditions).

With all best wishes for a future of many more successful ventures.

Rachel.