EEIBA relaunches charity with 40% more money going to beneficiaries
The Electrical and Electronics Industries Benevolent Association (EEIBA) has unveiled its plans to become a charity fit for the 21st Century at a re-launch event in London.
The event took place at the Electric Cinema in Notting Hill on 16 June to present its plans to key industry players and members of the trade press. Speeches were delivered by EEIBA president Ian Humphreys and Dr David Clarke of the Energy Technology Institute.
Guests also heard from Wendy Murrell-Foster – a beneficiary of the charity who enjoyed a long and successful career in the electrical sector before she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
The keynote speaker for the day was Nick Hewer, star of the hit BBC TV show ‘The Apprentice’. Having worked closely with Sir Alan Sugar and his electronics business, Nick was deemed the perfect fit to comment on the work of the charity in this industry.
The re-launch of EEIBA was instigated following a research project carried out by the charity to find out what the industry wants, combined with a business review. Issues raised included the perception that EEIBA “had lost awareness at a grass roots level”, and “has not moved with the times". The research also discovered that there is still a real need for the charity and the support it offers.
Talking of the changes and the plans for the future, Ian Humphreys said: “The research and business review reinforced Trustees’ views that the charity had lost touch with the industry that we serve. There is still a clear need for the help offered by EEIBA, so we are committed to improving our services to deliver the best levels of care and support.
“A number of changes have already been introduced; all aimed at delivering better levels of service and suiting the needs of the industry in the 21st Century. Improvements include outsourcing the finance function to reduce overheads by 50%, reducing IT and admin expenditure to save 60%, moving to new and more cost effective offices, and working more effectively as a team.
“We have improved our services and in the past two years 40% additional funding has been available for our beneficiaries. This is a direct result of some of the steps we have taken to date.
“EEIBA has also entered a partnering arrangement with the JIB and Scottish JIB which will get down to grass roots level, the people on the ground and the people who actually need our help. This arrangement gives us access to more than 100 thousand Electricians across the UK.
“In addition to all the changes we have already implemented, we have moved to managing the charity as a business, which will help us to ensure more funds are available to those in need. We want to be seen as a dynamic organisation with the beneficiary at the heart of everything we do, and I think we have a great opportunity to ensure EEIBA is a charity for the 21st Century.”
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