Important update: WAY’s membership fee increase

March 2024

Dear WAY Community,

We wanted to take a moment to share an important update regarding WAY Widowed and Young’s membership fees. Effective from 1 April 2024, the annual membership cost for new members joining WAY’s peer support community will increase from £25 to £30 per year. Membership costs for existing members will be increased to £30 at the time of their next renewal following WAY’s AGM on 21 September 2024.

We want to emphasise that this decision was not made lightly. For over a decade, the cost of WAY membership has remained unchanged at £25 per year. However, during this time, the cost of goods and services has continued to rise steadily.

As a charity dedicated to supporting young widowed people, we understand the financial challenges many of our members face. The generosity of our community has allowed us to draw on our reserves to maintain our current membership fee.  At WAY’s 2023 AGM, trustees were able to continue to promise existing members that fees would not increase over the next 12 months. However, with a challenging financial backdrop confronting charities across the country, we are now faced with the difficult decision to increase our membership fees.

The reality is that the actual cost of each WAY membership to the charity now stands at £60 per year (see below). Despite our fundraising efforts, which have faced challenges in recent months, we find ourselves needing to make adjustments to ensure we can continue to provide the vital services and support that our members deserve.  

Invaluable benefits

Being a member of the WAY community offers invaluable benefits, including access to the unwavering support of our unique peer support network, supported by our WAY volunteers, unlimited use of our private members hub and Facebook groups, member meet ups both online and in person, our monthly enewsletter and WAY Forward newsletter, which comes out three times a year, not to mention a new improved telephone counselling service and legal advice helpline worth potentially hundreds of pounds. We think that £30 a year represents exceptional value, equating to just £2.50 per month, which is less than the cost of a cup of coffee. 

We also want to reassure you that WAY’s Memorial Fund will remain accessible to all members facing financial difficulties to help with membership fees and attending WAY events. We are committed to making sure that cost is never a barrier to accessing the friendship, support and understanding that WAY offers.

We thank you for your understanding and continued support as we navigate these changes together. While we recognise that the increase may be challenging for some, we want to emphasise that this increase is essential for the long-term sustainability of our charity and our ability to continue deliver the services we want to provide for our members.

As our charity continues to grow and develop, it’s crucial that we take steps to safeguard the future of WAY and our mission to support those navigating life after loss.

We have created some FAQs about this update. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at enquiries@widowedandyoung.org.uk.

 

With kind regards,

 

Stephanie Patrick, Chief Executive

Joanna Sedley-Burke, Chair