Introducing Narthex – Our New Charity Partner
Based in Sparkhill, a hugely diverse but deprived area of Birmingham, Narthex provides a range of support services for those most in need. They do this through taking a person-centred approach, offering tailored support to help get people out of crisis and to empower them to lead a more fulfilled life. This includes dealing with immediate needs such as providing food and clothes banks, but also money and debt advice services, and working with a wide range of local organisations who can provide support in other areas that may be needed, such as housing advice, domestic violence support, training and job opportunities advice.
We are delighted to announce our new charity partnership with local Birmingham-based charity, Narthex, who support thousands of people in need or crisis across Birmingham.
We have pledged to donate 5% of our net annual profits to Narthex and we are working with them on how we can support them in a variety of ways, including developing a monitoring and evaluation framework to enable them to evidence their impact and demonstrate to funders the value of the support they provide to the community, as well as volunteering to help support them to deliver their services.
M·E·L Research’s Managing Director, Karen Etheridge, says of the partnership:
“Narthex are an amazing Birmingham-based charity who are doing some incredible work with those most in need in our community. The demand for foodbanks has risen to record levels over the last few years and they are now one of the largest providers in the whole of Birmingham. Narthex look at each person that comes through their door and give them the help they need to get them out of needing foodbanks, whether that is to help them deal with their debts, signpost them to support agencies to deal with alcohol or drug problems for example, and set them up on a positive pathway to move forwards in their lives. We look forward to working with them to not only support them through our fundraising and donations, but to help them to demonstrate to funders what an amazing service they are providing, and hopefully support them to do more of what they are currently doing”.
Narthex’s CEO, Patricia Coleman-Taylor is also looking forward to tapping into our expertise:
“Narthex is absolutely thrilled that M·E·L Research have chosen to support us, particularly at such challenging times for charities like ours, supporting people struggling with poverty. We are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the expertise that M·E·L Research can bring to this partnership.”
You can find out more about Narthex on their website.
If you are a charity looking for support with research or evaluation you may find the following pages of interest:
Charity and Third Sector Research
Pro Bono Omnibus
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