The Christmas break may already seem like a distant memory but readers will know that, while they were tucking into their turkey, many volunteer Lifeboat crews had given up the comfort and safety of home to save the Lives of others in coLd and stormy weather.

This was made possible by your generosityit's not just the bad weather that keeps lifeboat crews busy - last year lifeboat crews and lifeguards had the busiest summer in the RNLI's 180-year history. Lifeguards dealt with 7,226 incidents, saving 27 lives in the process. One especially hot August weekend saw lifeboats tackling some 200 shouts in just two days. Of course, in order for crews to carry out this vital lifesaving work they need the right tools for the job: cutting edge lifeboats and equipment, high quality boathouse and crew facilities, and the finest training. But what does this all cost? Last year it cost around £ 107M to run the lifeboat service - that's £290,000 a day.

This is a huge amount but it actually represents excellent value for money. For every £1 spent, 81 pence goes direct to maintaining and replacing the existing fleet, purchasing new equipment or shore facilities, Beach Lifeguards and Sea Safety.

Sixteen pence is used for fundraising and only three pence goes on administration.

Any surplus is held in a reserve fund and used to guarantee the RNLI's boat building programme and other capital projects.

Until recently these reserves were looking healthy, thanks to your generosity and support. But as a result of a continued weakness in the stock markets, especially since 11 September 2001, RNLI investments fell dramatically, leaving reserves at the lowest level allowable by the trustees. Thistime last year the RNLI also reported a worrying downturn in legacies and membership numbers, and a significant drop in public awareness of the RNLI and what it does.

Membership So what can be done about this? The good news is that work has already begun to turn this around. The RNLI has set itself an ambitious target to double membership over the next five years. This is no pipedream but a carefully planned strategy.

RNLI members and regular supporters Actual TOO 1001 2 W 2003 ZOOJ MM JCO* MOT Head of Central Fundraising and Communications, Chris Rhodes says: 'We have been looking at new and innovative ways to raise funds. Short-term fundraising is absolutely vital to the service but we arealso concentrating on building long-term relationships with the public to assure the future of the lifeboat service. We want to reawaken people to the breadth of the RNLI's work. The service is relevant to far more people than just 'boaties1 and we want to bring peace of mind to anyone who finds themselves at sea - whether they are on a cross channel ferry or enjoying a dip at the beach.' The renewed membership drive has already produced some fantastic results in the last year. Shoreline and Offshore inserts in boating and general interest magazines, together with mailing campaigns to nonmembers, led to the recruitment of 26,000 new members in 2003 - that's 86% up on the number recruited in 2002. There was a further push in October and December and the RNLI hopes this will recruit an additional 30,000 new members and donors. But this is just the beginning.

'Reaching new and younger audiences is also very important and we need to capitalise on Beach Lifeguards and new technology to excite the new generation' says Chris. In a bid to get these audiences onside, RNLI fundraising branched out to the beaches last summer with a scheme to encourage regular support for its lifeguards.

Around 350 new supporters have been recruited so far, each paying a minimum of £2 a month.Appeals The RNLI has always been honest with its supporters and has never asked for money that it hasn't needed. That's why, when it was in a strong financial position four years ago, the RNLI shut down its regional appeals programme. Today it's all systems go again. First off the mark was the Whitby lifeboat appeal in North Yorkshire that hit its target within months of launch. Close behind is the Lifeboats of the Clyde appeal in Scotland, which is currently concentrating in Strathclyde and Glasgow to fund a new lifeboat for Troon. This is a new concept in appeal fundraising and is being led by two Area Fundraising Managers. One of them, Marie Cowan, says: This appeal seems in line with the work of the crews themselves - a coordinated search and rescue with seven lifeboat stations and 30 branches!1 You may have seen the first round of the Christmas appeal in October, which encouraged members to buy membership for a friend or relative as a Christmas present. Another mailing at the end of November reminded 'lapsed' supporters that the Lifeboats still need their support and encouraged a festive donation.

Legacies The RNLI got together with a number of other UK charities in 2001 to form the Legacy Promotion Campaign (LPC). There was real concern about a drop in legacies across the whole charity sector and the LPC's aim is to encourage people to leave something in their will to deserving causes.

Since the LPC launched its awareness campaign 'Remember a charity' in 2002, research shows that more people are planning to leave charity money in theirwill. If this intention translates into action it will be good news for the RNLI as seven out of ten lifeboat launches are already funded from legacies.

Spending Until this all comes to fruition, the RNLI has had to tighten its belt to sustain free reserves at 12 month's worth of expenditure. Be assured that the RNLI's core business of saving lives at sea is not affected by these measures - it just means cutbacks on non-critical projects and reprioritising spending to keep essential developments. Some lifeboat station shoreworks projects have been postponed and certain support costs have had a financial cap imposed. The visitor centre has been challenged with bringing in 'substantial new money' to enable it to stay on the 2007 build programme and various other measures have also been taken to curb expenditure.

RNLI expenditure 2002 Rescue Maintenance Fundraising Innovation Support Prevention International Innovation jtnom Mm Support 'ct*n*™i mini(em*n( m Mkmnunc International rtp-nmi B» RNUi VPW* « An ongoing procedures project is looking at ways of reducing administration costs and, at the time of writing, good headway had already been made towards a 3% efficiency saving in 2003. A further 1.5% saving for each of the next five years is planned. The RNU will continue to spend on developing and maintaining new lifeboats and equipment, developing Beach Lifeguards and promoting Sea Safety. The Lifeboat College and Survival Centre are still on target to open later this year. As ever, the RNL! is rising to the challenge and, with your continued support, it can secure the future of the lifeboat service.Lifeboat crew gear It costs more than £400 to kit out a lifeboat crew member in protective gear (the equivalent of 26 new Shoreline members).

Inshore lifeboat crew • Gloves • Drysuit (boots attached) • Safety helmet • LifejacketJoin up Please help the RNLI reach its target to double membership. If you are already a member why not spread the word and encourage your friends and family to join.

There are various levels of membership providing a range of member benefits.

See below for details of grades and subscription rates.

ffshore Governor Grade Shoreline Joint Shoreline Offshore joint Offshore Governor Joint Governor Life Governor Rates £20 £33 £54 £94 £66 £116 €28 €46 €75 €130 €92 €162 £1,500 €2,100Thinking of a legacy? Almost seven out of ten people in the UK support charities but fewer than one in 20 include a charitable donation in their will Yet it's a very easy way to give. Legacies are vital to keep the lifeboats afloat, accounting for around 68% of income. So, when you make your will, please remember the RNLI. For further information visit www.rememberacharity.org.uk.

Join an event Fancy taking part in something a bit more physically demanding and raising sponsorship money for the RNLI in the process? How about jumping out of an aeroplane, white water rafting or running in the London marathon with the RNLI on hand to support you? These are just a few of the fun and action-packed events the RNLI is involved in throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

For further information contact Claire Kavanagh on 01202 663205, email [email protected] or visit www.rnli.org.uk/events, the website especially dedicated to these events.

Also see the running calendar on page 12.Fundraising is a vital element of the activities that support the lifeboat service.

By joining one of the 1,500 volunteer branches you will be able to meet likeminded people while having fun for a good cause. If you don't fancy joining a branch, why not organise your own fundraising event? See pages 37-43 of this issue to see some examples of how money is raised in this way. To find out where your nearest branch or guild is call the regional fundraising department at headquarters on 01202 663472 who will put you in touch with members local to you.Gift Aid If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid is one of the simplest and most effective ways of giving to charity. Using Gift Aid means that for every pound you give, the RNLI receives an extra 28 pence from the Inland Revenue. This means that a £10 Gift Aid donation is worth £12.80 to the Lifeboats at no extra cost to you. On top of this, higher rate taxpayers are eligible to reclaim as much as £23 from the taxman for every £100 donated, by including details of their Gift Aid donations on their Self Assessment form. You can donate this rebate too via the Inland Revenue {see Self Assessment donations below). Gift Aid also applies if you are sponsored by a UK taxpayer for a fundraising event. Look out for the Gift Aid logo and a box for donors to tick on your sponsorship form.

www.rnlishop.org.uk. For more information call 01202 663333.

To find out more contact The Giving Campaign (an independent, national campaign established to increase the amount of money given to UK charities) on 020 7930 3 154 or visit www.givingcampaign.org.uk.

Payroll giving Payroll giving is a simple, tax effective way to give from your pay packet if you are UK taxpayer. When you donate money in the normal way you are giving out of your taxed income. When you choose payroll giving, your donation is taken from your pay before tax is deducted. Simply put, the RNLI gets a bigger donation at no extra cost to you.

For further information contact Tizzy Perkins on 01202 663295 or email [email protected].

Buy RNLI gifts The RNLI has an extensive range of gifts that are sold by volunteers at fundraising events and lifeboat stations. In addition, a range of quality gifts are available through! the award winning 'Lifeboats' mail order catalogue or online at Buy books The RNLI has also set up a partnership in association with Amazon, the international online book retailer, to help raise funds. Buy your books via the link on the RNLI website and 5% of the value of all orders will be donated to the RNLI.

Help us through your workplace Support from companies can be very useful to the RNLI. Often, fundraising events can only get off the ground if the basic startup costs or prizes are funded by company sponsorship. However, it's not all one sided as companies can benefit from the profile and exposure created by supporting the lifeboats. For further information contact Tizzy Perkins (see under Payroll giving).

Self Assessment donations From April 2004 anyone who completes a Self Assessment tax return will be able to nominate a charity to receive all or part of any repayment due to them. The RNLI has registered with the Inland Revenue, and all you will need is to enter the codeHAB39GG on the appropriate section of your tax return to ensure that the RNLI receives your rebate.

Share giving This scheme allows the RNLI to accept certain donations of shares. The RNLI then sells these shares, through a designated broker, and receives income from the sale.

For further information contact Tizzy Perkins (see under Payroll giving).

Make a special gift Large, one-off donations fund a number of special projects each year. We are working on a new crew training campaign to be called Train A Hero with the aim to raise £10M over the next five years through high-level donors..