DOCUMENT

ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT 2022 We love tomeet our donors in person as it is the best way to connect with people and understand what is important to them. The pandemic has unfortunately interrupted our ability to do this. We are privileged to hear the amazing personal reasons behind why people support neurological research. So often it is due to a loved one suffering fromone of the over 700 neurological conditions. As we (hopefully) return to normality we hope to reinstate these valuable relationships. While COVID-19 has hampered our ability to connect with supporters face-to-face, it has also highlighted the importance of gifts in wills. Donors who made provisions in their wills in the past, nomatter how big or how small, made a huge contribution to the continuation of funding for our researchers. We are also incredibly passionate about the difference a bequest can make. Legacies have the potential to be a game-changer in making progress. Sometimes, we can match a person’s interest to a certain area of neurological research. This is a wonderful way for our supporters to get directly involved in helping research into a condition that is important to them. We are also fortunate to have a community of generous long-term supporters. One donor, who has supported us for more than 20 years, told us he enjoys following the progress made in neurological research and loves the personal connection he experiences with the Foundation. He recently decided to leave a significant living gift in perpetuity as he will be able to be part of the journey of young researchers he supports, even when he is no longer here. He only supports charities that use their donations wisely. IN MEMORY OF AILSA THORBURN We are extremely honoured to be considered in legacies, such as that of the late Ailsa Thorburn, who nominated the Neurological Foundation as one of her beneficiaries. Ailsa led a fulfilling, adventurous and compassionate life. A highly qualified nurse and midwife, Ailsa travelled the world where she volunteered in remote communities such as Central Africa and Papua New Guinea. She was also extremely proud of her Bay of Plenty community. Her generous legacy is administered on her behalf by the Acorn Foundation. Acorn invests funds on behalf of its donors in perpetuity, with interest from the fund distributed to charities according to its beneficiaries’ wishes. The Neurological Foundation is one of three charities Ailsa chose to support. MATCHING DONORS TO DISEASE Some of our supporter families have loved ones who have suffered from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a paralysing brain and spinal cord disease caused by the death of neurons involved in movement. We have matched their donor contributions to a research project at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research on ALS. Dr Molly Swanson is conducting a three-year research project studying donated brain tissue from people who have sadly died from ALS. She is focusing on a particular type of immune cell that normally helps the brain to recover fromdamage in disease, however, appears to become ‘toxic’ late in ALS, worsening the disease. It is hugely rewarding to update these supporters on the progress and findings beingmade in Dr Swanson’s work. DONOR RELATIONS by Donor Relations Specialists Theresa Liebenberg and Margie Carter Our role as donor relationship specialists is to provide a familiar face and a point of contact for our amazing supporters. Dr Molly Swanson 13