No one should face ME alone this Christmas
Extended deadline for pledges:
11pm on Sunday 6th September
The ME Association
support
changes
lives
No one should face ME alone this Christmas. By making a pledge today, you’ll help fund life-changing support for people with ME/CFS and Long Covid, including our free ME Connect support line, ongoing development of our free literature library and knowledge bank with trusted information, safe online communities, and work to improve care.
When the Big Give Christmas Challenge opens, your pledge will help double the impact of public donations made between 1st and 8th December 2026, so together we can reach more people with the support they need.
What is the Big Give Christmas Challenge?
The Big Give Christmas Challenge is the UK’s largest match-funding campaign. For one week in December, every donation The ME Association receives is matched pound for pound, instantly doubling its impact for people living with ME/CFS and Long Covid.
But match funding doesn’t come from nowhere. It comes from pledges made in advance by supporters like you. The more we have pledged before the campaign, the more match funding we can unlock, and the further every public donation goes in December.
How it works
Make your pledge
Pledge £100 or more by 11pm on Sunday 6th September. You won’t pay anything at this stage.
Help unlock match funding
If we reach our target of £18,750 in pledges, we’ll be in a position for a Big Give Champion Funder to match that amount, creating a £37,500 match funding pot.
Double public donations
If match funding is secured, every donation made to our Christmas Challenge campaign between 1 and 8 December 2026 will be doubled for as long as the match funding lasts.
Pay your pledge
Pledges need to be paid between 9th Dec 2026 – 5pm on 15th Jan 2027, and not before, directly to The ME Association in any way that is convenient for you (eg. cheque, BACS, etc.)
Change lives
Together, we could raise more than £75,000 to help ensure no one faces ME alone this Christmas by funding our support line, trusted information, online community and work to improve care.
Pledge or donate: what’s the difference?
A pledge is not the same as a donation, but both are important
Pledging
A promise to give, made before the campaign
- Costs you nothing today
- Unlocks match funding, so the public’s donations in December are doubled
- You only pay it once the campaign has finished
Donating
A gift made during the live campaign in December
- Comes from the public, and gets matched instantly by pledge funds
- Money changes hands immediately
One important rule
If you pledge, please don’t also donate while the campaign is live. Pledge funds are intended to match other people’s gifts.
Pledgers, under the Big Give rules, are not allowed to donate.
Your pledges
£18,750 by 11pm 6th Sep 2026
Champion funder
Matches with £18,750
Match pot
£37,500 ready to double
Public donations doubled
We need to raise £37,500 1st – 8th December 2026 (midday)
£75,000 total
for people who need us
How to pledge
Read about this year’s campaign
See what previous support has already achieved and what this Christmas’s campaign will fund.
Complete the pledge form
It takes a couple of minutes. Pledges can start at £100, and every amount above that helps unlock more matched giving. Pledges made via any other method will not count.
Share it
Pledges can come from individuals, trusts, foundations or businesses. If you know someone who might pledge, please share!
Key dates
Extended deadline to register your pledge
11pm, Sunday 6th September 2026
Big Give 26 Live Campaign
1st – 8th December 2026
Pledgers cannot donate to the campaign during this period
Make your pledged donation
Between 9th Dec 2026 – 15th Jan 2027 5pm
Pledges are paid directly to The ME Association in any way that is convenient for you (eg. cheque, BACS, etc.).
Pledges are promises of funding. Your actual donation is made between 9th Dec 2026 and 15th Jan 2027, 5pm. Pledges are paid directly to The ME Association in any way that is convenient for you (eg. cheque, BACS, etc.).
If you have any questions, please email fundraising@meassociation.org.uk or call 07701 223 722
No one should face ME alone this Christmas