Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 01/01/2024 Period start date To 31/12/2024 Period end date
Charity name: 50 Million Voices
Charity registration number: 1189541
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | 50 Million Voices promotes social inclusion among people who stutter who are excluded from suitable employment and career progression as a result of communication impairment, by advancing education and raising awareness about stuttering with employers, people who stutter and allies. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
The activities of 50 Million Voices throughout the year reflect our role and purpose as an organisation that: ● Focuses specifically on employment and career progression for people who stutter ● Is UK-led with an international mindset and connections ● Shines a spotlight on good communication involving speakers who stutter and listeners who may or may not stutter ● Always brings together people who stutter, allies and employers to create change. We have done this in 2024 through: 1. Flagship Activities ● Delivering two global Practice Interview events, in March and October, with a combined total of 186 participants from 22 countries across 6 continents, involving 80 interviewees who stutter, 106 interviewers (a mix of people who stutter and allies) and 285 individual interview learning experiences ● Presenting to a wide range of global companies and other organisations throughout 2024, including leading global employers Cargill, EY and |
| Rolls-Royce, and major stuttering community events such as StutterFest’ 24,StammaFest ’24 and many smaller groups’ activities. 2. Strengthening our Foundations ● Delivering on our fundraising target and developing our future planning ● Welcoming new stuttering leaders from several countries ● Broadening the base of employers with whom we work 3. Building our Reputation, Reach and Relationships with Employers, Other Organisations and Individuals ● Individual global award presented to Iain Wilkie, our founder and chair, at the World Stuttering and Cluttering Organization Congress in Austin, USA, for “improving the lives for people who stutter or clutter” and “for his unique contribution to the community of people who stutter.” ●50 Million Voices team members featured in articles with wide readership - e.g. BBC Future ● Building our network and communications through our newsletter and platforms such as ●Continuing and deepening relationships with a range of employers and allies, through involvement in the Practice Interviews, as panellists and contributors in other ways, including financially. More information about all of the above in the section on achievements and performance below. |
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| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | All trustees are made aware of the relevant guidance and the need to take this into account as part of their induction as trustees (PB1, 2 and 3). |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38
Policy on social investment including program related investment Para 1.38 Contribution made by volunteers Other
Achievements and Performance
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | Each year since the origins of 50 Million Voices in 2019 and its formal registration as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in May 2020, has seen a demonstrable increase in its reputation, reach and impact. This is amply evidenced by unsolicited posts, comments and feedback on platforms such as LinkedIn and from the levels of participation and support from a growing number of companies. We have worked hard as a team throughout 2024, largely entirely on a voluntary basis, to build relationships across a wide range of organisations and individuals, within the community of people who stutter, with an increasing number of global and smaller employers and with enthusiastic allies, bridging very different cultures and geography. Our track record for running successful Practice Interview events, with our 7th programme in October 2024, means we can reap the benefits of incorporating learning from previous events each time, building on existing collaborations and developing new ones. As ever, special thanks go to all our donors and supporters and to our volunteers for their generosity, thoughtfulness and commitment. Our volunteers include our volunteer leaders who stutter all around the globe, people working quietly behind the scenes, our trustees and others providing administrative or other support. It also includes everyone who has contributed to our Practice Interview programme or other events, for example by walking the Thames |
Path Challenge to raise funds with us. People have freely given their time and expertise as panellists, speakers and interviewers and we are very grateful for all the support. This also includes financial support from several companies without whom our work would not be possible, in particular Cargill and EY. Many thanks also go to our Global Coordinator Shilpa Sagwal and to Iman Sheperia for her work supporting our social media presence. As shown in our Receipts and Payments Account, our receipts during the year totalled £53,238 compared with £13,633 in 2023. The increase is due partly to a greater focus on fundraising, and also due to the timing of several receipts due in 2023 but not received until 2024. As a result of this increase in receipts and our continuing tight control of costs, our Cash Funds at 31 December 2024 grew to £57,079 compared with £24,373 at 31 December 2023.
Achievements
Flagship Activities Practice Interviews 6th Global Practice Interview Event 4-7 March 2024 “I had a real interview, just five days after the practice interview and felt really confident.” Interviewee (UK) “A pleasure to meet my interviewee and see much potential. I’d be happy to recommend him for a job.” Interviewer (anonymous)
The event involved: ● 86 participants from 13 countries across 4 continents ● Support from 6 leading employers and several other employers ● 1:1 and panel practice interviews, after previous success trialling panel interviews in 2023 ● Interviews comprising over 140 individual learning experiences ● Educational group learning experiences
The educational group learning experiences included an educational briefing on 4 March, a feedback session at the end of the event, and a separate - and very dynamic - panel session on 5 March (in the run up to International Women’s Day). This specifically explored solutions to workplace barriers faced by women who stutter, Clare Louise Partridge from the Civil Service (UK) expertly chaired this session on women who stutter, with contributions from Aashima Gogia (India) and Jia Bin (USA/China). They gave compelling personal accounts of their experiences and how they had learned to face down discrimination. This included calling it out, advocacy work, and refusing to accept the societal stigma placed on women who stutter across different cultures and settings. 7th Global Practice Interview Event 21-28 October, 2024 “Excellent set of interviews. Learned a lot, got great practice and met some amazing people. Speaking to people who have succeeded in their career despite their stutter was also amazing.” Interviewee who stutters “Little did I know how impactful this opportunity would be for me, but also for the interviewee by creating a psychological safe environment by being patient, allowing extra time for them to answer questions then following up with candid feedback regarding their CV/resume and overall interview.” Interviewer who does not stutter This event involved: ● Over 100 participants from 22 countries across 6 continents ● Welcoming first-time participants from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Spain and Switzerland ● Bringing new companies and interviewers on board ● Acting on previous feedback and stretching the timeframe to a full week, encompassing the educational briefing, panel session, closing feedback session and time for all the interviews to take place in between. The panel session explored the intersectionality between stuttering and other human characteristics with panel members
Dr Claire Tupling (UK), Dr Derek Daniels (USA) and Puneet Singh Singhal (India). Woven through their contributions, the panellists showed how differing life experiences can affect careers and specifically the complexities of the impact that gender, race and health, combined with having a stutter, can have on interviews and in the workplace. This expanded geographic and cultural representation underscores our commitment and emphasis throughout all the year’s work to building a global community that fosters understanding and inclusion for people who stutter in the workplace. Impact of the event as a whole on participants providing formal feedback: ● 100% of interviewees now feel more confident about their next interview as a person who stutters ● 87% of interviewers feel more confident about their next interview with a person who stutters (with the remaining 13% feeling just as confident as before) ● 88% agree that participating in the events helped them take a step toward becoming a more inclusive listener. All of this would not have been possible without the support of our partner employers. We warmly thank (in alphabetical order) Amazon, British Council, Cargill, EY, Mishcon de Reya LLP, Rolls-Royce, Sage, SLB and TSB Bank. Talks for employers and other organisations We ran awareness and educational sessions for a range of employers and other organisations in 2024, including for: ● EY EMEIA - a virtual session with speakers Elias Apreko (Ghana), Shilpa Sagwal (India) and Iain Wilkie (UK) involving multiple EY participants from Europe, Middle East, India & Africa on the theme “In a world that doesn’t listen, how can stuttering voices help us become more inclusive listeners?” ● Civil Service Stammering Network (UK) talk where Iain Wilkie spoke about his own career as a person
who stutters rising to become a senior partner in global firm EY. ● CIty Lit Interiorised Stammering Group - a session on navigating a successful career with a stutter ● Mishcon de Reya - a talk by Iain Wilkie on his post-EY career to 25 Mishcon de Reya partners. This led to volunteers coming forward as practice interviewers for our October 2024 event and other support ● Cargill UK - an in-person session with 30 participants from the UK in June, with the theme “Making a difference together by focussing on stuttering-inclusive cultures.” Cargill participants also shared their experiences as interviewers in our March Practice interview event. We also presented at a further very well received event in September with Cargill USA with an international audience across several countries on stuttering inclusive culture. ● Rolls-Royce - a virtual session in July with almost 500 participants from several countries on the theme “The courage to speak up and create a workplace culture inclusive of different voices” co-delivered with staff from Rolls-Royce, one of whom reported “I was overwhelmed with feedback from colleagues, with one person telling me it was the first time they felt seen at work.”. ● BDF’s (Business Disability Forum) Global Taskforce (about 50 leading global employers). Talk by Elias Apreko, Shilpa Sagwal and Iain Wilkie, which led to introductions to new employers. Presentations at other events StutterFEST24 conference 4 May This was a hybrid event organised by the World Stuttering Network. We ran a virtual panel session with contributions from Chris Brady (USA - Talent Acquisition Leader), Rohit Sachdeva (India - software developer) and Iain Wilkie (UK). The session provided an opportunity to present different perspectives on Interviewing successfully with a stutter. All the panellists had previously participated in the 50 Million Voices Practice Interviews programme. WSCO - 11th World Congress on Stuttering and Cluttering, Austin,Texas, USA 16-18 May
Iain Wilkie met with several stuttering leaders and researchers from many different countries introducing them to the work of 50 Million Voices, while learning about valuable work happening elsewhere. He was also presented with a a prestigious award for the impact of our work. More on this in the section below on building our reputation and relationships. STAMMAfest 2024 Nottingham, UK, 15-18 August Iain Wilkie ran a workshop together with Rory Sheridan on “ 50 Ways To Be Stammering Assertive at Work ” with some 60 people attending. The workshop explored the unspoken dynamics of workplace communication and looked at when, how and with whom assertiveness about stammering can be helpful, and what are the risks and rewards attached. Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Summit, 12-13 November The summit included a pre-recorded fireside chat with Iain Wilkie about the work of 50 Million Voices and the workplace challenges faced by people who stutter. Strengthening our Foundations During the year, we continued our work behind the scenes from 2023 to enable us to consolidate our progress, sustain our activities and plan for the future. We worked with a small charity fundraiser in 2024 to start diversifying our funding base and gain support from charitable trusts, having thus far focused on support from employers and individuals. We were delighted to receive grants over a period of months from the Garfield Weston Foundation, The Chapman Charitable Trust, The Hadley Trust, The SMB Trust, and The Pat Newman Memorial Trust. We also received notification of a grant from The Carmela and Ronnie Pignatelli Foundation with the funds being received in January 2025. For the first time in 2024, we also took on a different kind of fundraising, with a small and intrepid 50 Million Voices team of five volunteers, including our Chair and one of our Trustees, by walking a 22 km section of the Thames Path Challenge.
Ably coordinated for us by Iman Sheperia, and with a few months of planning, we raised £6k between us (after costs) and had
a wonderful day with engaging conversation, sunshine and a refreshing breeze to accompany us to the finish line. We are now planning to undertake another section of the Thames Path Challenge in September 2025. Other administration and future governance requirements have also been part of our continuing internal discussions in 2024.Our chair and founder, Iain Wilkie, whose initial term of office as a trustee ended in 2024, was unanimously endorsed by trustees to stand for a further three years. As last year, we are very conscious that future planning is not necessarily visible and doesn't produce instant results. We continue to reach significantly more people with each passing year and our impact is significantly greater than the resources we have might suggest. This makes our capacity building planning work behind the scenes all the more important. Our presence on LinkedIn has gone from about 1,100 at the end of 2023, to over 1,550 by the end of 2024, an increase of over 40%. In the course of the year we also created a Facebook group and accounts on Instagram and Bluesky. We are glad to be working from 2024 with Willemijn Bolks, an illustrator from the Netherlands who stutters, who has provided us with impactful graphics to support our events and presentations. During 2024, we also welcomed new country leaders to our leaders’ group, being Ana Karina Espinoza from Chile, and Voon Pang from New Zealand. An introduction to Amazon in New Zealand led to three interviewers coming forward for our Practice Interviews event in October. We also welcomed two new country leaders from Turkey - Diyar Zorlu and Halil Tayyip Uysal. Building our Reputation, Reach and Relationships with Employers, Other Organisations and Individuals Articles featuring members of the 50 Million Voices team Why DEI should include people who stutter (14 May 24) Through contact with our Trustee Chris Gemmell, Fast Company, a major business
media brand, published this article, featuring Chris and how he successfully navigates his career with a stutter. A part of me was crying for freedom. the people embracing their stutter (5 Feb 24) Published in BBC Future and written by Krupa Padhy, presenter of BBC World Service and Radio 4 Woman’s Hour at the time the article was written, this piece shines a light on some of those who embrace their stutter, featuring amongst others our Global Coordinator Shilpa Sagwal, Trustee Elias Apreko, Chair Iain Wilkie and our leader for China, Jia Bin. Articles produced by 50 Million Voices Our Trustee Helen Carpenter writes regularly for SIGNAL, the magazine of the National Stammering Clinical Excellence Network, which reaches speech and language therapists who specialise in the management of stuttering and cluttering, to update them on 50 Million Voices’ activities and opportunities. 50 Million Voices also produces its own newsletter from time to time, which goes to a growing network of individuals with whom we are in contact, both allies and people who stutter. Copies of this are available from the 50 Million Voices website. The second edition of the newsletter, in August 2024, included a powerful and personal article by Shilpa Sagwal on her experience of motherhood and stuttering. Awards We were all thrilled when the World Stuttering and Cluttering Organization (WSCO), at their Congress in Austin, Texas, in May, recognised our founder and chair Iain Wilkie, with their 2024 “Individual award for improving the lives of people who stutter or clutter” including for “his unique contribution to the community of people who stutter”. The award was presented by Sharon Millard, chair of the WSCO Awards & Congress Bursaries Committee. Congratulations go to Iain, though he insists that it is a team achievement for everyone involved in 50 Million Voices!
Networks and supporting others Supporting other organisations working in the field of stammering and being there when they have an activity or something to celebrate helps to develop our ongoing relationships as well as being valuable in
itself. A few examples of 50 Million Voices “being there” in 2024 are below: ● Producing a short video in support of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Ghana Stammering Association, an organisation that has been hugely supportive of 50 million Voices ● Participating in the Heard AI pilot testing at Michigan State University in advance of its release at the National Stuttering Association conference on July 24. The aim of Heard AI is to make voice activated AI accessible and fair to people who stutter ● Attending events - e.g. at Michael Palin Centre, and another example, the launch of the stammering pride art exhibition at City Lit. Companies praising our work Just two examples from 2024 below: We were delighted that leading global professional services firm EY reported on the highly positive impact of their ongoing collaboration with us in their UK Impact Report for 2024 (page 18). 2024 was the second year running that we’ve been called out by EY, who employ over 17,000 people in the UK and 400,000 people globally. The Chief People Officer of Rolls-Royce posted on LinkedIn in December 24, coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, about the way the company’s participation in our Practice interviews had taught them valuable lessons about communication and accommodation. “From avoiding assumptions - like finishing someone’s sentences - to offering alternate ways to engage, small adjustments can have a big impact.” For 50 Million Voices,2024 had its big moments of success and many smaller ones…together they add up to an important theme. In short, how we connect and build relationships is developing our reach and our impact well beyond our size, and this is increasing with each passing year. We are now tackling the challenge of continuing to develop in a sustainable way. We have a big opportunity with the increasingly diverse
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network of people we collaborate with. This includes:
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the wider stuttering community ● employers and individual allies
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other organisations who are working with purposes congruent with our own,
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
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Achievements against Para 1.41
objectives set
Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives Para 1.41
set
Investment performance Para 1.41
against objectives
Other
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Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | The Receipts and Payments account shows receipts for the year of £53,238 less payments of £20,532, resulting in net receipts of £32,706. This amount added to the cash funds brought forward at 1 January 2024 of £24,373, resulted in cash funds at 31 December 2024 totalling £57,079 |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | The charity has a reserves policy whereby cash funds equal to 5 months’ expenditure should be held in reserve. The policy is a prudent estimate of the amount of funds that could be required in the event of the winding up of the charity. On 31 December 2024, having incurred total cash expenditure of £20,532 in the year, the amount required to be held in reserve under the terms of the policy was £8,555 (5 months’ expenditure). This was exceeded by the amount of cash held at 31 December 2024 of £57,079 |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | The amount held was £60,216 |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | n/a |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | n/a |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | n/a |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 | |
|---|---|---|
| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | |
| Other |
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
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|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution adopted May 2020 |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | CIO |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees |
Para 1.25 | Trustees are usually appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. At the end of their term of office, Trustees may put themselves forward for re- election to serve further 3 year terms. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees |
Para 1.51 | |
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | |
| Other |
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | 50 Million Voices |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | |
| Registered charity number | 1189541 |
| Charity’s principal address | 21 Seymour Road Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 4HN |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| Trustee name | Office (if any) |
Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustees (if any) |
|
| 1 | Iain Wilkie | Chair | ||
| 2 | Helen Carpenter | |||
| 3 | Chris Gemmell | |||
| 4 | Elias Apreko |
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
Director name n/a
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
| Trustee name | Dates acted if not for whole year | |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | ||
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
| Description of the assets held in this capacity |
n/a |
|---|---|
| Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects |
n/a |
| Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets |
n/a |
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Type of adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
Type of adviser Name Address |
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|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | |||
| Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) | |||
| n/a |
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Other optional information
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages Responsibilities and basis of report |
Charity Name 50 Million Voices |
Charity Name 50 Million Voices |
Charity Name 50 Million Voices |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2024 | Charity no (if any) |
1189541 | |
| 1 & 2 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) |
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| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended31/ 12 /2024. As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). |
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
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Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have
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examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Date: 22/10/2025
Signed: Name: Phil Gellhorn Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: 38 Haslemere Road, London N8 9RB
1
Oct 2018
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
2
Oct 2018
IER