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The Australian National 51�Թ��� (ANU) Staff Relief Fund was established in 2020 in response to the financial insecurity caused for staff by the COVID-19 pandemic. Requests for assistance from this fund can relate to cost-of-living pressures, significant medical conditions and the expenses that come with them, or sole parents struggling with payments to meet their children’s needs. Thanks to donor contributions, including many gifts from fellow ANU staff members, 41 recipients were supported by the Staff Relief Fund to deal with unforeseen adversity in their lives in 2023.

Franz Schroedl, a technical and radiation officer at the ANU School of Archaeology and Anthropology, found himself needing help when a number of problems came to a head at the same time. Assistance from the Staff Relief Fund helped him out of the situation.

Now, Franz has expressed his gratitude for the assistance he received by starting a recurring gift to the same fund that helped him when he needed it most.

“I was so grateful that someone could come to my aid. We may be meeting costs at one stage in our working career, but there will always be a time when we find ourselves in difficulty,” says Franz.

Unlike a one-time gift, recurring gifts can be set to any frequency that suits the donor – such as weekly, monthly, or annually. Recurring gifts provide a steady and encouraging source of support.

Franz gives biweekly. He encourages others to consider the gratefulness they would feel to receive support if they were ever in need, and to give. He believes that giving even a small amount each fortnight to initiatives like the Staff Relief Fund can make a difference.

“The very least I could do was to pay it back. It gives me a good sense of pleasure knowing that I may be assisting others. We often take too much. Time to give back,” says Franz.