lotus 500
A Circle of Women Backing Women
What is Lotus 500?
Lotus 500 is more than an annual giving programme, it’s an invitation to join a circle of women committed to meaningful change. Your £500 funds the essentials that make The Lotus Flower’s work possible: mental health sessions, business training, mobile outreach, emergency response, and the operational costs behind every programme. But this isn’t just about giving. As a Lotus 500 member, you’ll be part of a community where we exchange ideas, share solutions, and support one another, bringing together women who want to use their experience and expertise to lift others up. If we reach our target, we’ll gather for an annual meet-up to connect, reflect, and plan what comes next.
Most charities rely on short-term grants with rigid restrictions, funding a specific project but not the follow-up support women need. Lotus 500 fills those gaps, giving us the flexibility to respond where it matters most. If you’re looking for a way to give back that goes beyond a one-off donation, one that connects you with like-minded women and creates real, lasting impact, this is it.
One commitment
A single annual gift of £500, automatically renewed each year. You remain part of Lotus 500 for as long as you choose, with the flexibility to update or cancel your membership at anytime.
Lasting impact
Your £500 does far more than fund a single workshop or one-off activity. It helps keep The Lotus Flower’s work running year after year, sustaining the programmes, follow-up support, and core operations that women rely on.
Why annual giving matters
When you commit to £500 a year, you do more than fund individual activities - you give us the stability to plan ahead with confidence. That means keeping our women's centres and mobile teams running, strengthening long-term support, and being ready to respond immediately when crisis hits.
This kind of flexible, dependable funding matters deeply. When a funding crisis forced hundreds of NGOs across the Kurdistan Region to close, many organisations had to scale back or withdraw altogether. The Lotus Flower stayed open and expanded our reach. That was only possible because of committed supporters who chose to fund the work year after year, making it possible for us to respond to women's real needs rather than the limits of project-based funding.
What your £500 makes possible
Your annual contribution helps sustain the work women rely on every day, including:
Mental health support - counselling and wellbeing sessions delivered at our centres by locally trained psychologists.
Women's Business Incubator - training, mentoring, and start-up support for women building businesses in displacement camps.
Mobile teams - outreach to women in remote and underserved areas where no services exist.
Emergency response - rapid deployment when crisis hits, including our response to the Rojava conflict, when we supported more than 800 newly displaced families.
Keeping our programmes running - the operational costs that keep our centres open, our teams in place, and our support consistent.
Why this matters
It funds continuity, not just activity - your £500 helps ensure women receive ongoing support, not just a one-off intervention.
It gives us flexibility - we can respond where the need is greatest, rather than being limited by tightly restricted project funding.
It helps build trust - long-term presence allows women to return, grow in confidence, and access support over time.
It strengthens an established organisation - we've been operating in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq since 2016, with partners including UNHCR, UN Women, CARE International, and government directorates.
It backs long-term commitment - we're here to stay, but lasting impact depends on supporters who are willing to stand with us year after year.
Who joins Lotus 500?
Lotus 500 is for women who want their giving to be part of something bigger - a meaningful commitment to change, grounded in action, community, and long-term impact. Many of our members are professionals, founders, creatives, consultants, and leaders who are deeply aware of the state of the world and want to do more than stand by. They want to back serious, sustained work that supports women not just in moments of crisis, but over the long haul.
It is for women who care about where their money goes, who value substance over symbolism, and who want to be part of a wider circle of socially conscious women using their resources, networks, and influence to make a real difference. While many members come from professional and leadership backgrounds, Lotus 500 is open to anyone able to commit £500 annually and who wants to help keep The Lotus Flower strong, responsive, and operational year after year.
What it means to be part of Lotus 500
A clear view of your impact - through quarterly updates that share what is happening across our programmes, what challenges we are facing, and what we are learning along the way. These are thoughtful, honest insights into the realities of the work - not polished PR.
A closer connection to the people behind the work - with direct access to the story of how The Lotus Flower is growing, adapting, and responding in real time.
An annual Lotus 500 gathering - either in person or virtually - where you will hear directly from our team, including founder and CEO Taban Shoresh OBE, about the year's work, the wider context, and what lies ahead.
A sense of shared purpose - as part of a circle of socially conscious women who are not only giving, but standing together behind long-term, practical change for women affected by conflict and displacement.
A community of peers - women who care deeply about the world, want to make a meaningful difference, and value thoughtful exchange, collective insight, and purposeful action.
Recognition, if you want it - with your name listed on our website as a Lotus 500 supporter, unless you would prefer to remain anonymous.
A more meaningful relationship than traditional donor programmes - you are not simply making a transaction; you are helping sustain an organisation over the long term and becoming part of the community that makes that possible.
The opportunity to help shape a wider circle - as Lotus 500 grows, so does the potential for deeper connection, shared ideas, and future opportunities to come together annually.
The reality of humanitarian funding
Most humanitarian funding is restricted and short-term. It can cover a project or emergency response, but rarely the follow-up support, continuity, or core costs needed to keep services running.
Lotus 500 helps fill that gap. It gives us the flexible funding to respond quickly, sustain essential support between major grants, and stay present for women long after a crisis fades from view. This is the funding that keeps organisations operational - and makes long-term impact possible.
Join Lotus 500
Join a circle of women choosing to make a lasting difference. Your £500 annual gift renews automatically each year, can be changed or cancelled at any time, and helps keep vital support in place for as long as women need it. We highlight the automatic renewal clearly because we know how frustrating it is when this is hidden and we believe commitment should always be transparent.
For questions about Lotus 500, contact us at info@thelotusflower.org