CCI Support Launches Matched Giving Campaign & Silent Auction To Support Aotearoa’s 'Invisible' Community

Across Aotearoa, thousands of people are quietly missing from boardrooms, classrooms, workplaces, sports teams, and community life. They didn’t lose interest or move away — they became unwell, often after a virus, and never fully recovered. These New Zealanders are living with ME/CFS, Long COVID, Fibromyalgia, Dysautonomia, and other complex chronic conditions that can leave people housebound, bedbound, or unable to participate in daily life.

For 45 years, Complex Chronic Illness Support (CCI Support) has been one of the few organisations walking alongside this invisible community, providing connection, advocacy, navigation, and peer support. But like many charities across the motu, CCI Support is facing a tightening funding landscape, with several major grants unavailable this year.

To help protect its essential services, CCI Support has launched two major fundraising initiatives: a Matched Giving Campaign and a Silent Auction featuring artwork and handmade items created by members.

Matched Giving Campaign: Donations Doubled — and New Matchers Needed

CCI Support’s first matched-giving pledge of $1,500 has now been fully unlocked, turning it into $3,000 to support people who have become invisible in their own communities due to chronic illness. A second pledge of $500 begins tomorrow — and the organisation is now seeking additional matched donors to keep the momentum going.

“When someone becomes chronically ill, their world shrinks — but their need for support grows,” says Fiona Charlton, Board President. “Matched giving is a powerful way for the community to help us continue supporting the people who are missing from everyday life, but who still matter deeply. Doubling the impact through matched giving encourages the generosity we need to directly strengthen the services our community rely on.”

Funds raised will support CCI Support’s core services, including one-on-one support, peer groups, navigation, advocacy, and resources for people living with chronic illness.

Individuals or businesses interested in becoming matched donors are encouraged to get in touch.

Public donations can be made at: https://ccisupport.raiselysite.com

Silent Auction: ‘Bid for Change — Make the Invisible Seen’

Running from 9 March, 10am to 22 March, 10am, the Silent Auction showcases artwork, crafts, and handmade creations generously contributed by members. Each piece reflects resilience, creativity, and lived experience within the chronic illness community.

“The auction is more than a fundraiser — it’s a way of making the invisible visible,” says Charlton. “Every bid helps ensure our services remain available to those who need them.”

Auction link: https://www.32auctions.com/ccisupport

A Call for Community Support

“CCI Support has been here for 45 years,” says Miranda Whitwell, CEO. “With the community’s help — through donations, bidding, or simply sharing our campaigns — we’ll be here for the next 45.”

Members consistently describe the organisation as a lifeline. One shared: “CCI Support has been able to support me better than my own doctor. I finally felt like I wasn’t alone and now have a plan to get better. It’s given me hope that I won’t feel like this forever.”

To contribute to the Matched Giving Campaign, participate in the Silent Auction, or learn more, visit: ccisupport.org.nz

Note:

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a long-term, multi-system illness that often begins after a viral infection. Instead of recovering normally, the body’s systems stop working the way they should. It affects: the immune system (which becomes overactive or confused), the nervous system (especially the brain and autonomic nervous system), the endocrine system (hormones and stress response), the energy-production systems in cells. The World Health Organization has recognised ME as a neurological illness since 1969, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was formally classified as a post-viral condition in 2019 — but the medical community is still catching up in understanding it.

Long COVID is a condition where symptoms continue — or new symptoms appear — long after the initial COVID19 infection has passed. Instead of recovering fully, the body doesn’t reset properly. Multiple systems can be affected at once, including: the immune system, the nervous system, the autonomic nervous system (which controls heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature), the endocrine system, the energy production systems in cells. It’s not “just being tired after COVID.” It’s a long-term, multisystem illness that can be very disabling.

Dysautonomia is a disorder where the autonomic nervous system — the part of the body that controls things you don’t have to think about, like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature — stops working properly. Instead of keeping everything steady in the background, the system becomes unstable and unpredictable resulting in dizziness, palpitations, blood pressure swings, gut issues and more.

Fibromyalgia is a long--term condition that causes widespread pain, fatigue, and sensory overload. It affects how the brain and nervous system process pain and sensory signals, making the body react as though it’s under constant stress or threat.

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