FAQs

They get paid. And honestly, we’re proud of that.

We love our volunteers, particularly those who’ve given their time, energy, expertise, or services for free. We wouldn’t be here without them. But running a charity, keeping on top of governance, designing and building a platform, raising funds, nurturing relationships, creating marketing materials, keeping the lights on... that’s a job. Actually, that's lots of jobs.

Goodwill is amazing, but it can’t cover the rent. So we do what any responsible organisation does when it wants to hire brilliant people. We pay them fairly. All of our pay decisions are double-checked by our Board of Trustees and triple-checked each year by an external independent examiner. We're thorough, our Founder's a Virgo.

We offer a free support app for people with cancer. That takes time, people and care to build and run. Most of our funding goes towards paying the team who make it all happen. That includes the legends building and designing the app, supporting our community, and doing all the essential behind-the-scenes work to keep things running smoothly. Of course, we also have the usual running costs like insurance, legal fees, admin and Zoom accounts. Our annual budget is reviewed and approved by our brilliant Board of Trustees, so we can make sure every penny is working towards our mission and charity activity.

All of our funding comes from grants and donations. Most of it is what’s called "restricted funding" — meaning it can only be used for specific things agreed in advance. No impulse purchases. No spending it all on tote bags. (Tempting, though.)

1. It’s 2025 and tech is how most of us stay in touch. Social media can be powerful, but it isn’t always safe or made with care. We felt the cancer community deserved something better.

2. Finding someone who gets what you’re going through shouldn’t depend on where you live, how long you’ve waited, or whether there’s a local support group at 2pm on a Tuesday. We use tech to make human connection easier, especially for people who’ve felt left out or overlooked.

Our home is at Soho Works, 180 Strand. We appreciate you, @SohoHouse, you’ve got great taste and even better WiFi.

We’re also a remote team with people in Manchester, Yorkshire, and Brighton. Our community isn’t just based in London, so neither are we.

Alike is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered in England and Wales (Charity number 1181848).

We’re proud to be a charity. We’re not here to build a shiny app to make profit (no exit payday for Bradley) or inflate user numbers for a valuation. We’re here because we’ve made a mission to the cancer community, and we actually mean it.

Being a registered charity means we’re accountable, transparent, and focused on people over profit. No margins. No shareholders. Just a team doing this because it matters to us.

Alike is an organisation created to take the loneliness out of cancer. We help people affected by cancer find community and belonging through digital spaces shaped by them, for them.