BTCV Handbooks Online

Book:	Local Action
Chapter:	Money and fundraising
Section:	Raising Money
Metadata:	Details	Buy this book

If spending money is sometimes difficult, then raising it can be a lot harder. Some people love to raise money, while others absolutely hate doing so and as a result are usually not very good at it. The key to raising money is to find the people who like fundraising, and support and encourage them in this.

Support and encourage them.

Most groups can raise some money fairly easily. Fifty people paying a membership fee of �4 each may cover basic costs of distributing a newsletter, but won't last long once you start buying tools or hiring vans. If your group is going to expand, then you need to plan to raise money just as you plan to plant a new woodland.

Look beyond group members. They are giving you something far more valuable than money - their time. The people to call on are those who support the group but never come out on project work and who may be interested in helping you to raise funds, or in giving you financial support.

How much money you need depends entirely on what you want to do.

Raising money can be done in many ways, for example:

asking for a Local Authority or charitable trust grant,
getting a local company to make a donation or gift-in-kind (materials, expertise etc.)
holding fund raising events.

The best approach depends on the amount of money that you need and when you will need it. You may need to think about putting together a funding package - getting money from a number of different sources, possibly using some or all of the above methods. Funders like to see that groups applying for money are able to raise a certain amount of the money they require on their own. This match funding can often include volunteer time and gifts-in-kind. Showing that you are trying to help yourselves will be looked on favourably by funders. When applying for grants you have to be clear about how much you need and what it will be spent on. The more accurate and realistic your costings, the more seriously your application will be taken.

You will need to draw up a budget, based on the activities that need to be carried out and, how much they will cost. This might include:

Equipment - gardening tools to cement mixers.
Costs of hiring halls for public meetings.
Materials - plants, soil, bricks etc., rent - for office or other premises.
Stationery - pens, paper, envelopes.
fees - for professionals e.g. architects.
Printing - leaflets, posters, reports.
Staff costs - if you intend to employ someone.
Postage and telephone charges.
Volunteer costs - reimburse any costs incurred by volunteers so that no one is left out of pocket. For instance, contribute to fuel costs if someone has made lots of trips in their car in aid of the project, reimburse travel costs to site etc. - anything that volunteers have paid for that contributes to your project.
Some grants also offer to pay volunteers' expenses to help cover cr�che costs, or help covering for care of other dependants.
Travel - for visits, surveys et c. Insurance.
Training.

NB. Make sure your costs include VAT.

You might need to add an allowance for inflation.

Tips For Successful Fundraising

There are a few golden rules that help towards being successful when applying for funding.......

Make sure that your project fits the criteria that the funder is looking for. You may need to highlight a particular aspect of your project to take account of the funder's priorities.

Convey the environmental and the wider community benefits of your project.

Make sure that you're using the current year's application form, as sometimes they vary from year to year, as can funders' priorities. A phone call is usually enough to confirm this.

Applications usually have to come from established groups and you may have to give proof of your existence by providing details of a group bank account or copies of your accounting books.

Give yourselves sufficient time to devote to fundraising, taking note of the proposed start date of the project, deadlines for applications, and dates when grants are awarded.

Have a carefully prepared bid that is properly thought through, well presented and checked for accuracy. It will give confidence in your ability to carry out the project. Keep copies of your completed application for reference purposes.

Send your application in good time for the closing date.

Most importantly, use your imagination! Make your project interesting and creative, and accessible to as many people as possible. Funders want to support projects that contribute to good practice that can be applied elsewhere. After all, if the funder has to read through 300 applications, the one that stands out by having exciting and unusual ideas that look like they will really work is most likely to catch the decision maker's eye.

The National Lotteries Charities Board has cited the following reasons for bids being unsuccessful: 1 in 4 bids fail due to inadequate planning or proposals for managing the project, 1 in 7 bids fail because they are for projects that do not contribute to the Board's aims, 1 in 10 bids are turned down due to a lack of funds. Don't be disheartened if an application fails - keep looking! Funders will often give you feedback on your bid if you ask them; use this information and try again!

There are many guides to fundraising, and the Directory for Social Change, (see Useful organisations for their address), has some very useful publications.

Grants

There are several sources of grants for small projects. BTCV produces a 'Grants and Awards Fact Sheet' on paper and the website and that is the first place to start looking. Your local Voluntary Action should know about local grant funds, and produce newsletters with regular updates on national funding streams like the National Lottery, and a lot of local radio and TV stations and local authorities run their own schemes

Local fundraising

This is the traditional way for local groups to raise money - and so it should be. If you are doing good work and local people know it, then you should be able to persuade them to donate money to enable you to do more worthwhile work in their local area. Many grant funds won't give you money to help with the running costs of your groups so local fundraising is still very important, even if you have been successful in getting a large grant to pay for a new footpath across your site.

Remember to ask local businesses as well as individuals. Some might give a cash grant, others will be able to contribute materials or practical help to your project. Local branches of large companies often contribute as part of a national policy so it might take them a while to decided; really local businesses may be able to make a decision on the spot. Businesses may be able to offer you gifts in kind or discounts on purchase that would help you undertake your projects.