Page 10 - NAS Members Guide to Funding

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2. FUNDING YOUR
ASSOCIATION’S IDEA
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Alternatives to grant funding can bring a lot more than money to your association. There is the feeling of “we
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this section of the guide, your association will be able to:
Decide on suitable alternatives to grant funding Make contact with organisations and companies that can help you generate money, materials and labour
Begin to generate money independently
REDUCING THE NEED
FOR GRANT FUNDING
Before you search for grant funding, stop for a moment! Ask yourselves: are there other ways of bringing in money to pay for your association’s idea? This is not just about avoiding the need for a grant. If you do decide
to apply for a grant, a funder is unlikely to pay for all of your idea. Some funders want to see evidence of more than one source of income to pay for your idea (“Match Funding”, see Part 7). Hence, if you are thinking about grant funding, your association may need to look at other sources of income too. There are other reasons too: grants can be accompanied by compromises and restrictions. For example, a funder may expect/insist that you add or include activities that are onerous or
do not suit your association. You may not be able to
get funding for what you actually want to do. However, not receiving a grant is not failure. Actually, generating income yourselves is a sign of a strong, durable, volunteer-led community group that is generating a sustainable income into the future. Many successful and thriving allotment associations have never applied for a grant. Instead, they increase their income in other ways such as those listed below.
did it ourselves”, along with fun and sociality which help to keep morale buoyant. There is an opportunity for your association to become financially sustainable, an absolute must in this day and age – something funders like to see too. As well as cash injection, comes a higher profile in the local community, with your local council, and wider public too. This is worth its weight in gold.
INCOME GENERATION: OPTIONS
Below are several options that many allotment associations have had long-term success with. Pros and cons for each are also explained: which ones suit your association’s unique situation?Try experimenting until you find methods that work well for your association.
Fundraising
What: Your association raises money itself, instead
of asking for money from a grant funder. Successful examples of fundraising that work well for allotment associations are: plant sales, open days, site shop (trading hut) and raffles. You can probably think of many
more that will work well in your particular area – the sky really is the limit with fundraising and the more imaginative ideas generally raise more money because the public loves a novelty. For example, an open day
in December might sound chilly but if it includes Santa Claus, hot soup, sweet mince pies, games/quiz and prizes then it becomes attractive to the wider community.
Pros: The income is your association’s money so it is up to your association how and when you reinvest it into improving the allotment site. You strengthen your allotment community along the way. You raise the
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