Approaches to Fundraising

Today's post finds me reporting on and pondering how a project like ours finds the money to operate.

It has been triggered by a new opportunity that has landed in our lap - text donations from a mobile phone (cellphone).

As of next week (from 18th June 2009 ish), all being well, people will be able to text "RED" to 81400 and be able to donate to the Save our Squirrels project. For the small cost of £1.50 plus the standard network rate, approximately £1 will be added to the coffers.

This scheme has been popular for some time now amongst the UK television channels, with special programmes such as Red Nose Day's climbing Kilamajaro challenge. The concept is simple and has the potential to raise serious cash - provided the number is advertised widely enough, for which an "investment" in marketing is required.

The traditional routes for raising cash such as collecting tins, selling merchandise (pens, fluffy toys, mugs etc) and becoming a membership organisation are all good, but time consuming and with minimal return.

Big money for conservation projects comes from putting in bids to funding bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, and through schemes such as landfill tax. Our project, for instance got in the region of £600,000 from HLF over 3 years. This money, however, comes with strings attached.

Although you can get big bucks, you have to apply for it. That application has to meet strict criteria and you have to state clearly from the outset exactly how you will spend the money. HLF in particular required detailed targets that we needed to hit in order to get the money, so our work is restricted to working towards those targets.

Another route to follow to fund a conservation project is to work with lots of partner organisations - other charities, government bodies and corporate businesses who will agree to all put in money or gift in kind, such as providing office space, staff time or equipment for free or a reduced fee. Of course, there will be strings here too as they will want something out of it too, usually good PR and their logos splashed all over any leaflets, websites, press releases etc etc.

Its a complicated affair, but with the right combination of the above you can achieve a great deal.