Trust funding

Gerry & Martin

thank you for your comments. Gerry fully understood what I meant - and yes we need to get the local government of the country we are working in to start to pick up some of the costs.

It helps to have experts agree with some of the difficulties I am experiencing, especially when talking to trustees.

thanks

Hi, Michelle

In addition to Martin's comments, another term for what his friend calls front-loading is full cost recovery - no bid should ever be without it!

However, it doesn't solve your problem of how to fund a mature project. For this you really need to be looking at alternative sources of funds, which, in a case like yours, will probably break down to :
UK or EU International Aid
Local (to the project) Government support for your work - and, yes, I do realise how rarely that would be an option
Donors/subscribers/sponsors - individuals who believe in your work and agree to pay for it.

As a first step, I'd be inclined to find church or other social groups who might adopt a project.

Trusts are not long-term investors, in general - we need to have other ways to make our projects sustainable.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Gerry

Gerry Beldon FInstF
Director, 26-01 CIC
www.26-01.com

Hi Michelle.
Some charities will fund running costs (actual running costs, salaries etc) directly.
Garfield Weston won't fund staff as I recall but has no problem with paying running costs.

Then there's project costs - don't always have to be new.
We've been doing meals for 30 years, funders are willing to pay towards the meal project costs.
Being able to show how effective a project is, what difference it made in the life of individuals - that is what has made a difference for us in promoting existing projects.
Some things, as you are no doubt aware, simply work.

Or there's what a friend of mine calls 'front-loading'.
Its what business does - charges a price per unit and sticks a portion of all its costs into the price.
Means when you pay £4.18 for 9 bog rolls then the store is recouping a portion of its full costs in that one product price.
For charities the equivilant is figure out how many people are helped. How much total costs are.
Divide one by the other (get that the right way round). Thats your cost per person helped.
I've found some smaller charities are willing to pay to help Bob, Simon and Frank get this support, that support and so on.
Rather like when charities ask us to sponsor this child or that animal......

Doesn't make the treasurer's job any easier but it does work in practice.

Martin