Finding the funds

Mention fund raising and people immediately think of state of the art watersports facilities and long drawn out lottery applications. However, raising funds for club activities is often not such an onerous task as many suspect.

The level of funding required will differ from project to project, as will the commitment, time and effort required to access the funds. For example, you may wish to raise a few thousand pounds towards the cost of a new rescue boat and the training of club members. Raising this type of sum can be relatively straightforward and a great benefit to a clubs development.

Within this section we discuss the factors to consider before you start fund raising for a project, we look at the sources of funding a club could access and finally we list a range of funding organisations and the opportunities that they offer.

Graham Manchester

There are five main sources of funds for sports clubs and organisations:

• the club s membership annual subscriptions, perhaps a special one-off levy, or a more formal debenture scheme
• income generated by hosting events, running training courses, renting out the club s premises for social functions
• private sources bank loans, or commercial sponsorship
• public sources the Lottery Sports Fund, Awards for All, SportsMatch
• charitable sources for example Sailability and the Foundation for the Sports and Arts.

Factors to consider prior to starting a fund raising project

Before applying for any financial assistance from external sources, particularly from the Lottery Sports Fund, you will need to demonstrate that there is a genuine need for money that cannot be raised inside the club, that the club is well managed, and that the funds will be used for purposes compatible with the funding body s objectives. Here are some of the points you should consider:

• Does the Club have a written Development Plan which will explain to someone from outside the club, and probably with limited knowledge of the sport, your current activities, what you want to achieve in the future and how the grant you are applying for will help you achieve it? You are unlikely to obtain grants from public or charitable organisations if you wish simply to maintain or improve facilities for your existing members. See section 10, Club Development Plans.

• Is there a real need for more or improved facilities in your area? Is this need supported by any local strategic plan? Ask your local authority if they have a strategy for leisure, sport and recreation. Will there be scope for shared use with other local organisations? Investigate what other clubs are doing in the area, ensure that you are not submitting a similar application to a club two miles down the road.

• Have you got a project leader and a group of members with the relevant expertise to prepare an application (e.g. budgeting, project management, planning) for a capital project and the time and energy to see the project through? See section 16, Facility Developments.

• Can you show that club members are willing to contribute towards the project, either financially or by contributing time and labour?

• Can you demonstrate that you have sought contributions from other sources, for example local companies, whether or not you have been successful? Most funding bodies like to see evidence of partnership funding, and the Lottery should be regarded as a last resort to cover any shortfall, not your first port of call.

• Does your club have an Equal Opportunities Policy? See section 11, Clubs for All.

• If you want to attract new participants, or more juniors, is the club an RYA Recognised Teaching Establishment? After the initial inspection fee, RYA affiliated clubs are exempt from the annual recognition fee. See section 8, Becoming an RYA Recognised Teaching Establishment.

• If you want to improve your provision for disabled sailors, have you contacted RYA Sailability about their Foundation Entry scheme? See section 4, Sailability.

• If you want to develop your junior and youth racing programme, have you thought about becoming an RYA/Volvo Champion Club? See section 9, Volvo RYA Champion Clubs.
• Does your club have a Child Protection policy and procedures? If not, you will not be eligible for funding from the Sport England Lottery Fund. See section 14, Child Protection.

• If the club doesn t own the premises, is there security of tenure with a long enough lease to make expenditure on improvements worthwhile?
• Some funding bodies will be unable to make a grant if your club s dissolution clause allows the members of the club to benefit personally in the event that the club is wound up. Check that if this should happen, the club s assets would pass to an organisation with similar objects.

Sport England publish a series of books on club development in their Running Sport series and run low-cost seminars for clubs under the Running Sport programme. See section 13, Courses of Value to Clubs and Volunteers. Clubs with little experience of development planning or fundraising would benefit from attending a seminar or at least obtaining the relevant books before starting to write their plan.

Clubs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should contact their Sports Council, See section 19, Useful Contacts.

Sources of Funding for Clubs - please see 'Related Links'

If you require further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the Legal Department Tel: 0845 3450373 Email: legal@rya.org.uk.