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Property Handbook
Introduction
There are two types of fundraising
in which churches will normally engage. Firstly, there is fundraising for
general running costs. This is mostly raised through congregational giving, and
occasional church fairs and other means of supplementing income. The United
Reformed Church produces some guidance on congregational giving, in three packs,
entitled “TRIO – The Responsibility Is Ours”, “GEM – Gifts Enable Mission”, and
“ACT – Acclaim Christ Together”, which are available from the Church House
bookshop (020-7916 2020). The second type of fundraising is for specific large projects, such as building work and the running costs of medium or long term projects. It is primarily to this area of work that this guidance is directed. (Information on grants and loans from within the United Reformed Church is given in the following section Ø851).
Onerous Terms
Churches should be aware that some funders will seek to apply conditions to their grant. In some cases, the conditions may be so stringent that it is not worth accepting the money, although sometimes it may be possible to negotiate. In particular, government grants often attach requirements regarding public access, or a claw back of the money if the project ceases or the church closes within 80 years. If faced with conditions such as these, churches should consult their trustees and the Synod Office for advice.
Smaller Projects
There are often small pots of money available from external funding sources if you are planning modest improvements to facilities that will also benefit the wider community. For example, if your building is used by outside organisations, such as brownies, cubs, toddlers, dancing or drama clubs, you could get help with buying new chairs for the hall, or new storage cupboards, redecorating, or improving kitchens or toilets. Often these sources of funding are relatively easy to obtain, and usually involve filling in forms and providing estimates, inspected accounts and a recent bank statement. If a constitution is required, you can send the relevant pages of sections A-C of the United Reformed Church Manual. (Every Church Secretary should have one, and it is also available at www.urc.org.uk/manual/index.htm).
Usually you will be required to send in a report once the project is completed.
Sources of Information
The Local Development Agencies and Councils for Voluntary Service (look in a telephone directory for your nearest one) can be very good sources of advice, information, support and training, and churches are strongly encouraged to contact them at a very early stage. They can help you to identify what you need to do, advise you on how to do it, and identify possible funders. They might even do some of the work for you. Some also have email and websites. A great deal of information about
fundraising in general and particular grant-making bodies can be obtained on the
Internet. Some reference books can also be consulted in your local library. Here is a summary of some of the useful sources.
www.acf.org.uk gives general information on fundraising and links to many of
the Association of Charitable Foundations’ members’ websites.
www.charitycommission.gov.uk allows you to search the Charity Commission’s
register, which includes basic details of many grant-making trusts.
www.funderfinder.org.uk also gives tips on fundraising, and produces
specialist software for searching for funders.
www.fundersonline.org has a database of grant-making European foundations,
and gives some tips on researching applications.
www.grantsonline.org.uk offers a subscription-based database of research on
grant-makers. www.trustfunding.org offers a subscription-based database of major and local grant-making trusts.
The Directory of Grant-Making Trusts and The Complete Fundraising Handbook can be ordered for £75.00 and £16.95 from: The Directory of Social Change 24 Stephenson Way LONDON NW1 2DP Tel: 020-7209 5151 books@dsc.org.uk
Professional Fundraisers
For particularly large projects, churches may consider employing a professional fundraiser. A good one will be able to guide the church to the most appropriate sources of grant funding in their area for the type of project proposed. Before doing so, the church should carefully read the Charity Commission booklet CC20 (Charities and Fund-raising) and act upon the advice container there. In addition, great care must be taken in the choice of professional fundraiser to ensure that they are both effective and honest. Personal recommendation is best. References supplied by the prospective fundraiser should always be taken up and must be checked with care to ensure they are genuine. The Institute of Fundraising has useful information on its website including a list of members and a recommended standard form of agreement between the church and the consultant. (www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk). Churches should note that membership is achieved by paying a subscription and signing up to a code of practice. Churches are advised not to enter into an agreement with a fundraiser without consulting their Synod Office which may have information about fundraisers used by other churches, both good and bad. Some Synods may require that a solicitor is used to check any agreement before it is signed.
Making Plans
Unlike smaller projects, preparing
a major application can be very complicated, and require a great deal of time
and skill. For major fundraising campaigns or long term projects, it is
important to plan from the very beginning, so that everyone knows what you are
trying to achieve, how you will go about it, and how it will be funded. A
fundraising plan could evaluate different types of funding, such as
congregational giving, fundraising activities, trusts, government and European
funding, local businesses, tax-efficient giving, project income and loans, and
consider timetabling. This is probably best done by setting up a small task
group to formulate plans, with extensive consultation with interested parties,
including of course church members. The advantages of putting something on paper
are that it helps to focus minds, to unite behind a common goal, to measure
progress, and to gain credibility with potential donors. Plans can of course be
updated or amended as new information becomes available, or objectives are
reviewed. As an alternative, you could seek funding for a development worker who will help with research, identify funders, write a business plan and funding bids. Some businesses, such as architects, will provide this as part of their service. A business plan does not need to be a long document, but should usually contain the following items.
Sources of Funding
It is worth noting that it is generally much easier to obtain funding for projects which can be demonstrated to benefit the wider community, rather than just the church. There are some funders who specialise in religious projects, but there are not many. Funding for projects can be obtained from a number of sources, such as: Charitable trusts and foundations – mostly give small amounts and you need to check whether they will only support registered charities. Funders may be encouraged to consider churches, which do qualify as charities, but are generally not registered at present, by reason of the Charities (Exception from Registration)(Amendment) Regulations 2002)
European and government funding schemes
National Lottery distributing bodies www.hlf.org.uk (Heritage Lottery Fund) www.sportengland.org.uk (Sports Lottery Fund) · F Philanthropic organisations – local libraries often keep a list of contacts
Members of the public – through special events, gift aid, payroll giving, legacies
Support in kind – other forms of help such as time, materials, etc
Corporate sponsorship – if the project is a suitable one
How to Apply Grant-making trusts are often swamped by applications, so yours needs to stand out, and be easy to read. Make sure you have researched the grant-maker first, and have got their name and address right, and that your application meets their funding criteria. Sometimes it can help to ring up for an informal chat before writing formally.Targeted, well-researched and appropriate applications are far more likely to be successful than a standardised mailshot. If you are able to find out about the sort of grants the trust has previously made, you will be able to see what sorts of projects succeed and how much is usually given. Your application should explain to the reader who you are, what you do, what the project is, who will benefit from it, how much it will cost, how much has been raised to date, and (probably) what you would like from them in general terms. Where the funder specifies, you should of course fill in their application form, and in any case only provide the information they require.
It is suggested that you could prepare a reference pack of information (in case funders want to know more) held in a sturdy folder comprising the following elements (probably on separate sheets):
If you have previously produced a
business plan, then of course this could be included, or used as a basis for a
more funder-focussed presentation. If you are seeking a very large amount, you
may be asked for a full business plan. The information should be
comprehensive without being excessively long. The printing should be easily read
(eg, size 12 or 14 in Arial font if you have a computer), and paragraphs should
be clear and short. A white handwritten envelope gives
a more personal feel than a brown computer-printed one. At each stage it is
courteous to thank the grant-maker for their consideration, even if on this
occasion you are unsuccessful. Do not be downhearted if you are turned down. It would be realistic to expect that two-thirds of your funding bids will end this way, but if your project is a good one and your applications are well constructed you should meet with success before too long.
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