Julie Thompson from Mexborough Allotment Society talks about fundraising for their allotment project.
What does your group do?
Allotment holders set up Mexborough Allotment Society in 1937. They became caretakers of the allotments for the Council, which at that time was called Mexborough Council. We aim to provide a safe and secure environment for allotment holders and those in the community who wish to use our sites for horticultural purposes.
What did you need funding for?
We needed to upgrade the infrastructure of our largest site as this was run down and in need of attention.
Had you applied for funding before?
We hadn't applied for any funding before because we never thought there would be funding available for groups like ours. By speaking to other allotment secretaries within the borough we discovered that they had applied for funding to various Trusts and funders around the country who donate money to constituted groups working on allotments. Through these people and by flicking through the telephone directory we began to put our case to the relevant organisations that could point us in the right direction. Then we found out about the fundraising courses that SYFAB deliver and booked ourselves on. This gave us the skills to plan the project and use a Funding Search from SYFAB to match our project to potential funders and apply. The course gave us confidence to apply on our own and after we were successful the first time, our confidence grew.
Who did you apply to?
We applied to Doncaster CEN that has now funded two of our projects; a school project on the site and a boundary fence. We applied via an application form that was lengthy, but much easier than applying via application letter as they ask specific questions. We also had success by having a meeting with Mexborough Community Partnership. We discussed our five-year plan with them and our need for extra funding. They were able to fund our internal security gates. Some applications have taken as little as six weeks while others have been ongoing now for more than six months.
Did you need to do anything before applying?
Our land is leased to us by Doncaster MBC as allotment land through Parliament. As our lease ran out ten years ago and the council hadn't renewed it, we had difficulties getting anyone within the council to take ownership of our case. After months of persistent phone calls and lengthy meetings we have managed to get a letter of intent for a ten-year rolling lease for this site, which we use as evidence of our intentions to potential funders.
Who does what in your group?
Two of us were delegated by the committee to deal with the fundraising. As Treasurer of the Society, it makes it easier to deal with the financial side of fundraising. This includes information gathering and filling out forms. We also collate all the evidence and monitor each section of each project from start to finish. When we receive funding there are many things that need to be done, so we delegate these immediate manual jobs to volunteers.
Have you had success?
We've had fantastic success and have had four from five bids successful, have another two in the second stages of application and have others up our sleeves to apply to at later dates. We fit the criteria of funders in a lot of ways including health, well-being and environmental themes. Having the confidence to enforce change rather than fade into history was fundamental.
To achieve this we have worked with our committee to try new things to improve our Society and now our group is more strongly committed than ever. We have been able to take on board suggestions from others and to change the way in which we approach difficult situations. Being organised, focused and determined to succeed has contributed to our success.
All our projects are linked into Doncaster's local strategies. It can become very political and so we feel it
is important to join and be active members of strategy groups such as CEN (Community Empowerment Network). This keeps our finger on the pulse of Doncaster and its aims for its communities.
How do you need to monitor your project?
We need to give updates on the project and financial proof that the funds have been correctly spent. And evidence that the project is being done as stated in the application as well as evidence of the changes the project has made.
What are the next fundraising steps for your group?
Hopefully we will have success with our Reaching Communities and Coalfields Regeneration Trust applications that are both in the later stages. Then we can move on to stage three of the overall project plan. If we fail with these two bids we then have to look for other funders for these projects. Once the infrastructure is complete we do not need any more funding for this particular site but then need to look at upgrading our other smaller sites.
What advice would you give to other groups about applying for funding?
Be patient, plan each stage carefully, liaise with your members about what they would like and finally, make sure your group is organised and focused on the same goals. Infighting can ruin your chances, as cohesion is paramount. One of the main aspects of applying for funding is to get the necessary training. We would not have understood some of the jargon and terminology on application forms if it were not for the SYFAB training we received. Seek advice and help from people who know. Don't be frightened of asking a funder to explain things more clearly if you're not sure. Work together and branch out into your local communities to get your name known. Make a nuisance of yourself if you need deadlines to be firm. It has all been worth the effort when the end result has such a positive impact on our community.
Case Study provided by the South Yorkshire Funding Advice Bureau (SYFAB)
