Funding the Future: Diversifying Income for Charities & Social Enterprises

On 29^th January the Empowering Communities Partnership held our second annual funding-themed event for Norfolk VCSEs: Funding the Future. This year held at Dereham Memorial Hall, the event was a day-long exploration of funding diversification for charities, social enterprises and community groups of all sizes and featured talks, workshops, networking and stalls from both local and national funders.

79 attendees from 61 VCSEs took part, along with speakers and stallholders from a further 14 organisations. 83% of attendees rated the event excellent or very good overall, saying they gained practical skills that could be implemented immediately, while 93% felt speakers and facilitators provided valuable insights and expertise.

What was discussed?

Attendees heard from keynote speaker Richard Morris, CEO of The Giving Machine, about shifting the fundraising mindset and embracing new ways of thinking about income generation. We then joined one of six participatory workshops, offering practical insights into a variety of topics such as corporate sponsorship, building an audience for social media fundraising, the youth funding landscape, and tendering for public sector contracts. After a networking lunch, the day was rounded off with a panel discussion and Q&A exploring social investment.

Attendees were prompted to reflect on their feelings about income diversification at the start and the end of the day. Initial feelings were that this was “challenging”, “overwhelming”, “needed” but “hard work” but by the close of the sessions, keywords were “opportunity”, “exciting”, “complex”, “hopeful” and “curious”, reflecting a more positive and exploratory mood. When asked to list one thing they planned to do following the event, attendees mentioned following up with new contacts; devising a fundraising plan; making links with local businesses; and continuing research into new income streams.

Quotes from attendees:

“Valuable networking opportunities, validating to speak to other people in the sector who are also struggling in similar areas to ourselves. Great to hear from other people in the sector about their own experiences and what has worked and not worked”

“A chance to really consider things I know I needed to do – but having the space to actually mull and plan”

“I went away feeling positive and inspired, even in these difficult times for a fundraiser”

What next?

Feedback from the event is currently being collated into a short report which will be shared with EC partners and published on our website. We will use this feedback and insights from attendees on the day to plan next year’s Funding the Future, as well as other funding support for VCSEs.

If you would like to explore traded income for your organisation, why not join our session led by FUSE on 26^th March? Or, watch the recordings of previous webinars with funders The Giving Machine and easyfundraising here!

Finally, don’t forget to check out our Funding for VCSEs Padlet board, which is updated frequently by EC partners with funding opportunities, news and resources for Norfolk.