Raising Funds for AONB Activities an Update on Approaches Across the AONB Family

AONB NATIONALTRAINING PROGRAMME

Notes

Raising Funds for AONB Activities – An update on approaches across the AONB Family

Thursday 1st December 2011 - 10.00am – 4.00pm

Workshop

This workshop was an opportunity to update on how AONB partnerships are responding to reduced local authority funding – in particular what actions AONB teams are pursuing to broaden funding streams in the short and longer term. By the end of the workshop participants had:

• an understanding of how a range of AONB partnerships are responding to reduced local authority funding,
• heard about the benefits of establishing a Charitable Trust or Community Interest Company as a funding vehicle for AONB activities,
• heard about private sector and HLF options for generating funds for AONB work,
• explored the possibility of establishing a national or sub national AONB fund and
• explored the role of the NAAONB and individual AONB partnerships in diversifying AONB funding streams.

Programme

Welcome

Introduction to participants & workshop

Participants

Notes

FUND HOLDING SESSSIONS

• Ownership of your own Trust Fund ----- requires AONB input ----- requires Donors ----- requires decision making. Even if AONB fund held by 3rd party ( Community Foundation) AONB teams/members will need to invest in developing ‘giving’ and ‘selling’ the value of the AONB work.
• All AONBs could usefully map intelligence on the key philanthropists in each AONB,
• Need to be SMART about the strategies needed to engage and develop long term relationships with potential Donors,

PRIVATE SECTOR SOURCES

• Can you use what you are doing anyway to raise some funds? (running events/ producing leaflets/ newsletters)
• The public usually expect to pay for things
• Invest in services and products which will bring long term income or savings,
• Does your AONB team have expertise that someone might pay for? (planning specialism?)
• Before approaching corporate sponsors read Mat Roberts’ presentation from Oct 2010
• Set of criteria for private sector funders (see NAAONB note below)

TRUSTS AND FRIENDS GROUPS LEARNING

•Establish a realistic timetable with achievable goals,

•Be choosey about offers of help and project ideas and keep it sociable,

•Retain sufficient flexibility to be opportunistic,

•It is a hard sell to get people to essentially give to a local authority for a statutory service they already pay for through taxes - there must articulate the added values links to the place and landscape asset,

•The core funding needs for AONBs will suppress their freedom and ability to provide project funding. So new models are needed in the next three years?

•Trusts can help BUT geographical scale and identity is important,

•Look to work with and “piggy back” of other trusts/friends groups in your AONB,

•HLF Catalyst Fund might be valuable to help match any endowments.

•Funding in terms of “cash flow” is critical and needs recognition as an issue

BELT TIGHTENING SESSIONS

•Helpful to work on this together with other AONBs going through similar budget reduction exercises;

•Switching to a completely different organisational model is not feasible in the short or medium term;

•Engage with staff and members throughout the process; securing greater certainty for staff will help morale and secure stronger AONB delivery in the medium term,

•Staff sharing not necessarily the most effective way of deploying resources but should look beyond staff sharing with other AONBs to include sharing with NPAs and other partners,

•A key barrier for joint working across the AONB family is the ‘timing issues – Funding holes are appearing for many AONBs, but this might be in 2012/13 for some and 2015 for others. Some AONBs are in a “wait and see” mode whilst others driven to “act now”.

Audience questions to Defra

• How are the National Parks responding to the current contexts

Audience questions to and requirements of NAAONB

• Role for NAAONB in bringing together “friends of” groups
• Funding in terms of “cash flow” is critical and needs recognition as an issue

NAAONB Summing up – Howard Davies

• We need to be clear about the product we are trying to sell (it is different in different AONBs)
• We are a Public Service
• 3rd sector organisations can benefit from unrestricted income
• Value and make work a strong brand whether it is an individual one or the AONB Farmily brand
• Before approaching corporate sponsors read Mat Roberts’ presentation from Oct 2010
• Tasks for NAAONB - procurement, sharing and training, review of NAAONB business model, discussions over S106 agreement, corporate partners, harnessing collective skills

Jill Smith

1st December 2011