Local Campaigning Network: Finance & Fundraising

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Introduction | Notes On The Financial Policy As It Affects Local Volunteers | How Much Money Must Be Raised? | Fundraising In Practice

You may find this Briefing Sheet heavy going, but please make the effort to read and understand it. It is extremely important that funding and finances are correctly handled.

Introduction

We are asking that you attempt to do some fundraising locally, in order that local activist groups are essentially self-supporting. PFC nationally just doesn’t have enough money coming in to resource local level campaigning. Therefore the idea is that you do not undertake activities unless you know sufficient funds are coming in to cover any expense incurred.

We do understand that this could present problems for some people and are ready to consider requests for small amounts of funding e.g. for stamps (funds permitting). But please obtain the prior agreement of the Hon. Treasurer before incurring expenses you haven’t fundraised for.

Of course some activities can be happily carried out without any need at all for funding, such as Media Watching, meeting people and distributing information.

Any money raised must be paid over to the Hon. Treasurer, who will then refund expenses to you. Under no circumstances may local volunteers maintain a local fund or open an account in the name of Press for Change. This is for your own protection as well as that of PFC.

Notes On The Financial Policy As It Affects Local Volunteers

Please read carefully the PFC Financial Policy and Procedures to which the following notes refer:

1.00 Please note PFC is not a charity. This is because charitable status is not compatible with political lobbying and campaigning. [We are currently looking at setting up a charitable section of PFC.] But PFC can ask the public for donations as long as it spends them in accordance with its stated Aims and Objectives and accounts for them properly.

If you use a collecting tin for donations (e.g. at a local event) the tin must be sealed (with just a slot for putting money in) and labelled PFC. It should be opened and counted in the presence of another person and the amount recorded and signed for by both people. You must have the permission of the event organisers to collect donations.

2.04 All funds raised includes any money raised by local volunteers. All money raised by whomsoever and by whatever means must be paid over promptly to the Hon. Treasurer. Don’t wait for the end of the quarterly reporting cycle.

If you have raised money you must provide a written record of the amount, date and source and submit this with the money.

You should ask donors to make any cheques payable to Press for Change. Obviously it is unwise to send cash through the post -cash should be sent as postal orders, crossed and made payable to Press for Change. Although postal orders may seem a troublesome and expensive method compared to cheques, they avoid the danger of PFC money becoming mixed, however temporarily, with a volunteer’s personal money.

2.05 Receipts will be required for all expenditure. You should submit receipts for expenses direct to the Hon. Treasurer, not via your Named Contact.

Your expenses will be refunded as long as they fall within agreed categories (see below) and enough money has been raised by you or someone else to cover them! Payment will normally be made by cheque once a quarter. It is suggested that you submit your expenses at the same time as you send in your report on activities - that way you’ll hopefully remember to do both.

NOTE

Donations in kind: In practice, most PFC activists and volunteers make donations in kind. That is, we contribute resources such as stationery, stamps, photocopying, phone calls, petrol/fares and sometimes larger items out of our own pockets and do not ask for reimbursement. Sometimes this is simply more convenient than going through the hassle of raising money, submitting expenses etc. And if we can afford it, we don’t mind giving some money to the campaign as well as our time. This is obviously welcome in an organisation without a lot of money, but please be aware of the following:

• People who can’t afford to do this should not be penalised or excluded from the campaign.
• It would greatly help the Hon. Treasurer if you would submit a quarterly record of any such "donations" you have made. In this way we gain a clearer idea of the true cost of the campaign.

4.03 Please be aware of this clause if accepting donations on behalf of PFC. It is tempting to accept money whatever its source, but our reputation is at stake.

5.00 Most PFC materials are free AND copyright free. There are a few books and specialised papers for which we make a charge, and anyone requiring them should be asked to send off to the Box Number.

6.01 Please note volunteers should not undertake training on behalf of PFC without consulting "headquarters". We use only trained PFC trainers for training, and they work to a core syllabus. Please refer any requests for training to your Named Contact.

If you are asked to speak to a group you should always ask for your expenses - this usually means travel costs. As a general rule PFC does not ask for fees for speakers, and if you believe a fee is appropriate you must obtain prior approval from "headquarters". However we do welcome donations to the campaign.

6.02 Similarly when dealing with the media you should always ask for your expenses.

Guidance about fees from the media is difficult to give. Ultimately it is at the discretion of the individual whether or not to charge a fee and how much. See "Dealing with the Media" sheet for more information. Please note that at least 25% of any fee which you receive as a PFC contact or spokesperson should be donated to PFC. This rule was introduced in response to activists’ anxieties about the issue of payments which were made to them personally but which they would not have received as private individuals - we thought 25% a fair compromise.

7.01 Routine expenses for local activists can be assumed to include paper and envelopes, photocopying of copyright free PFC materials, second class postage, local telephone calls and local travel by the cheapest method available. The cost of this should not exceed the funds raised locally and we rely on you to try to be economical and to get best value for any money raised (see 3.02). Needs other than the above must be agreed in advance with the Hon. Treasurer.

7.04 is intended to apply to local Fundraisers, and we would prefer local activists not to retain funds any longer than it takes to put them in the post. However if you have a special need to do this e.g. during an ongoing series of events or whilst running a 100 Club or Football Card or similar, please consult the Hon. Treasurer.

How Much Money Must Be Raised?

That will depend entirely on how active you are! But letter-writing isn’t an expensive activity, and you ought to be receiving your expenses for any talks or media appearances. At a guess most individuals or small local groups might need to raise £100.00 per year (= about 400 letters).

Whilst local activists should aim to fund their own local campaigning, PFC will also be extremely grateful if extra money can be raised towards general funds. It would be good to think each local group could raise an additional £100.00 a year for the national campaign.

NOTE

If you are interested in becoming a Fundraiser please let us know. Some people have offered to do this rather than campaigning, and as PFC grows we will inevitably need more help with raising money…

Fundraising In Practice

It is quite possible to fundraise anonymously, e.g. by selling unwanted or home made goods at car boot sales or local fetes. But most successful fundraising combines collecting money with publicity for the cause. It can be a wonderful publicity opportunity. In many situations you can offer leaflets or ask people to sign the petition, which breaks the ice and helps you to get talking. Displaying a big PFC logo will help to get us known.

Probably most volunteers don’t need suggestions for actual fundraising activities, but for what it’s worth the following book is strongly recommended:

"Tried and Tested Ideas for Raising Money Locally, Small and Medium Scale Events" by Sarah Passingham, published by The Directory of Social Change, Radius Works, Back Lane, LONDON NW3 1HL, 1994, ISBN 1 873860 36 6

Your local library should be able to obtain it at your request.

People who are already fundraising for PFC have used a variety of ideas: coffee mornings, sponsored events, football cards, car boot sales, catalogues, stalls at fetes and carnivals…