Funding and income planning

When you start thinking about funding and income for your group or organisation you need to ask three main questions.

• What do we need funds for?
• Who is available to get involved in fundraising?
• How much time have we got to spend on it?

You also need to think about all the different ways groups and organisations can get funding. This includes:

• grants
• fundraising from individuals and corporations
• earned income – being paid for the services you offer
• contracts – being paid on a larger and formal scale
• investments.

Then you need to start thinking about the balance of time and energy.

• Which of these types of funding will work best for you?
• What skills are needed for each type of funding or income?
• What expectations do they create that you will need to meet?
• Do you have a mix of income that is sustainable?

We recommend that all organisations create a plan of their funding and income targets. NCVO members can use the funding and income planner to do this.

Ready to think about all your funding and income? Use the planner.

Completely new to funding and income? Most people’s first steps are either a small grants bid or a small amount of fundraising from individuals and businesses. Decide which is best for you in our guide to grants.