Positives 

Negatives 

Membership fees 

• Simple 

• Unrestricted funding 

• Need to match what people can afford 

• Need a regular membership 

Payment for refreshments at meetings 

• Simple 

• A way for people to “give back” 

• Needs to be sensitive to people’s circumstances 

• Involves handling and banking cash which can be hard work and vulnerable to fraud 

Renting out space / equipment 

• Makes best use of your resources 

• Regular, reliable income source 

• Need to have the space/equipment 

• Need formal arrangements/contracts 

Gift Aid 

• Makes best use of donations 

• Need to understand the system properly: https://www.gov.uk/claim-gift-aid 

• Not available to CICs. 

Donations from individuals 

• Can give regular unrestricted funding 

• Relatively simple via online – button on website or Facebook page 

• Need to attract donors 

• Need to keep contact with donors 

Sponsorship/events 

• Way for supporters to help you 

• Visibility, promotion 

• Need to organise and plan well 

• Need to monitor and support your fundraisers 

Selling skills and expertise 

• Uses your org’s skills to make money 

• Enhance your reputation as experts 

• Need to have something different to offer 

• Need to have business skills to ensure it works 

Running trading ‘arm’ 

• CICs should have some trading income 

• Can provide good unrestricted income 

• Charities need to obey the trading rules: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charities-and-trading  

• Need to have business skills to ensure it works 

Contracting / sub-contracting 

• Opportunity to bid for considerable amounts 

• Can provide long-term funding 

• Contracting very complex and admin-heavy 

• Need to check the activities you sign up to are ones you want to be seen doing 

Small one-off grants 

• Relatively simple to apply to 

• A good source of top-up funds 

• Needs time and effort to research and apply to multiple funders 

Larger, longer-term grants 

• Provides security and consistency for income 

• Chance to develop a relationship with a major funder 

• Big investment of time and effort to make applications 

• More competitive 

Crowdfunding 

• Uses your contacts and supporters 

• Promotes your work as well as raising money 

• Need to have a good set of contacts to start with 

• Need to have very good social media and volunteers 

Business Sponsorship 

• Can involve major amounts of income 

• Very hard work, resource-heavy to set up 

• Only really viable for larger organisations