Topic: Where does your money come from?

[Trevor_D]

There must be others in our situation. How do you cope?

We're not a Council-run site, but are totally independent; our land is rented from the local Church Charity. The site is full - 80 or so members, plus two smallholdings. But the rents we pay have always been low, so although our income covers our expenditure it doesn't leave us much surplus.

In the last year we have repaired two sets of lockers and done running repairs to our ancient boundary hedge; we are now re-vamping the water supply and renovating drainage ditches. This is cheap, because we provide the labour and the materials have often been second-hand. But now we need to come up with serious money: members are pushing for toilets to be installed; we need to replace equipment (mowers & strimmers); and we really need to install proper security fencing around the entire site some time in the next few years.

So how do other groups in our situation raise money? We've tried grants - nothing available. We can't increase the rents except at the AGM in February and that won't take effect until January 2010.

Plant sales? Open Days? (We'll be 100 in 2010, so that's a thought!) What are the problems & hidden costs (eg. insurance, Portaloos, etc.).

The Committee have instructed me to ask you lot for advice! Any offers??

[Busby]

We have a relatively simple way of getting some cash for general purposes. As there are always plenty of small or larger things to be looked after on the general allotment area; paths, shrubs, water pipes, fence, clearing up, weeding, etc., we are called upon to do 'voluntary work' on three Saturdays a year. Normally a morning's work is reckoned at 4 hours and each November we have a committee meeting when, among other things, we set the number of hours to be worked per head for the coming year (depending upon the foreseeable need). We also set the 'fine' for those hours not worked by each individual plot holder.
So, if I don't work my 12 'voluntary' hours I then get a bill for them at the hourly rate at which we had decided upon.
A long time ago I got round this problem by sending one of my sons in my name and simply handed over the equivalent amount of money to them as wages!

[manicscousers]

we're and independent site, we've had many alterations to do on our site the last few years...fortunately, we've managed to get 3 grants, for fencing etc..we also have a plant sale weekend, usually early may, we made  £1300 this year, this has been used for lots of things, the whole site has paved paths running between plots  :)www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari
hope the link works, they may be able to help , if it doesn't, google allotments regeneration initiative  :)

[Chloe]

Hi Trevor,

Our site is in Hillingdon and we applied for a grant from the Chrysalis programme and did get £3000 awarded.  It would be worthwhile if you applied even if it wasn't for next year at least you would know funds were coming.

If it was me I would call a meeting and explain to all plot holders the situation and ask for a donation from all members as you are desperately needing to do repairs to the site and if the site fell into disrepair maybe you would lose the site.  I do know there was some talk about losing your site to become a crematorium I think, so am not sure how safe your site is.

As I don't know your financial situation, i.e. if you have a society that members pay into as well as their rents, I am not sure what to suggest. 

If I can be of any help at all please do contact me.

Chloe

[saddad]

As Treasurer of an "independent" site I am constantly battling to get a reasonable rent set. Managed to get it to £24 from next October when the council site next door already charges £48. We have spent £50,000+ in the last 10 years. Try the equivalent of the "Local Panel", lottery and the others suggested. We have been able to raise some from companies like "Derbyshire" and Rolls-Royce but think that will not be likely in the near future!!  :)

[Trevor_D]

Thanks for the input folks.

We applied for lottery funding earlier in the year, but were rejected because we were only trying to consolidate & renew what we already had, not push out new frontiers.

Chloe, don't know about the Chrysalis programme, but will investigate. Thanks. (It wasn't our site that was threatened by the cemetary, but the farm next door; our site is safe, as it was set up by Act of Parliament as a Poors' Field and is registered Common Land in Green Belt.)

Our fees are currently £12 for a 5-pole plot, which is half what Hillingdon charges. By the time our rent to the Charity is paid, plus essentials like water and day-to-day running costs, we have a surplus of about £1000 per year for all other expenditure!

I think we're going to have a lively AGM in February!

[ceres]

Apart from rents, we raise small sums from a couple of plant sales/socials each year.  We also have a cafe for 2 hours on a Sunday morning for all but the winter months.  It is staffed by volunteers on a rota and all the cakes, produce etc. are donated by plotholders and the profit after buying supplies goes into funds.  Be warned though, that we fell foul of the local council and had to undergo the inspection for catering establishments which almost closed it down.  We take a non-returnable deposit equal to a year's rent when people join the waiting list and also when people apply to put a shed on their plot.

We don't throw the gates open to the general public, mainly for security reasons.  On social days, plotholders can bring friends and family but that's all.  We do have public liability insurance.

It needn't cost a lot of money to put a toilet on site.  We built a composting toilet mostly from reclaimed/recycled materials.  I think pretty much all we bought were the bricks.  I've posted pics here before, if you want I can email them to you.

Have you checked for local charities/foundations that might consider helping you?  The funding application I'm talking about in the loan thread is with a local charity.  I think there's not much at the national level at the moment.  Could you approach local businesses for donations of materials (e.g. fencing)?  

[saddad]

You are doing well to have such a surplus, we turn in about £600 but only because of other fund raising... we actually run at a deficit.  :-[

[Chloe]

Hi Trevor,

Glad it wasn't your site under threat.

Personally I think your plots are far to cheap especially in the area we live.  Have you any idea of how much fencing costs?  We had some put up this year and it came to £3000 which took a lot of our savings.  Once you put our postcode in anywhere prices seem to double.

Our rents are under the council's rents but we also collect subs for our society.

If you or anyone on the committee would like to discuss things with me and get some facts and figures I would always be willing to meet with you and show you how we run our site.

Chloe

[kt.]

We run our allotment shop as a nonprofit organisation.  We sell seeds and tools and charge a little extra to cover annual overheads.  We have two plots set aside next to the shop that we grow plug-plants of veg and garden plants & flowers.  This is what brings in most of the money.  Though we have a waiting list and waiting time of up to 2 years; they are not for rent due to the income they generate. 

Any money left towards the end of the financial year - we find something around the site to spend it on; including donating stuff to schools so e don't fall foul of the law.  All shop and nursery work is done by volunteers. 

We don't have site toilets or ablutions.  Money for fencing security is more important than installing toilets.  You will have to decide on your priorities.  If you are to spend a lot of money on fencing then try to negotiate a long term lease with the land owner before hand.  We negotiated and secured a 25 year lease prior to spending £4000 around our site. 

If push comes to it then you may have to raise rents at your next AGM. Keep us up to date with your progress and good luck.

[djbrenton]

You really need to get to grips with how the grant system works.

There are numerous categories that dictate whether you are eligible for a grant from the different funders, and you need to be applying to the right funder at the right time of year.
I attended a a seminar where we met around 30 different funders in our area, and only 3 or 4 were relevant to our situation. Some won't give for improving existing situations, only new projects, some specialise in funding projects for particular groups etc. It's a waste of time applying to the wrong funder just as it's pointless applying to one that's spent all it's allocation already.

Your local CAB have access to funderfinder.org and can help you shortlist those organisations that will give money to allotments for the type of project you have in mind. You need to aim your applications at the most likely sources.