Sustainable finance for the future of ringing

If ringing is to flourish it must have a solid financial basis.

As part of the Ringing 2030 Pillar 3 (providing a good environment for ringing), we examine how ringing is funded and financed.   While most of the work involved in delivering Ringing2030 will be done by volunteers, some projects will require engagement with professionals, particularly in the three pillar areas of marketing, recruitment and the ringing environment.  Failing to invest in these areas could render projects ineffective and unsuccessful.

As a first step we decided to put the Council’s own spending habits under the microscope.   How do we finance ringing?  Is our funding model fit for purpose?  Are we spending our money in the right places?  Are we spending enough? Do we have the funds to achieve our ambitions?

Our Proposal

• An enduring organisation able to meet its operating costs through affiliation fees, including insurance, key meetings, volunteer expenses, fees and licenses, and at least one part time administrator.
• To create a structure to meet large project costs from a combination of revenue, donations, sponsorship and grant funding.

We plan to do this through an affiliation fee elevator, with a regular increase in the affiliation fee, starting from 2025.  This will allow associations time for their own financial planning, and remove ‘big bang’ increases..  In the meantime, we will meet project spending deficits from cash reserves.  By the time we reach 2030, we will have a stable income that will allow us to sustain our projects through paid staff,  operating costs and  project developments that meet our charitable objectives.

The first change is to increase the affiliation fee to 40p per member, which will allow us to meet our basic operating costs without running a deficit.

We then propose to continue to increase the affiliation fee, at smaller rates of increase, up to 2030, until it reaches £1 per affiliated member.

However, we do want to hear your opinion  Is that too fast, too slow, not ambitious enough?