The Skatepark Process - Fundraising |
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Saturday, 24 March 2007 |
Are you wondering what's going on in the photo on this page? You might be surprised to learn that it's a
skatepark fundraising event.
Bev Heyer phoned personalities from the Reality TV show "Survivor" and arranged for them to take part in a skatepark fundraiser that made over $25,000.
Winston, Oregon's skatepark action team raised, in one evening, over $25,000 for their skatepark.
How did they do that? Remember Bev Heyer, one of the "stars" of the skatepark advocacy world? She
phoned personalities from the Reality TV show "Survivor" and arranged for them to visit rural Southern
Oregon on behalf of their skatepark project. The community was thrilled, filling the room with generous
citizens whose presence and participation in a friendly auction raised over $25,000.
Make no mistake; Winston's "Survivor Event" required a significant amount of administrative work, all
of which was performed by local youths under the guidance of Bev Heyer.
"Fundraising" is the phase where an advocate creates and deploys strategies for acquiring funds and
donations necessary to create the skatepark. Fundraising methods are as varied and creative as one could
possibly imagine. Rather than enumerate them all, let's instead simplify the matter by introducing a
framework.
The methods by which advocates fundraise falls into four general categories: Sweat-equity, In-Kind
donations of materials, Grants, and Municipal bonds.
While it's tempting for some to chase what they consider "easy money" by asking for grants or requesting
the city fully fund the skatepark, experience has taught many of the best parks were first funded through
good old fashioned hard work, then through grants and a mix of the rest.
It's not that there aren't grants to be had; you may already know of some by name. However, we encourage
creative solutions to your fundraising goals. Direct methods like the Winston event is the most rapid
path to acquiring the skatepark of your dreams.
Let's assume your "dream skatepark" will cost $500,000, or as some like to say, a "half-million dollars."
It sounds like a lot, doesn't it?
Does it surprise you to know that every single company is expected to raise this kind of money on a
regular basis? They do so by taking the large goal and breaking it into smaller, manageable "chunks" by
setting and attaining "revenue targets." Let's talk about "chunks" and you'll soon see how attainable
this really is.
The process of creating "chunks" and setting "revenue targets" is really just a simple application of
basic math. Consider this: 500,000 individuals all donating just $1 each to your skatepark. That was easy!
More realistically, let's assume there are just 25,000 people in your town. Your "half-million dollars"
equates to each and every person donating just $20 to your cause...or just half of them giving $40, or a
quarter of them - just 6,250 of them - all donating $80 each. If your funds are being managed by a
non-profit organization, of if you intend to incorporate your advocacy group as such, donations made
to your group are tax deductible. You will find that people aren't reluctant to give a little...or a lot.
Let's take this further. Let's assume that quarter of your skatepark's costs ($125,000) is caused by the
concrete and steel rebar to be used, but you've negotiated a local company to donate these materials in
exchange for a receipt of the donation they can use for tax purposes. This leaves you just $375,000 to
raise, or a $60 donation from each of your generous fellow citizens.
What about selling advertising space on signage facing away from the skatepark? Bev Heyer of Winston,
Oregon has raised tens of thousands of dollars selling ad space to local companies, which will be
arranged in a mosaic of sorts allowing spectators to see the action through and around the signs.
In our hypothetical example Bev's success with these "ad boards" would have translated to fundraising
success slashing the money needed from 6,250 individual donators to just $50.
And so on.
Clearly this "half-million dollars" can quickly be acquired by an creative and motivated advocacy team,
and did you know that your success with grants often relies upon how much money and donations you've been
able to collect on your own? Those who donate money, materials and time increase the eligibility of those
grants, so you have incentive to get creative and initiate some fundraising programs before you begin
with any grant applications.
As mentioned previously, there are many who have traveled the road before you. Many participate within
Skaters for Public Skateparks, so don't hesitate to visit our fundraising forum for ideas and resources
for fundraising.
As mentioned previously, there are many who have traveled the road before you. Many participate within
Skaters for Public Skateparks, so don't hesitate to visit our Fundraising forum for ideas and resources for fundraising.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 September 2007 )
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