The challenge of raising funds for facility improvement
So often we hear stories of committees who aspire to significantly improve their club’s facilities. Only to find years later, that very little or nothing has happened. This leaves everybody extremely frustrated. Often, clubs become very discontented with their local council for not assisting them. Or sometimes, they become frustrated that their project is not a priority. Raising funds for facility improvement becomes a task that has to be done in a timely manner so these plans go ahead.
To help guide you through the process of raising significant funds for facility improvements let’s create a case study to work through.
Hockey case study
For example, a local hockey club would like to redevelop its grounds to put in a synthetic surface and at the same time redevelop the change rooms and social facilities to cope with the club’s future demand. A very early estimate is that the total cost of the redevelopment will be more than $1.5m.
So, how does the club go about turning this dream into a reality?
There are a few fundamental concepts a club must understand when raising funds for facility improvement:
- Your club will need a clear vision of what it is trying to achieve
- A significant amount of time and effort will be required to prove the need for the redevelopment
- The process to gain support will be a very time consuming and political process
- The club will need to win support for the development from the community, local, state and most likely federal government
- Your club will need to win support from your local, state and most likely national sporting body
- You will have to raise a significant amount of cash to contribute to the development, at least $100,000.
- This will be a long-term project taking a minimum of at least 3 years, but more likely 5+ years
These are challenges to overcome – read on to see how to work through and achieve your clubs goals!