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GWSR Broadway Developments

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Breva, Aug 1, 2014.

  1. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    being rather naughty ....... what avenues are there for funding it . Sponsor a brick ? commercial sponsorship , Traditional fund raising . Given previous experience what sort of ££ target do we look for
     
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  2. unitdriver

    unitdriver New Member

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    Dare I say it, but if you have a willing team of competent volunteers, an enlightened management should allow them the freedom to raise their own money and build it.
     
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  3. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    That presumes that such an appeal would not detract from other fund raising by the railway that is considered a higher priority matter. How to define such priorities, and the degree to which multiple appeals conflict and diminish each other, is a matter of considerable debate.
     
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  4. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    True of course, although I don't think we currently have any appeals open.
     
  5. Bikermike

    Bikermike Well-Known Member

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    What else are those volunteers doing? from the excellent blogs, it does seem as if the embankments for the railway are marginally less stable than the San Andreas fault, and need significant maintenance. Then there's all the other bridges, buildings etc. And the fact that volunteers able to be on site (either because they are staying away or are being kept away - doesn't matter) are diminished, it would seem that unless the volunteers are point-blank refusing to do anything else, there are a lot of jobs on which would match the (great) skills they bring to their (beautifully-done) buildings. A pile of bricks in a store is unlikely to go anywhere or cost much. A pile of bricks arranged into a building (or worse, a part building) is a cost risk to the railway (especially if trains are running, as it's no longer a closed site).
     
  6. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Platform 2 is out of bounds to passengers anyway and still technically classed as a building site I think, happy to be corrected. While I think it probably is sensible to hold off doing too much on that for now, I'd caution against trying to prevent volunteers from cracking on with projects they're enthusiastic about. Quite often you'll find they're more productive doing that than something considered more important but less interesting, but if you let them do both, the enthusiasm spreads to both activities. Just a personal view, but managing volunteer resources is a tricky business, much harder than paid staff who can be directed to do something by bosses.
     
  7. Bikermike

    Bikermike Well-Known Member

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    yes, no easy answer, but I think it's not un-sensible for the volunteers to be asked to direct their activities elsewhere at this time. The nightmare scenario is the volunteers starting it, and then "the railway" (which is obviously just lots of other volunteers) having to pick up the pieces if it can't be completed).
     
  8. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Whilst that is true, the same argument could be made at any time, so therefore nothing would ever get built! Sometime you just have to believe in people and get stuck in!
     
  9. The Dainton Banker

    The Dainton Banker Well-Known Member

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    There seem to be two avenues for general donations but no specific (dedicated) appeals at present. Some of us like to know where our money is going in preference to "general funds", although I appreciate that the issue is not as straight-forward as usual due to the Covid effect and the uncertainty of operations over the next few months.
    As a long-time, if somewhat irregular, minor supporter of the Broadway project I would like to be able to continue feeding my "mites" into that and it doesn't seem unreasonable that a dedicated fund should continue, even if it is not given much promotion for the present.
    (Of course what I really want is the completion of the line to Honeybourne but I am afraid I will not live to see it :(:( )
     
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  10. unitdriver

    unitdriver New Member

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    Noted, but I personally rarely make a random donation to general railway funds, but I do respond to specific appeals. Most recently for the purchase of Bratton Flemming station, and for the S&DRHT mineral wagon restoration appeal.

    Putting (a modest amount) of my money where my mouth is, I'd probably lob a few coppers in the box if a Broadway platform 2 donation page was set up.
     
  11. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I don't know how transferable it is to other charities, but in the Bluebell Railway Trust it seems as far as I can tell that almost all donations (i.e. from living donors) go to restricted funds; and most legacies (i.e. from the estates of the deceased) go to the unrestricted fund. There are exceptions on both sides, but I think that is the overwhelming pattern.

    What is less clear is the extent to which a donation to a restricted fund might be transferrable: clearly for some donors, they will donate e.g. to the "station flower bed appeal" and under no circumstances whatsoever would they donate to the "line side flower meadow appeal"; but for many others I suspect there is a degree of donation to the specific appeal that the railway chooses to promote as its most important at any given time.

    Which to me suggests (1) railways should have a number of restricted funds and not do everything through unrestricted funds but (2) the prioritisation, and subsequent marketing, of which fund(s) get promoted is key, but also possibly sensitive.

    There is also a general point about restricted funds, which is matching the fundraising capacity to the scope of the project. If you have a £100k project, there is little point creating a restricted fund if all you manage is to sign up half a dozen loyal subscribers who give you £5 per month - OK you get a few hundred pounds per year, but that is an irrelevance to the bigger project; and so after a few years you just end up with a modest amount of money that you can't spend on the project (because it isn't enough to start), but can't spend on anything else either (because the funds were donated for a restricted purpose) - at which point you may as well not have had it. So I think there is a degree of chicken and egg: for a worthwhile project, you need at least a broadly sensible indicative budget, but also some indication that the budget could be raised in a realistic amount of time before then creating - and promoting - the restricted fund.

    Tom
     
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  12. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I have experience the other way, where legacies go to a restricted fund and routine donations to a general fund; neither are ideal and both force compromises.

    The important thing is that restricted funds are set up for clear purposes and not in a way that becomes unduly restrictive. For example, the station flower beds fund might be a great idea, but could limit the ability to use surplus funding for the maintenance of the platform that the flowerbed is on because it is out of the scope of the fund and the work isn’t for the flowerbed.

    In the church context, we get round this by using “designated” funds - the intent behind them is clear, but the legal constraints are less onerous.


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  13. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think most charities have designated funds, but it seems to me it is primarily an accounting device like showing a commitment in your accounts.

    For example, suppose you want to spend £50,000 renovating a carriage. The team fundraising for it have £30k already raised and are steadily raising £5k per year. The overall charity might transfer £20k from the general fund to a designated fund for the carriage. That makes £50k available and therefore allows the project to start. Over the next couple of years the team might raise another £10k, which (being restricted) pays for more work on the carriage; meanwhile that £10k can go from the designated fund back to the general fund available for any purpose. The end result is the project is paid for £40k from restricted funds (raised for the purpose, but of which only £30k was available when work started) and £10k from the general fund; the designation stops the same money being committed to multiple projects.

    So it allows the charity essentially to underwrite any shortfall on the fund rising - but a sensible usage to me seems to be just that - underwriting a shortfall, or being able to bring a project forward (which might help with workshop / space / people availability etc). If a group wanted to spend £50k on a carriage but after ten years only had three bent farthings and a paper clip in the bank, you wouldn't transfer £50k to do it - unless the railway decided it was simultaneously high priority but hard to raise funds for. (Infrastructure being one such example, where it is hard to fund raise but absolutely essential it gets paid for).

    Tom
     
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  14. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    If a Broadway Platform 2 appeal were to be opened, I'd happily make a regular contribution. The problem I have with general funds is that there's nothing really tangible to look at and think 'I helped that happen'. It's all important in its own way of course- money has to come from somewhere for the necessary but unglamorous things, like drainage and fencing- but somehow it's easier making the donation if it's going toward a specific, identifiable goal.
     
  15. Mark Thompson

    Mark Thompson Well-Known Member

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    I'll second that, JR. It's like when the Broadway cafe fireplace appeal sprang up. A few months later, we could all look at pictures of it in position, and I for one certainly got a warm glow from that.
    I'll just get my coat.
    Could you pass me my hat? It's the trilby, just there by Alec and Laura...
     
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  16. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    Say what? "drainage and fencing" don't count? I get a great deal of good feeling from the images of the drainage gang using tools I helped them acquire!

    Noel
     
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  17. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    I didn't say they 'don't count'. In fact I took good care to say the opposite.
     
  18. jnc

    jnc Well-Known Member

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    I didn't mean "don't count" in the sense of 'not important' (and you did call them "necessary"), but in the sense of 'not giving a good feeling like donating to a specific more-visible project like an engine or coach' (which I think was the point of your "going toward a specific, identifiable goal"). Maybe I'm weird [in fact I cheerfully concede that I'm weird :-], but I'm more interested in giving to drains, etc.

    Noel
     
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  19. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Designation also allows more leeway in how appeals are framed, and targeted donations handled.


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  20. J Rob't Harrison

    J Rob't Harrison Member

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    Aah; I understand now! Thanks for the clarification.
     
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