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Raising funds for digital projects and services: introduction

Raising funds for digital projects and services: introduction. Sustainable funding: project to service. Funding projects is relatively easy… ...Compared with funding services How do you know when your project is a service? When you are trying to keep it going for the long term.

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Raising funds for digital projects and services: introduction

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  1. Raising funds for digital projects and services: introduction

  2. Sustainable funding: project to service • Funding projects is relatively easy… • ...Compared with funding services • How do you know when your project is a service? • When you are trying to keep it going for the long term

  3. Creating sustainable projects: key issues • Think about the on-going costs and service issues before ever starting the project • Cost for tomorrow, not just for today • Think of a number and then double it … • …but remember that some of the costs are almost unknowable, such as preservation • Think of institutional implications of long-term projects/services

  4. Creating sustainable projects: questions to ask • Is this a project or deliverable that can just be signed off at the end? • Very few are … • What are the long-term issues in technological support? In human support? • Is this a resource that is useful for the long term? • What are the long-term costs likely to be?

  5. Institutional issues • Many projects do not come with overhead costs • Which means that they are a net drain on institutional resources • This is perhaps not significant for a small number of projects • But it can cause crisis if there are large numbers of projects

  6. Sustaining digitization projects • It is much harder to get on-going funding than to get funding at the start • It may be necessary to charge for access to the resource--JSTOR, ARTSTOR, EEBO • Business planning is important, but is a new area for public sector organizations • there are now business development consultants who specialize in the public sector

  7. How to sustain projects financially • Initial costings: it is important to be truly realistic, even if it makes the project look expensive • Cost EVERYTHING, even if you don’t necessarily pay for everything • staff time, overheads, rent, phone, etc etc • Everything has a cost, even if you don’t pay money for it

  8. How to sustain projects financially • Look for institutional benefits, even if there are institutional costs • enhancement of prestige • chances of further funding • possibility of establishing new services • reskilling of staff • enhanced resources for internal use

  9. Further sources of funding • A good track record is the best guarantee of further funding • So make sure that projects are well-run, and involve funders in them throughout • Even if things go wrong, funders can be understanding and the project can still be a success • Keep funders on your side!

  10. Further sources of funding • Look to designing modular projects with components which can be funded by different funders • Funders are more likely to give money to start a project than to finish one • But components of projects which are new and innovative in themselves can be funded separately

  11. An example: Forced Migration Online • Started in 1997 as the Refugee Studies Centre Digital Library project • Funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation • $500,000 • Now a project to create a major portal with $1,000,000 funding from Mellon • The first project created the ideas for the second, bigger project

  12. Sources of funding • Public • Government funding • Research councils/NEH/NES • European Union

  13. Sources of funding • Private • Foundations (Mellon, Ford, Gates, etc) • Individual donors (Rich People) • a difficult area needing professional fundraisers • can take a very long time • Corporate • the most difficult area to fundraise in • companies will have fixed agendas • may be compromising--tobacco funding, arms funding

  14. Some key points • Make sure you know what you want to do • And only bid for funds to do that--don’t be diverted by calls for proposals that are not in your main path • Try to create long-term relationships with funders or potential funders • Build and keep a good track record

  15. Some key points • Fundraising is very time-consuming • so be focused about it • Be creative • there may be sources out there that you don’t know about--find out and pursue them • Make sure that all staff are aware of the need to raise funds

  16. Some key points • Create a culture of fundraising • Digitization is a relatively new area, so there are few institutional imperatives to engage in it, but it does engage the imagination of many funding bodies

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