Funding community events

We’re consistently blown away by the amazing work the SFC community is doing on the ground. From school fairs to panel talks to parent presentations and much more – it’s at these IRL events that hearts and minds are won. It’s the real magic of this movement.

As well as taking up huge amount of very precious time, we appreciate that there are often costs involved in running these events.

Some people in the SFC community have put their own money towards them, some have fundraised, and some have pulled in favours to help this movement grow. We want you to know we are hugely grateful for everything you do, and it’s making a huge difference.

Can SFC cover event expenses?

We’d love to be able to cover out of pocket costs for running local events. Things like printing flyers, banners and stickers. But if we fund an event, our current charitable governance structure means we are also technically liable for it, and would therefore need to oversee it.

Officially overseeing so many events would require lots more formal structure and paperwork around local events. The scope of this community and the amazing amount of things you are doing, means this would be a monumental task which would be operationally impossible for us at the moment.

We’re working to find a way to fund regional events through SFC HQ, outside our charitable fund, but it’s going to take some time to set up, if it’s possible. We’ll update the whole community if we find a solution.

What about public liability insurance?

We’d love to be able to buy a blanket policy to cover all local events. But our insurers won't include community events on our policy, unless we have full oversight of them. Again, at the moment, this isn't feasible.

So, how can I get help to fund my event?

• Consider charging a nominal fee for your event to cover costs (you can have a free option for those who can't pay, to ensure there's no barrier to entry)
• Try crowdfunding through your school WhatsApp group (we can’t accept funding made at your events, but you can use it to cover your expenses)
• PTAs sometimes have a pot of money for community events
• Some venues offer discounts for community groups
• Sell refreshments to guests. The team in Brighton & Hove asked students to serve tea and coffee at their panel event
• If you need public liability insurance, here are some cheap options for community groups: https://www.events-insurance.co.uk/public-liability-insurance-for-community-groups

If you have found other ways of funding your local events, please let us know and we will add it to this list.