Financial Guideline for Youth Solar Projects.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Financial Guideline for YouthSolarProjects What’s the main reason why someone doesn’t give any money for your Solar Project? 1 Contact: The YouthSolarProject (JSP in Switzerland) at Greenpeace supports building solar installations, in which teenagers are involved. The following services are offered: free check of the roofs, solar consultation, teaching material, public relation work, fundraising and shares out of the YouthSolarFund. In the year 2000, 2 years after founding the YSP, we got the Swiss Solar Price 2000 for organisations. Up to the year 2006, over 120 YouthSolar installations have been built in the scope of YSP and over 10'000 youngsters have come in contact with the fascinating opportunities of solar energy. In Switzerland it’s: YouthSolarProject JSP Greenpeace, Heinrichstrasse 147 Postfach, 8031 Zürich solar consulting and roof checks. 044 / 447 41 34 e-Mail: [email protected] http://www.jugendsolarprojekt.ch 2 Answer: He/she hasn’t been asked. Dear solar enthousiast The biggest question-mark with starting a YouthSolarProject is mostly financing. Are there any people or companies at all, which support such projects financially? Yes there are! And they are not only few. More than 120 YouthSolarProjects, which have been realized in Switzerland so far, are a lively proof for this: they are all self-financed. The formula for succes is: ask, ask, ask - and don’t let yourself discourage by denials, because it’s sufficient, if only a small number of the asked say yes. This guideline gives you tips, where and how you find solar-friendly investors and what questions and approaches are promising success. It contains checklists and sample letters, which simplify fundraising for you. Yet before you ask someone for money, you should ask yourself three questions: 1. Who is involved in the solar-project-team? ! project-organisation 2. What does your solar project look like in detail? ! project-description 3. Which are the most promising investors for your project? ! fundraising-strategy On the next pages you find advice how to acquire the necessary basics as simply as possible. And something very important: With your fundraising-actions it’s not only a question of money. It’s also a matter of public relation for your project, your society or institution, for the SolarGeneration of Greenpeace or the solar energy in general. “Do good and talk about it“, once a famous sales promoter said. The numerous reports in the media prove, that it works at its best. We hope this guideline gives you verve and inspiration for your fundraising action, we wish you much succes and even as much fun with it. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time. With solar greetings ! Retze Coen & the YouthSolarProject Switzerland 3 Index of contents Create basics........................................................................................................................... 5 Community contribution........................................................................................................ 7 Share certificates.................................................................................................................... 9 Local main sponsors............................................................................................................... 10 Private large scale donations................................................................................................. 11 Foundations and funds........................................................................................................... 12 Further ways of fundraising................................................................................................... 13 1. Donations and gifts from companies....................................................................... 13 2. Solar lottery.............................................................................................................. 13 3. Running with sponsors............................................................................................. 14 4. Solar festival............................................................................................................ 14 5. Selling stickers......................................................................................................... 15 6. Small scale sponsors and donators........................................................................... 15 Further opportunities.............................................................................................................. 16 Contracting................................................................................................................... 16 Project description.................................................................................................................. 17 Sample letters......................................................................................................................... 21 Sample letter communities and departments for energy.............................................. 21 Sample letter foundations.............................................................................................22 Sample letter lottery fund.............................................................................................23 Sample letter main sponsors........................................................................................ 24 Sample letter large scale donators................................................................................ 25 Sample letter share certificates (club members, trade, industry)................................. 26 4 Create basics 1. Project organisation a) Succesful fundraising is teamwork. The more people get involved the larger is the network of contacts that can be used. Also the search for ideas is higher-producing when more heads think along. And a team can motivate its members if things aren’t going that easy. Thus too many people make organizing much more laborious and complex. For this it’s best, if on one hand you can build a core-team of 2 to 3 “locomotives“ and on the other hand many “trailors“ or supporters, that supply their connections and engage as ambassadors to the project. b) Subdivide functions and responsibilities Every member of the project-team should put in its potential. One may have good connections (“vitamin B“ in Swiss German), another one provides talent to write and a third one is keen on organizing. It works best if you define, who is responsible for what and work out a scedule, in which all steps are listed with the person in charge. 2. Project description A well established description is essential. It must communicate the potential sponsors, that the project is thought-out, that there’s a commited, competent team standing behind it and that it has been calculated exactly. Contact the YSP to check suitability, rough planning, offers and calculations on operating efficiency. Information to the following points are important components: - Sponsorship and project team - Motives, ideas, visions for the YouthSolarProject / SolarGeneration - Real estate (location, owner) - Solar installation (technique, operation, durability etc.) - Realisation (involved craftsmen, internal activity) - Budget (on the basis of obtained offers) - YouthSolarProject (if you have it as a partner) - Scedule - Adresses of contacts Beside the matter of facts, a dash of emotion and enthousiasm is important if it takes to win people for a project. Important: The project description does never substitute the personal meeting! The paper helps you getting the necessary credibility and is the basis for the talks and meetings. Personal contact is always the key to authorities, foundation-boards and head of firms. Because single persons engage as interceders for projects in boards. 5 3. Strategies to fundraising This guideline offers you an entire palette of possibilities to obtain money for your solar project. It’s more promising to ascertain a few of them with intesity and emphasis, because who tries too many at a time is dissipating oneself quickly. Let’s propose an approach: Browse the following opportunities to fundraising and think about which are the most promising for your situation. - In a first duct, cross out those which aren’t suitable at all for you - Discuss with your staff the opportunities to be scrutinized - Fix priorities - Subdivide the preparational work Criteria for a selection are: - The potential of a supporter compared to the invested input - Probability for success - Existing personal contact - Size of the sponsorship - Possibilities of mobilization in the surrounding (e.g. a benefiz-festival) - Expert knowledge in the project team Two examples: a) Solar collectors for the indoor pool of Fraubrunnen (Bern, Switzerland) After an agreement to cooperation with the YouthSolarProject, a request for financial support of 50% has been deposited. A 13'000 $ out of an estimated 30'000 $ were allowed. The rest of an estimated 18'000 $ were collected as follows: - Application of subsidy by the state: 1800 $ - Looked for main sponsor and found: Elektra Fraubrunnen: 7000 $ - Begging letters to firms (small scale sponsors): ca. 3300 $ - Shares sold at the pool and at an information stand at the local festival: ca. 3300 $ - Garantee of deficit by the YouthSolarFund b) Solar collectors on a gym hall in Wünnewil (Freiburg, Switzerland) Over the energy-commission, a request of a financial support of 16'000 $ (50% of the overall costs) was deposited at the