Hi All, Happy New Year!
With budgets being extra tight this year and cuts being made, I was wondering if you have ever heard of things like the Civic Dinner, town twinning activities and refreshments for civic activities being supported by external funding and / or sponsorship income?
If yes, how have you dealt with the impact of that i.e. conflicts / register of interests / pressures on the time of the PA to find this sponsorship etc?
Thank you so much!
Hi Nav
We successfully secured sponsorship for our Civic Dinners a few years ago, but in current climate even trying to get people to purchase tickets for a pie & pea supper is proving challenging. At the time it did take a lot of time in ringing round. On a positive, we sent an email to all staff asking for unwanted Christmas gifts and have been surprised by the good response - seems like we are supporting a lot of people in achieving Dry January. Good luck.
Great idea, I’d be interested in hearing what other councils have done and how successful they have been. We hold a Mayor’s charity quiz every year where all proceeds from ticket sales and raffle tickets go to the charities, and we scrounge raffle prizes from local businesses, tickets for local attractions, sport, entertainment and wellness venues, gift vouchers for cafes, smellies, booze etc. Asking staff for donations is another good way too.