flexible funding is our future and our friend

1
Flexible funding is our future and our friend

• DISCOVER HOW OUR FUTURES FOR YOUTH PROGRAMME IS
  GETTING SUPPORT WHERE ITS NEEDED FASTER
• The phrase, flexible funding certainly makes
  sirens sound in the charity sector. Essentially
  meaning a donation is made without a requirement
  to spend it on a specific project area, it can
  seem that these funds are a get out of jail free
  card for charities who want or need to spend
  money on areas that dont directly impact
  activities and change lives. Although there isnt
  quite enough space to write a book about it here,
  there are many reasons why flexible funding
  shouldnt be judged by its cover.
• Charities, and the sectors surrounding them, have
  histories with colonialist ways of fundraising.
  Deciding what programme participants need based
  on what our societies have told us to believe
  instead of asking them, or letting those we work
  with be seen as dependent or without freedom are
  both habits fixed funds can encourage removing
  opportunities for future-focussed change. Choice
  ensures these opportunities stay open. With more
  flexibility than ever before, Futures for Youth
  leaves space for choice and allows us to support
  work how and where it should be, as quickly as
  possible.

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• So, we know that flexible funding means donations
  can be spent where they can have the greatest
  impact, but what does this mean in practice?
• Flexible fundraising lows us to immediately, and
  authentically, integrate into the communities we
  work in.
• Our main priority will always be providing the
  best programming possible, but through a modern
  and decolonising lens, this looks different. It
  looks like investing money into safeguarding,
  consulting local experts, and creating safe
  spaces alongside community members with their
  input. In the coinciding ages of the pandemic and
  climate crisis, bespoke programming is key. We
  need funding that can be moved easily enough to
  create such environments, not funding constrained
  by conditions created in an entirely different,
  often biased context, which doesnt meet the
  needs of local people.

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• It means we can involve the next generation the
  right way.
• Each new generation has a new set of social
  issues to contend with, so we shouldnt be using
  techniques from the last one to deal with them.
  Whether this be equipping youth with toolkits to
  combat evolving problems like online misogyny or
  using our platform to get their ideas to
  legislators, for equality to be achieved, we need
  to not only work with younger generations, but
  also work with them on their terms. Restricted
  funding cannot give this group a space where
  these conditions are listened to and acted on.
• Making sure we know how, when and where to spend
  money on overheads.
• When done correctly, overheads can be the key to
  a door otherwise locked take fundraising and
  marketing for instance. Often thought of as
  expenses which sacrifice revenue in favour of
  vanity, taking the time to better understand and
  cater to audiences means we can evolve and
  expand. The intersectional and anti-racist values
  we promote are unfortunately still outside of
  societal norms, but with smart investment in
  fundraising and marketing, little by little, this
  will change.
• Read More https//www.planindia.org/flexible-fund
  ing-is-our-future-and-our-friend/