Why we want your money
Doing ‘good’ things costs money.
There are many ways charities fund what they do... they might apply to organisations like The National Lottery Community Fund for funding, they might bid for a Government contract to deliver their service, or they might ask for donations from supporters.
Local Welcome exists because a range of funders (both local and national) have chosen to invest in what we’re doing. And we’re really grateful to them, but we don’t want to rely on their money in the long term.
We want to be member funded
Our goal is to become a majority member-funded organisation. Why? Because we’re accountable to whoever pays our bills and we want to be accountable to our members, not external organisations.
Being a member means something. It’s more than a recurring card payment leaving your account every month. It requires participation, action and engagement - all the things that Local Welcome thrives and relies on.
If being funded by external organisations is a soggy service station sandwich scoffed in a car, being member-funded is the nourishing meal prepared for you by the loved one you’re on your way to visit, made of homegrown produce from their garden.
The sandwich has filled a gap for now, but it’s sitting down to the beautiful homegrown meal that we’re really looking forward to.
Membership is where money and action meet, and we need both.
Where does the money go?
Our biggest investment is in our team.These are the people working hard to bring our meals to communities across the UK and they’re our most valuable asset.
Group costs for monthly meals across our network. They include everything from the things you see (the food and the venue), right through to less visible costs such as starter advertising for a group in a new city and DBS checks for new leaders.
Overheads, although we work really hard to keep these to a minimum. Our overheads are things like insurance and accounting fees, phone bills, and subscriptions to software systems to keep your data safe and secure.
Financial accountability
Local Welcome is accountable to its board of trustees and ultimately to the Charity Commission. Our registered charity number is: 1180770.