Creative thinking about income generation

One of the more popular posts on my small creative ideas blog is about income generation - people often stumble across from a google search, it seems. (The original post is here: http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/2009/04/thinking-about-income-generation.html if you want to go there)

Meanwhile - it seemed to me - given these austere times that people might have interest in reading this post here too:

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Below is a list of 'resource types' that all voluntary and public services have in some way. I have used the whimsical (and probably not very ethical) example of what a local church might do to generate income - to illustrate these resource types. I hasten to add that I am not advocating any of these methods at all! (One of the first rules of income generation is that whatever you do - has to accord with your ethical principles and legal parameters.)  

• Staff - Knowledge & Creativity (Vicar offers counselling to local businesses)
• Staff - Staff time (Choir Sings for Local Radio to create Christmas jingles)
• Staff - As potential customers  (Send a list of parishioners to religious publisher)
• Staff - Non work expertise (Church Warden's model making expertise to sell to local firm of architects)
• Information - Patterns of performance & results.(Send popular hymns chosen for services to music publishers)
• Information - About individual clients / users etc. (Send names of babies Christened to the local branch of Mothercare)
• Physical Assets - Buildings (Use the Church steeple for a mobile phone mast)
• Physical Assets - General Equipment (Loan church hall chairs to local hotel for big events)
• Physical Assets - Specialist Equipment (Charge for access to register of births and deaths to people researching family trees)
• Stakeholders - As potential customers (Church Commissioners to offer ethical financial advice)
• Stakeholders - As potential sponsors or supporters (Local Firms advertising in church newsletter)
• Stakeholders - As potential partners (advertise local education evening adult ed classes)
• Profile - ‘Brand’ reputation (Give stamp of approval to a pine furniture manufacturer)
• Profile - Access to media and public (Charge for inserts in the newsletter such as pizza delivery businesses)
• Systems and services - Software (Sell petty cash system to local shops)
• Systems and services - Expertise in how things are done (Sell skills at organising large events (the fete) to local businesses wanting celebrations)
• Systems and services - ‘Piggy backing’ existing services (Arrange to tie up marriage services with local dressmaker)
• Waste  ...is someone else’s supply...? (Church space on weekdays use for a Local nursery) 

Further information (although some of this may be out of date now): 

• http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4130667 (Guidance on income generation for theNHS)
• http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/finance-and-business-planning/income_generation.pdf(Guidance for the police)
• http://www.derby.ac.uk/bdu/consultancy-income-generation-intellectual-property (Example guidance for higher education)
• http://www.renaissanceeastmidlands.org.uk/our_work/sustainability/income_1.html (Example for themuseums and galleries)
• http://www.dea.org.uk/sub-562910 (a source of guidance for the voluntary sector)
• http://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/webimages/managing-the-service/cfa/strategyresources-meetings-data/pdf-125-2007-01-25-10%20-%20Income%20and%20Charging%20Consultation%20by%20the%20DCLG.pdf (example from the fire & rescue service)
• http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/generalpower2 (Guidance for local government)

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Overall, I do think that all public and third sector organisations ought to have a coherent and active income generation strategy at all times - but especially now. I used to run workshops on this subject when I was at OPM - would anyone be interested in my putting on another one? (Please drop me a line or say here, if you would like this. Thanks.)