Inspiration
WeSayWePay has many applications and many more that haven't yet emerged. It needs to be an ad-hoc project (not for an established business, charity, or, agency).
When setting up a new project please be sure to select from the dropdown the category that most closely resembles yours.
Most importantly, its your project so if it doesn't fit into box don't worry we can set a new one up. Or choose "not sure."
So far, we’ve defined these categories as follows but obviously we’ll continue to evolve and add more over time:
Environment
Litter and beach cleans, painting the scout hut, shoring flood defences, or draining the village duck pond is great with many hands, but even better with hired help and equipment. Changing environments can transform how we feel and behave in the places we live.
Residents Associations
Management groups often need to raise funds for activities on behalf of residents such as organizing to transfer a freehold, incurring professional fees, or funding common works.
Learning
One local arts group is keen to secure the services of a guest lecturer for their Christmas party.
Seeding
Remarkably small levels of capital can seed enterprises, both for profit and not for profit. One local social entrepreneur recognized how delicious home cooked meals on wheels could transform dreary council lunchtime fare with modest charges. If you are a budding entrepreneur and can convince a your network with a watertight plan perhaps they’ll give you a break.
Clubs & Societies
Take the lead with 'lads n dads' or 'girl geeks' - teaching girls computer programming skills. Sporting and other clubs often delay buying new cricket stumps or Judo mats as it lacks the concerted urgency of more general fundraising. Again, small pots of funding for ‘capital items’ give a boost to existing members and attract new people. Soccer mums and dads are masters of how a concerted effort to buy new kits for the team could be executed!
Schools
Parent groups and fundraising activities around schools would benefit greatly from an appointed kitty-holder like WeSayWePay which takes much of the administrative strain away from the 'usual suspects' among parents in the playground and into a more manageable online space for organisers and contributors alike.
Whip-rounds
There is a Basque tradition of “Poteo” which is basically a bunch of people appointing a ‘treasurer’ to hold a kitty for them to enjoy a crawl of tapas eating for a special occasion. Leaving presents and pub-crawls aside there is always a good reason to ask for a whip-round when people want to pool/ share the burden of something worthwhile. This category could be used for say a sponsored walk. And of course Church and pub collections too! If however, gift aid can be reclaimed or a charity is involved we suggest www.justgiving.com
Entertainment
‘Getting together’ is half the battle – people don’t ‘do’ formal civic society; voting, standing for office, etc. because the chances are they haven’t even used their community or village hall for civil recreation. An over thirty-fives record club where people play their own sounds, dance, eat with their own generation, or putting on a film show using an easy film hire service like Good Screenings are excellent use of local hired amenities, and great fun for parents, pensioners, or, anyone in need of company. It just takes one person.
Events
Big Lunch type street parties are a great example of occasions when you can get together with your neighbours.
Longer term we would also like to think these categories had possibilities
Big Society
Devolving the running of services to communities, individuals, and, social enterprises is the longer-term vision for Big Society more than just volunteering.
However, participation by all us in the public square (individuals, Government, Business, and, Charities) is more than the prevalent political mandate – it is a clarion call for us all to change our behaviour, in the future and consistently, for the common good. At this stage funding feasibility reports into say community asset based ownership or community run post offices is within the scope of WeSayWePay and in future we hope to actually fund the whole venture but it may be some time.
Campaign
This is really about organizing for voices to be heard from your locale about issues that matter everywhere or equally elevating local experience that can be used everywhere. Campaigns such as “save our post office” can with a small pot of funds accelerate well-intentioned "slacktivism" into say a structured community-run business plan and serve as a template for others. It can also take issues or big global themes and elevate them through structure into well-researched insights, taken seriously and not drowned out because they don’t come from a Think Tank e.g. “The Dorking motion to tax sugar.”
