RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
Special project costs are costs that are incurred to undertake a particular
activity. These could include:
• organising a workshop or a training activity based at the resource centre
• developing a particular publication
• making an exhibition or presentation about the work of the resource centre
or about one of the topics that it covers.
Once all the possible financial needs are identified, you are ready to look at
what sources of income are assured (will definitely provide income) or expected
(are likely to provide income).
2.3.2 How to identify sources of income
Depending on where the resource centre is located, there may be funds from a
variety of sources to cover at least some of the costs. For example, a small
resource centre that is being set up in a training institute, or in a teaching
hospital, is likely to receive some funds directly from the institution in which it
is based. These may be ‘in kind’:
• by paying the salary of the person working in the resource centre
• by contributing the building space, maintenance costs and some of the costs
of the main utilities, such as heat and light
• by providing administrative or financial support and services.
The resource centre may also receive a direct financial contribution from a
parent organisation - a sum of money to purchase essential equipment and
materials to use for the general running of the resource centre.
A resource centre that is serving a group or a network of organisations or
institutions might receive small, regular contributions or in-kind support from
each of them. Local government, non-governmental organisations, religious
organisations or professional associations may make regular contributions to
the resource centre, because they value its work. You may be able to charge for
some services, such as photocopying, or charge membership fees for users, or
generate income from sales of publications.
Adding together all of these likely sources of funding and in-kind support will
show you how much money you can expect to be available to undertake the
activities that have been planned. It is very tempting to be over-optimistic about
how much will be raised. It is a good idea, when you are doing your financial
planning, to be pessimistic and expect the worst. Unless you have a firm
agreement of the amounts that are going to be contributed, it is best not to
include these amounts in your financial planning, other than to indicate that
there is a possibility of receiving them.
With your optimistic list of financial needs, and your pessimistic list of possible
income sources, you are ready to build a realistic budget for the next year, and
to identify targets for fundraising.
SECTION 2: MANAGEMENT AND FINANCE
9