Creative thinking about income generation

Prompted by the information from Oxfordshire, I dug out some old notes on income generation - that I thought might be helpful. 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:

• http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4130667 (Guidance on income generation for the NHS)
  
• 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 the museums 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)
  
• http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/uploadedFiles/NCVO/What_we_do/Sustainable_Funding/SFP_Resources/Income_Exploration_Tool(3).pdf (NCVO document - tool kit for thinking about income streams)