Dozens of Swansea residents who would like to raise funds for community projects attended a workshop hosted by crowdfunding specialists.
The free event, at Morriston’s historic Tabernacle Chapel, was run by specialist funding organisation Spacehive.
Around 50 attendees were shown how to make best use of Crowdfund Swansea, a new partnership between Spacehive and Swansea Council.
Projects can be showcased on the Crowdfund Swansea site now. To be in with a chance of securing some of the £75,000 funding the council has set aside for schemes they must pitch to the fund by January 27 – although not all will wish to take that route.
Fund-raisers do not need to have attended the workshop to use the service.
Sue Poole, of social enterprise Young Dragons, said: “The workshop was a real eye opener; we’ve never used crowd-funding before and this illustrated how we can gather support from right around the city – not just from the excellent local businesses we ask for sponsorship.”
Young Dragons works with teachers, parents and businesses to educate them on how to encourage young people to be enterprising, ambitious and resourceful.
It was founded and funded by business professionals with experience creating and delivering educational solutions into primary schools and higher education.
Through crowdfunding, they would like to expand their city-wide primary schools competition Swansea Primary Enterprise Challenge.
This sees teachers and businesses come together to help pupils from dozens of schools take a creative idea from the drawing board to market.
Young entrepreneurs use skills they learn at school in the competitive world of business. The competition began several years ago with six schools – and this year hopes to have around 60 schools on board.
Andrew Stevens, the council’s cabinet member for better communities (place), said: “Crowdfund Swansea gives residents with project ideas the ability to attract funding from the community, council, businesses and foundations through an online portal.
“I was glad that so many attended the workshop at Tabernacle.”
The aim of Crowdfund Swansea is to provide a springboard for project ideas to attract the funding they need more easily, whilst enabling everyone who cares about the area to contribute.
Projects can range from building a new community centre or improving the local park to improving a playground or putting on a street festival.
Successful projects will be in addition to schemes already delivered by the council.
Crowdfund Swansea complements the council’s regeneration work, specifically that by partnership body Regeneration Swansea.
People and organisations can pledge as little as £2 towards a project and contributions are only charged if the campaign hits its target.
Spacehive’s mission is to make it easy for people to improve their local area. The platform brings together people, businesses, councils and foundations to collaboratively fund projects that communities want.
