5. Financial Plan
Contents of this section:
(Clidi each heading to be taken there)
Year 1
Income & Expenditure
Income sources at the beginning:
If the site has accommodation, then holiday accommodation will provide some income to start. In addition, possible income sources initially will include:
– crowd funding / grants
– Individual donations
We can also apply for planning permission to build a visitor centre, some eco cabins, maybe a wild camp site, or even a temporary / wooden building (non residential) and toilets which if water and electricity were available on site would allow us to host events like birthdays, weddings etc.
All of this will depend on what is currently at the site when it is first acquired.
After 6 months
– social media income
– donations should be more substantial as word will spread
– Also we have a reward scheme to encourage regular donors, with stepped rewards to encourage more generous donations
– Wild Magic online shop – we have a Wild Magic artist (for water colours, prints, postcards and and a corporate merchant supporter so we many gifts which will be available to buy online and, later, in our visitor centre
– day visitors, will probably start at weekends only, until there is more to see and income allows for permanent staff at reception. Once that is in place we will open 6 or 7 days a week.
After 1 year
– ex offender trainee scheme begins some time during second year of operation (see below for costings)
– We might have some produce to sell – eg honey, jam (from fruit trees) etc
– If any of our trainees are interested in, eg bakery, crafts, carpentry, they might produce some saleable items as well (subject to tutors being available, or prior experience)
Quarter 1, Month 1: –
Month 2: –
Month 3: –
Quarter 2, Month 4:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (or different values to average total £50) = £50
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,100
Month 5:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £100
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £25
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,200
Month 6:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £150
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £50
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,300
Quarter 3, Month 7:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £200
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £75
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,400
Month 8:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £250
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £100
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,500
Month 9:
– 10 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £300
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £125
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £1,600
Quarter 4, Month 10:
– 5 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £325
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £150
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £2,700
Month 11:
– 5 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £350
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £175
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots (£1,000 per plot) = £2,800
Month 12:
– 5 new donors @ £5 pm (plus previous) = £375
– Entrance tickets (@ £5 per adult, £0 per child) – £200
– Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots £1,000 per plot) = £3,000
Thereafter goal to increase monthly donations by min £25 pm
Total income for Year 1: £19,600
If we have a residential building with the land, this will make everything much easier but will be much more expensive to purchase.
In the event that we do, expenditure figures will change considerably depending on what the setup is and what services we can offer.
First 2 staff members:
– Project lead (already in place)
– Wildlife / design expert – to be recruited
Salary & employment costs Y1 – £70,000
Recruitment costs – £2,500
Relocation cost if one needs to move ?
Depending on the time of year, we can get to work on designing the outdoor space available, and schedule tree planting (this needs to be done between Oct and March)
For tree planting we need
– native trees (hopefully to be donated, by eg Woodland Trust)
– volunteers
– equipment
Costs of next steps: Mainly time, eg
– Recruitment drive for volunteers – mainly time, financial cost, should be under £100.
– Schedule some Tree planting days (once trees sourced) and circulate dates round the local area
– Connect with local groups, put posters up in local centres – shops, libraries, doctor surgeries etc
Costs of Outdoor works to define the layout on the ground
– to purchase and install fences, gates, etc
– paths or paved areas
– Labour costs
Costs tbc depending on the size of the site and the final design. Also part or all of these costs may wait til Y2., 3 or later.
Likely min £20-30,000 but could be far more if funding becomes available and landscaping goals can expand
Equipment
For the outset we will need
– gardening tools & equipment
– clothing (also eg Wellington boots to lend to volunteers)
– Protective clothing eg gloves
Services
If the land does not have a building, water or electricity to the site, this will incur significant extra costs.
Precise cost of water and electricity will depend on the distance of the nearest source of both, which will determine the distance we need to cover with the necessary pipework or cabling
Also agreement will need to be sought from the council prior to commencement of any works
The erection of any building, inc temporary, will be discussed with the council and designed before being costed. So at this point we present very approximate costs.
It is however a priority as people will be on site full time, necessitating tea / coffee making facilities, basic kitchen facilities, and toilet and washing facilities. Therefore needs to be planned straight away
Cost of bringing water & electricity to the site – estimated at £40,000
Cost of drainage / foul water disposal – most likely compost toilet + basic reed bed as an immediate and cost effective solution – £10,000
Building (initially probably a caravan or a large wooden shed – £15,000
NB if the site comes with a residential dwelling then services won’t be necessary and what we build, if anything, will depend on what is already there.
Other costs
– Cost of building online shop – mainly time. Items for sale will not be purchased in advance, but will be made to order, so we pay for them only when someone purchases from us.
– Cost of getting the ‘word out there’ – initially time as we will do press releases, make partnerships with other charities and organisations, and approach schools and other groups regarding visiting us. (See Marketing plan Section 4)
– Cost of advertising ? This will be allowed for if it is deemed necessary.
During Y1 we expect to be open to the public very little. However pre-booked groups will be welcome, as long as someone is available to look after them.
Costs of having people on site (public and volunteers)
– Compliance (eg risk management, accident book / other health & safety, having a staff member first aid trained, etc – £5,000
– Insurance – eg Public Liability Insurance – £2,000
– Other costs – eg will we provide any refreshments ? Information boards ? Printing leaflets or booklets to hand out to visitors? Tbc
Due to the amount of work that needs to be done, a third staff member will most likely be needed.
– Costs of employment of 3rd staff member – £35,000
Total minimum costs of Y1
– 3 staff + recruitment costs £110,000,
– Compliance / Insurance £7,000
– Cost of services & basic facilities if needed – £65,000
Year 2
Income & Expenditure
Y2 Quarter 5
Donations 375+400+425 = £1,200
Entrance tickets (£10 per adult, £5 per child) – £500
Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots – min £3,000 pm – £9,000
Social media / Patreon income – £100 pm = £300
Quarter 6
Donations 450+475+500 = £1,425
Entrance tickets (£10 per adult, £5 per child) – £600
Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots – min £3,000 pm – £9,000
Social media / Patreon income – £150 pm = £450
Quarter 7
Donations 525+550+575 = £1,650
Entrance tickets (£10 per adult, £5 per child) – £700
Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots – min £3,200 pm – £11,400
Social media / Patreon income – £200 pm = £600
Quarter 8
Donations = £1,875
Entrance tickets (£10 per adult, £5 per child) – £800
Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots – min £3,200 pm – £11,400
Social media / Patreon income – £250 pm = £750
Y2: We might start with 4 trainees for this year = £620 income for each pw: total for year £128,960
(NB From year 5 we would aim to start recruiting 3-4 per month, making a maximum of around 50 with us at any one time.)
We would expect to start in Year 2 doing day retreats (£20 pp pd, each av 10 people) – 12 per year, and day workshops (£50 pp pd, each av 10 people) – 12 per year, totalling income 2,400 + 6,000 = £8,400
Totals from above:
Donations for year (see above in quarterly breakdown) £6,150
Entrance tickets £2,600
Sales from online shop / plots £40,800
Social media income £2,100
Total income for Year 2: £189,010
This year we will start taking more visitors and aim to open several days each week
1 member of staff to interact with visitors, lead guided tours, plan a programme of events, etc
This person will also plan and manage volunteer days, volunteers, etc.
– Now 4 members of staff £150,000
– Erection of better toilet facilities, to serve more people £100,000 (estimate)
– Possibly some facility to serve basic refreshments, too soon for a proper cafe
Year 3
Income & Expenditure
Donations – avg £2,000 per quarter (min) = £8,000
Entrance tickets (£800 pm min, there will be concessions for low income) = £3,200
Sales from online shop, and natural burial plots – min £3,500 pm – £42,000
Social media / Patreon income – £300 pm = £3,600
Income from 10 trainees for the year (invoice local authority) @ 620 each pw £322,400
Day retreats, 50% more than last year: £12,600
Min total income for Year 3: £391,800 *
* To this figure we would add any additional income from extra services. Possibilities are:
– From this point or after we can start to put in place becoming a venue for weddings and other social or corporate engagements
– We might also be in a position to offer residential retreats or workshops, lasting more than 1 day (income tbc)
– From Year 3 or earlier we expect to be able to offer garden design services, and have wildlife rich gardens for sale (income tbc). Also we anticipate having skilled ready trained people so we can tender for larger land management or grounds maintenance contracts.
Ex Offender programme (Trainee programme)
This is likely to commence during the second year of operation
Income is very straightforward as initially we would invoice the local authority .
(See Appendix F for details of ‘excluded accommodation’ scheme).
For the first few trainees on site, we would offer outdoor / ground maintenance / garden training, and cooking training only.
As soon as possible, we would have a trainee for the office / reception,, and someone for social media management. These would be once funding was available for someone to train / supervise.
Below are costs for the first 10 trainees, which we expect to reach by second year of the trainee programme.
(The initial year of the trainee programme would be undertaken with a small pilot group of 2-4, it is anticipated)
For the first 10 trainees, we would need:
1 trainer for transferable skills / emotional intelligence training
1 mindfulness trainer / counsellor, there to provide emotional guidance / support as well as meditation / mindfulness training, this person would also do monthly (or more frequent if needed) 1-1 sessions
1 cook / cooking tutor for providing food and to train a couple of the trainees (although all would take turns in the kitchen, to build up their independence skills)
1 garden / land maintenance trainer / supervisor
4 staff = £150,000 pa
Trainee wages – (look for apprenticeship support)
£500 pm each – £6,000 pa x 10 = £60,000 *
* Starting rate. As they became more skilled their remittance would increase
Accommodation and food
Rent of 2 houses in a nearby town: £3,500 pm = £42,000 pa
Bills for both £800 pm = £9,600 pa
Food for 10 trainees + 4 staff (breakfast & lunch for 6 days) – £60 pp pw x 14 = £840 x 50 weeks = £42,000 pa
Total costs of 10 trainees: – £303,600 pa
This works out at £30,360 per trainee which is £584 per week. This is well within the cost of ‘excluded accommodation’ payable by the local coundil (see Appendix F)
At some point in the future we may offer 24H support if this is necessary
2 overnight people once we reach a certain no of ex offenders, for support as needed £60,000pa
Initially, we would not offer overnight support for the first few.
X
The