Managing your community building

Practical steps you can take to reduce your asset and organisation’s carbon footprint, whilst contributing to co-benefits such as cost-savings, community education, cohesion and empowerment. 

Unlock your community building’s financial potential with this expert guide to marketing space hire, covering audience segmentation, professional messaging, and strategic booking pipelines to ensure long-term, sustainable trading income.

How do you run an asset that can be used for service delivery while maintaining a viable community business? This session looked at how to make the most of asset space during the cost-of-living crisis.

This feels like the eternal question for asset owning community organisations. However, as the cost-of-living crisis deepens, finding the balance between service delivery and sustainability has become even more of a challenge. This session looked at how to make the most of asset space during the cost-of-living crisis.

We heard from community organisations who are currently tackling this issue. We also heard from Wrigley’s Solicitors about how best to “flex” your assets and the legal considerations.

• Fran Etherington from the The Old Fire Station, Leeds, told us that room hire remains a core part of their income generation model. They believe forward planning has been essential to their sustainability through the cost of living crisis. They put strong financial planning procedures in place during covid, agreed to fixed utility rates before the crisis fully hit, and have loyal tenants.
• Laura Moss of Wrigleys Solicitors discussed the legal considerations of using assets in different ways. “it is important to have flexible legal structures so the organisation can adapt and exploit new opportunities”
• Megan Ohri from SOAR, Sheffield, explained how they have tapped into the desire of tenants/ users to make more ethical choices. They have been able to use the fact they are a non-profit, with green credentials, that provide warm spaces to work as a unique selling point.

Use this checklist to identify quick actions to cut energy bills, reduce carbon emissions, and make your community building more comfortable.

This guide is designed to help you develop a business plan for acquiring and/or refurbishing an asset.

While a strong business plan can help secure support and funding, its primary purpose is to guide your organisation’s development and planning.

The guide is especially useful for those unfamiliar with writing business plans, offering clear explanations and outlining the key elements needed for a successful project.

It also highlights funders’ expectations and provides advice on presenting information clearly and accessibly, avoiding jargon. Supporting details can be included in appendices, and the final section focuses on the criteria funders typically use when assessing project proposals.

This resource provides guidance on assessing the feasibility of acquiring or refurbishing a building or land asset. It emphasises that feasibility is an ongoing process, not a one-time task, and should be revisited throughout development.

The resource highlights the importance of asking challenging questions early, as many later-stage issues stem from inadequate feasibility assessments.

A thorough feasibility process also strengthens funding proposals by showing a well-reasoned development approach.

Successfully appoint and manage professional advisors, such as architects and surveyors, ensuring capital projects are delivered on time and within budget when planning the acquisition, development, or adaptation of a community building or land.

Plan, fund, and manage building projects from initial concept to completion. Whether you are looking at new build, refurbishment, extension or more modest repair and renewal works, this guide provides a roadmap for success.