Start up funds
Whilst its perfectly possible to start a new LARP event with minimal costs, you will still have some initial outlay.
There are many ways that you can raise funds in order to finance your new project, and whilst they all have their benefits, they all have their disadvantages
1) Do It Yourself
If you have an idea that you genuinely believe in, and you've got enough spare cash then there is always the option of funding it yourself
Pros- You won't have to make any interest payments, fill in forms, see the bank manager, create cashflow forecasts and so on. Its the easiest option, and if the project isn't a success then you're not accountable to anyone else
Cons - Its your money. If the project doesn't work then you'll end up seriously out of pocket
2) Co-operative seed funding
If the project is likely to need more start up cash than you have available as an individual, or will cost more than you're willing to risk, then there's the option of a co-operative seed funding model. A number of people will decide to jointly fund the venture and will each recover your costs if and when the project begins to turn a profit. Once all of the funders have their original funds returned to them, then the arrangement ends and the group should be self sufficient. You might agree that each of the funders is entitled to an additional amount in "interest payments" once the original fund has been returned
Pros - As per the Do It Yourself model but a collected group of people will generally be able to raise more in starting funds, and should the project fail then the losses are split amongst the funders
Cons - Its still your money you'll be losing if it all goes wrong. The other disadvantage is that normally the co-funders also take a share of the event organising/effort in making the game a success. Where one or more of the co-funders decide that they don't want to put in the effort they require and aren't too bothered about losing their money, then this can cause hard feelings with the other co-funders. Co-funders become accountable to each other
3) Crowdfunding
If you don't know enough people personally then you can always reach out to the wider community / internet. There are a sizeable number of sites that offer crowdfunding solutions in one form or another. They each have their own individual benefits, commission rates and requirements.
An increasingly popular way of raising funds for a new or developing group is to use crowdfunding.
There are dozens of organisations with provide crwodfunding services but here are a few of the more popular ones
Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/
Indiegogo - https://www.indiegogo.com/
Crowdfunder - http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/
Go Fund Me - http://www.gofundme.com/
You can search a load of crowdfunding initiatives through a project set up by a charity called Nesta
http://www.crowdingin.com/
There's also a UK based umbrella association called the UK Crowdfunding Association that list a number of other crowdfunding organisations
http://www.ukcfa.org.uk/members
Pros - There are fewer simpler ways to raise funds, and for many of the crowdfunder schemes if you don't raise the required funds you can walk away from the arrangement not having lost anything
Cons - In order to make a successful pitch, you'll almost certainly need to go to some effort in producing concept documents, perhaps a video. And many people who provide start up funds will expect something in return for their funding. For smaller amounts a Thankyou on the new website will be enough, but for larger donations a more sizeable show of appreciation may be required and this will be need to be built into your costings
4) Shareholders
Whether you decide to set up formally as a limited company or go for some more informal arrangements, the Shareholder model follows the Co-operative seed funding model, in that you have a number of backers each contributing an amount towards the initial start up costs, but these initial backers retain some ownership of the company, and have some control and ownership over the group even once the original funds have been returned. Depending upon the organisation you choose for the organisation, the control that the shareholders have may include a right to claim a portion of the profits of the organisation, or the right to sell their portion of the company to another person
Pro's -
Con's -
5) Fundraisers and Donations
Certainly for smaller amounts, an option is simply to ask people if they will give you some money either from the goodness of their hearts, or organise some kind of fundraising event to bring in the money
Pros - It can be
There are many ways that you can raise funds in order to finance your new project, and whilst they all have their benefits, they all have their disadvantages
1) Do It Yourself
If you have an idea that you genuinely believe in, and you've got enough spare cash then there is always the option of funding it yourself
Pros- You won't have to make any interest payments, fill in forms, see the bank manager, create cashflow forecasts and so on. Its the easiest option, and if the project isn't a success then you're not accountable to anyone else
Cons - Its your money. If the project doesn't work then you'll end up seriously out of pocket
2) Co-operative seed funding
If the project is likely to need more start up cash than you have available as an individual, or will cost more than you're willing to risk, then there's the option of a co-operative seed funding model. A number of people will decide to jointly fund the venture and will each recover your costs if and when the project begins to turn a profit. Once all of the funders have their original funds returned to them, then the arrangement ends and the group should be self sufficient. You might agree that each of the funders is entitled to an additional amount in "interest payments" once the original fund has been returned
Pros - As per the Do It Yourself model but a collected group of people will generally be able to raise more in starting funds, and should the project fail then the losses are split amongst the funders
Cons - Its still your money you'll be losing if it all goes wrong. The other disadvantage is that normally the co-funders also take a share of the event organising/effort in making the game a success. Where one or more of the co-funders decide that they don't want to put in the effort they require and aren't too bothered about losing their money, then this can cause hard feelings with the other co-funders. Co-funders become accountable to each other
3) Crowdfunding
If you don't know enough people personally then you can always reach out to the wider community / internet. There are a sizeable number of sites that offer crowdfunding solutions in one form or another. They each have their own individual benefits, commission rates and requirements.
An increasingly popular way of raising funds for a new or developing group is to use crowdfunding.
There are dozens of organisations with provide crwodfunding services but here are a few of the more popular ones
Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/
Indiegogo - https://www.indiegogo.com/
Crowdfunder - http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/
Go Fund Me - http://www.gofundme.com/
You can search a load of crowdfunding initiatives through a project set up by a charity called Nesta
http://www.crowdingin.com/
There's also a UK based umbrella association called the UK Crowdfunding Association that list a number of other crowdfunding organisations
http://www.ukcfa.org.uk/members
Pros - There are fewer simpler ways to raise funds, and for many of the crowdfunder schemes if you don't raise the required funds you can walk away from the arrangement not having lost anything
Cons - In order to make a successful pitch, you'll almost certainly need to go to some effort in producing concept documents, perhaps a video. And many people who provide start up funds will expect something in return for their funding. For smaller amounts a Thankyou on the new website will be enough, but for larger donations a more sizeable show of appreciation may be required and this will be need to be built into your costings
4) Shareholders
Whether you decide to set up formally as a limited company or go for some more informal arrangements, the Shareholder model follows the Co-operative seed funding model, in that you have a number of backers each contributing an amount towards the initial start up costs, but these initial backers retain some ownership of the company, and have some control and ownership over the group even once the original funds have been returned. Depending upon the organisation you choose for the organisation, the control that the shareholders have may include a right to claim a portion of the profits of the organisation, or the right to sell their portion of the company to another person
Pro's -
Con's -
5) Fundraisers and Donations
Certainly for smaller amounts, an option is simply to ask people if they will give you some money either from the goodness of their hearts, or organise some kind of fundraising event to bring in the money
Pros - It can be
