Introduction

POP’s purpose is to build strong grassroots organisations, charities and social enterprises by supporting them to work together and take a lead role in creating change. 

• • We act as a gardener, pollinator and landscape designer within the relational ‘spaces’ we care for in our community. We help connections form, ideas spread and collaborations emerge.
  • We reach the smallest community groups consistently and effectively to build positive relationships.

What we can do for you.

Community Groups: Come along to our POP ideas training and 1:1 support 

Join Belong in Plymouth and help tackle social isolation & loneliness 

Network and join others: Come along to our meetings – POP Bites & POP Connections, Outreach days; Network Facilitators Forum; In your community – Neighbourhood Networks; We’ll connect you with groups across Plymouth interested in children & young people, refugees and asylum seekers, environment, heritage, LGBT+ community, food projects

Funding: £250-a-POP, POP Collectives (up to £5000), Ideas Into Action (£1,000), Cost of Living Community Fund (£500 – £10,000)

POP Ideas

For the last 8.5 years POP ideas has been supporting and strengthening grassroots groups through 1:1 advice, workshops, and training. Did you know we have worked with over 600 organizations and helped to secure nearly £9 million in grant funding for clients? POP ideas offer the following:  

• • Funding advice   

• • Project and business planning support 

• • Training 

• • Signposting and resource-sharing 

We also ensure that groups are represented across the city 

We work closely with Local Authorities, Police Crime Commissioners & Health to represent you and ensure your voice is heard.

POP relies on funding to do our work and we have fixed / core costs that are needed to function effectively. We are proposing a consultation process with our members to ascertain your preference on the membership offer. 

Summary of costs and income

Please see the Management Accounts for current costs https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiZTE4MGY0NGMtYTkzMC00YjRhLThmNGQtZDMxYzA0N2RlM2U2IiwidCI6ImIzNDBiMDBiLWRhNmQtNDk2ZC04N2ZhLTQ4NmZlZjQ5ZDVlZCJ9&pageName=ReportSectiona2f67f87e48284b6a322 

Membership fee options

Here are 3 Annual membership fee proposals based on turnover bands with a comparison of other CVS membership fees. Our research suggests that basing fees on turnover bands is the most common system used by membership organizations and seems to us to be the fairest way of setting a fee.  

Turnover band	A: Low fees	B: Medium fees	C: High fees	CVS average fees
Under £1k	£0/free	£5	£10	£5
Under £10k	£5	£10	£30	£10
Under £100k	£10	£20	£50	£35
Under £500k	£25	£100	£200	£67.50
Under £1m	£50	£250	£500	£77

Turnover band A: Low fees; B: Medium fees; C: High fees; CVS for comparison

We have estimated the total income this would raise based on existing members published turnover figures. 

542 members [221 under £10k, 192 under £100k, 53 under £500k, 30 under £1m, 25 under £5m, 15 over £5m]

Estimated income – assuming ZERO drop off: A: £7,850 B: £28,850 C: £61,830

We should assume a drop off of 50% applied to these estimations. 

The lower fees do not generate enough income to help us cover our costs. The higher fees could alienate potential members. We believe that that ‘Option B’ (the medium fees band) provides the best balance.  

Member benefits  

• • Newsletter (1) – Sector News (monthly)  

• • Newsletter (2) – Funding (monthly)  

• • Receipt of weekly Members Bulletin 

• • 3 hours free 1:1 support to organisations on funding and business support (as delivered through POP ideas)  

• • Best practice guidance and resources (this could become KNOWLEDGE BASE)  

• • Eligible to apply for POP funding – £250 a POP & POP Collectives 

• • Free Job Board advertising 

• • Free Funding searches (currently POP ideas)  

• • Priority access to book a pitching slot at Pitching events – offering direct contact with funders   

• • Feedback and critique on funding bids (currently POP ideas)  

• • Access to free places at training workshops (via POP ideas & Belong in Plymouth)  

• • Free access to POP ideas webinars & associated resources 

• • Free access to POP Bites, POP Connections and other events

• • Option to join our Network Facilitators Forum 

• • Eligible to participate in the POP funding voting process 

• • Networks – start up and support in convening (Network Development Lead) 

• • Promoting/sharing events – that are both general and very relevant to the sector  

• • Free access to venue hire database 

• • Discount for Charity Learning Consortium Training Platform 

• • Strategic representation – e.g Inclusive Growth Group/Health & Wellbeing Board/Devon VCSE Partnership/Plymouth Partners & Funders Forum