How Gillingham Leisure Community Trust Secured Over £16,500 Through Crowdfunding and Sport England

by Tom Wood | Dec 17, 2024 | Stories

How Gillingham Leisure Community Trust Secured Over £16,500 Through Crowdfunding and Sport England

Here at Crowdfunder, we’re passionate about empowering community projects to thrive. When Gillingham Community and Leisure Trust, a not-for-profit organization in North Dorset, needed urgent funding for essential upgrades to their swimming pool’s heating system, they turned to us—and the results speak for themselves. With the help of Sport England’s Movement Fund, this small charity exceeded its £15,000 fundraising goal, raising over £16,500 to safeguard a vital community resource.


The Challenge: Keeping the Pool Warm and Accessible

Jake, the General Manager of Gillingham Community and Leisure Trust, explained the pressing issue:

“We’ve been really struggling in low temperatures with our air source heat pumps that manage the heating for our domestic water and the swimming pool. We desperately needed some assistance in the form of a gas system, which would help the air source heat pumps in low temperatures.”

The swimming pool is at the heart of this charity’s operations, serving over 15,000 visits a month from a wide catchment area. It’s a critical resource for five local primary schools and a thousand members, as well as the only public swimming facility within a 20-mile radius. Without the upgrade, the pool’s future—and the community’s access to vital leisure services—was at risk.


The Opportunity: Sport England’s Support

Sport England’s Movement Fund offered the Trust a £7,500 crowdfunding pledge. The catch? The pledge was contingent on them raising a matching amount through crowdfunding.

Jake described the importance of this funding model:

“We had to prove that we had a community of people that need the site to remain viable. And yeah, fortunately, we were able to do that.”

The Trust saw this as more than just a fundraising opportunity; it was a chance to demonstrate the vital role their facilities play in the community.


The Crowdfunding Journey

Crowdfunder provided the tools, guidance, and platform to help Gillingham Community and Leisure Trust launch a successful campaign. From the outset, Jake took advantage of every available resource:

“I looked at every piece of guidance and kind of webinar that I was given to try and get as much knowledge as I could before I started. When I got to grips with the function and the way the site works, I actually found it to be quite intuitive.”

The campaign included a range of rewards to encourage donations, from discounted memberships to local business vouchers. This approach not only incentivized supporters but also strengthened bonds with the local business community.

“We had loads of local businesses donate discount vouchers… it kind of felt like I was able to also direct my customer base towards those local businesses with the discount vouchers,” Jake said.


Real-Time Results

One of the key elements of the campaign’s success was Jake’s data-driven approach:

“The crowdfunding website and the dashboard give you really digestible, real-time data… I was able to track when I put out an email to my captive audience, how many visits did that attract to my page and how many subsequent donations did I have.”

This constant monitoring allowed the team to fine-tune their messaging and ensure a steady flow of donations throughout the campaign.


The Outcome: Transforming the Future

Thanks to the support of Sport England and the generosity of their community, Gillingham Community and Leisure Trust raised over £16,500, exceeding their initial target. This funding has been a game-changer.

“The funding makes it achievable to put this system in before we face the winter… It is quite literally life-changing to the business,” Jake shared.

The upgraded heating system will ensure the pool remains open, warm, and accessible for years to come, providing a vital resource for the local community.


A Template for Success

Jake’s advice for other organizations looking to crowdfund?

“Be active. As active as you possibly can. Have a plan of frequency of communication with your market and try and deliver that. If things aren’t going the way you’d like, you have to continue to deliver the messaging in the right way to the right people.”

Their success is a shining example of how our platform, paired with Sport England’s support, can make a tangible difference in local communities.

If you’re inspired by their story and want to bring your project to life, start crowdfunding today!

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