Keeping Poundbury's Community Association Going — and Growing

A note on membership, donations, and what your support makes possible.

When the Community Association of Poundbury CIC launched last spring, we made a commitment: membership would always be free, and any financial support would be voluntary. That's not changing.

What has changed is what we've been able to do — and what we're now planning to do next.

What member donations have made possible

Over the past year, member support has helped us publish more than 60 weekly Love Poundbury newsletters, reaching over 1,400 subscribers with close to 300 stories. It has helped us further develop the Love Poundbury Virtual Community Hub, hold three general meetings including our first AGM in May, and engage an independent accountant to keep our finances properly governed. There was more but those are the highlights.

None of this happens without running costs, which require income. We are grateful to our sponsors, whose support supplements member donations in covering some of our operational costs such as website hosting and the weekly newsletter. Other sponsorship is directed towards specific community initiatives such as the Love Poundbury Through Your Lens photography competition, and Poundbury Good Things income supports community-based causes such as programmes at Pavilion in the Park. But the heart of the core funding of our CIC is you — our members. 

How our donation renewal works

Rather than contacting all members at once, we're rolling out annual donation renewal invitations in the same quarter that each member originally joined.

Members who joined in spring last year will receive their donation renewal invitation this month. Summer joiners will hear from us in September, autumn joiners in December, and winter joiners in March. If you joined recently, your invitation will come around next year.

Our donation tiers

There's no obligation to donate, but if you're in a position to contribute, here's what each tier supports:

• Friend — £5 (just 10p a week) helps fund our core running costs: website, newsletter, insurance, accountant fees, and meeting room hire.

• Supporter — £10 (19p a week) funds community activities such as Carols in the Engine Room and research for our Stakeholder Q&A process.

• Champion — £20 (38p a week) helps us develop new initiatives, such as a Good Neighbour programme to support more responsible parking in Poundbury.

  
  

You're welcome to donate any amount. And if now isn't the right time, that's completely fine.

How to donate

When you receive your donation renewal email, there will be a direct Paypal link to pay securely — it takes just a couple of minutes. Bank transfer will also remain available.

You can of course donate at any time via the Donate section on our homepage at www.lovepoundbury.org.

Not yet a member?

Membership of the Community Association of Poundbury is free and open to anyone who lives, works, or volunteers in Poundbury. As a member, you'll be invited to general meetings, special events such as Carols at the Engine Room, and also be able to take advantage of discounts at many local businesses.

To join, visit www.lovepoundbury.org/membership-registration.

Thank you

Whether you're a long-standing member, a regular newsletter reader, or someone discovering us for the first time, thank you for being part of the Poundbury community.

Your Community Association of Poundbury Director team

Community Association of Poundbury CIC