Over the past 23 years, Fernwood NRG’s revenue has grown dramatically, but the proportion coming from grants and contracts has shrunk from 69% in 2003 to 28% in 2017. Donations and fundraising efforts have grown slowly to 9% of revenues in the same period.

›› Lee Herrin

I first started with Fernwood NRG as a Board member in 1998, when we operated solely out of the Community Centre at 1240 Gladstone Avenue. The first ­financial statements I saw for the organization showed total revenues of $718,000 and assets of $153,827. Back then, we mainly received government grants and contracts, worth $452,478 (63% of revenues). Our donations and fundraising revenues were a modest $6,802 (less than 1% of revenues).

Last year (2017), our financial statements showed revenues of just over $1.9 million and assets of more than $5.0 million. So our neighbourhood operations have grown more than two and half times what they were 20 years ago. And we have been lucky in terms of our real estate investments and ­projects so our growth in assets has been more impressive—over 30 times.

However, not everything has grown proportionally. We have added new ­programs and services for the neighbourhood and expanded ongoing programs but the amount we receive from government contracts and foundation grants last year was $528,342, just 28% of revenues. This is up less than 17% from 20 years previous and has not even kept pace with inflation, which has been 31% over the same 20 year period. So our grants and ­contracts have actually shrunk in purchasing power, while also shrinking from about two-thirds of our revenues to barely a quarter of our revenues.

Last year, our donations and ­fundraising revenues were $164,048 (9% of ­revenues). About half of this is our annual Gift of Good Food ­Fundraiser and almost all of the money raised goes to deliver Good Food Boxes to families in need all over Greater Victoria—only a very small portion is left to even cover the costs of the fundraiser itself. Most of the rest is raised at the FernFest and Fernwood Bites weekend, which is more fun-raising than ­fundraising. Although both generate considerable funds, we pour a significant amount of staff and volunteer energy into the FernFest weekend, not to mention all the bands, hot dogs, beer and other good stuff. What’s left over after months of planning and a long weekend of work setting up and tearing down sustains 1.5 critical positions for the rest of the year.

So fundraising comes with a real cost while monthly donations are consistent and sustaining. Looking to the future, we would like to be able to rely more on donations from the people who know about the good work we do every day here in the neighbourhood, and rely less on trying to convince outside ­funding agencies of the good work we do.