There are several aspects to funding if external or internal.

If external it needs to be seed funding that we can eventually do without. If internal then we need to generate income to keep a project going .

There are interesting responses by different organizations to these options.

On Cyprus the organization Baraka does nothing they cannot fund internally and refuses to apply for grants as they believe this compromises what they do. However in the UK most big NGOs see that external funding must be internalized so they try and get supporters to gift aid a certain figure monthly. If this happens 25% can be reclaimed as tax back from the government so its quite valuable.

Both these approaches have draw-backs. In the first work is slow and limited as people must have the money spare themselves, not easy in capitalist society where money sitting still is punished with taxes, tolls and schemes to get it moving again.

In the other the NGOs often see a distance between those fundraising e.g. dialog direct an Austrian company (that works world wide) has many people working for it, but they do not have real affinity for the good cause they may be fundraising for. And those giving often have no real connection with those they are helping - they are just cash cows.

For me I want personal money to have real connection.

Similarly I want that if the money comes from a foundation or government grant or charitable trust (external funding) that the organization giving that money has a meaningful relationship with whatever project they fund. So they understand it, can implement it or at least share the knowledge and outcomes.

This means not just jumping through hoops and balancing balls on our noses to get another dog biscuit. Rather a partnership and synergy so we work with a group on a specific outcome and develop projects in accordance with their and our wishes.

I believe this mutualism has happened to some extent with business relationships, e.g. HP, the desire being to create win win situation. However as yet we have not fruitfully developed a relationship with others such as the Aga Khan Development Network http://www.akdn.org/ or Gulbenkian Foundation http://www.gulbenkian.pt/portal/index.html

Thet seem to lend themselves to developing our work fruitfully. Nevermind the many other smaller foundations and trusts or government schemes that exist.

I can think of several ways that we might internalize the external personal fund-raisng. The community currency is one of these that we began already with minciu sodas. But cash in the hand does not seem to have happened yet.