martin bazley-making digital projects sustainable bits2 blogs mar 2011 (reduced)
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Exploring funding models and sustainability for digital projects
Bits2Blogs Hancock Museum, Newcastle10 March 2011
Martin Bazley, Martin Bazley & AssociatesPeter Pavement, Surface Impression
Martin BazleyPreviously:
• Teaching (7 yrs)• Science Museum, London,
Internet Projects (7yrs)• E-Learning Officer, MLA South East (3yrs)
Martin BazleyPreviously:
• Teaching (7 yrs)• Science Museum, London,
Internet Projects (7yrs)• E-Learning Officer, MLA South East (3yrs)
Currently• Vice Chair, DLNet (was E-
Learning Group for Museums, Lib, Archives)
• Consultancy, websites, training, user testing, evaluation …Martin Bazley & Associateswww.martinbazley.com
•Slides and notes available afterwards
Key points:
Coordinate income generation
Reduce costs, increase efficiency, optimise impact for users and stakeholders
Generating and coordinating incomeTwo main areas:
o public and grant funding
o commercial sources
o online donations – GiftAid etc
‘funding pipeline’ model can help coordinate
Income pipeline
Many businesses and non-profit organisations use a model known as an income (or sales) pipeline.
Aim is to predict the income over a period of time by categorising:
o potential income sources and
o their probability of coming to fruition.
For example, all prospects for funding could be classified as follows:
• Opportunity - a funding programme that looks suitable
• In discussion – contact made with funding body• Proposal stage - proposal underway - discussions
continue• Awaiting decision - proposal has been submitted• Awarded – funding secured
Income pipeline
Category Number Value
Opportunities 30 £1,200,000
In discussion 7 £200,000
Proposal stage 5 £120,000
Awaiting decision 3 £70,000
Awarded 2 £40,000
Category Number Value Likelihood Income
Opportunities 30 £1,200,000 2% £24,000
In discussion 7 £200,000 10% £20,000
Proposal
stage
5 £120,000 20% £20,000
Awaiting
decision
3 £70,000 50% £35,000
Awarded 2 £40,000 100% £40,000
Total £139,000
Funding sources
See separate spreadsheet
Reduce costs, increase efficiency, optimise impact for users and stakeholders
o Plan, evaluate, do audience research, do user testing
o Make use of freebies and cheapies
o Maximise findability, usability
Technology and sustainability
o Focus on the content, value proposition, user experience
o Technology costs go in cycles - new products big investments required, then get cheaper - but content and interpretation more important and therefore can seem expensive in relative terms
o Each new wave of technology soon becomes less visible, viewed less as 'technical' - but we still expect quality of service
Audience consultation
o Digital interventions informed by real, grounded feedback are more likely to work, and need less remedial activity i.e. save money overall by keeping focus on what works well for users
Plan, evaluate, do audience research
o How to plan and conduct research into online audiences:http://sca.jiscinvolve.org/audience-publications/
o Web stats, online questionnaires, focus groups (concept testing), user testing,
o Build costs into the project for regular evaluation – avoid expensive remedial action later in project
User testing digital projects
o 'Get it' testing
o Start with user agenda not your own
o Big picture often found in the little details (esp for school classrooms!)
Freebies and cheapies
o WordPress and other ‘free’ CMSs for creating websites, blogging, or prototyping
o YouTube, Vimeo, podcasting
o Social media: Facebook, Twitter
o Google Analytics
Making websites - CMSs
http://wordpress.com - free website creation service (pay extra for features like own domain name etc, but all hosting and upgrading etc is done for you
Making websites - CMSs
http://wordpress.org - free website creation service – like .com except you have to install it on your server and you are responsible for updating, hosting costs, etc
Making websites - CMSs
www.contentcurator.net - free open-source CMS specially developed for cultural and heritage sector. Powerful and easy to use e.g. In-place editing
Making websites - CMSs
www.cmsmadesimple.org - free website creation service – you install it on your server and you are responsible for updating, hosting costs, etc - very similar to wordpress.org
Prototyping with WordPress
http://ruskinelementsofdrawing.wordpress.com
Video – maximise impact
http://vimeo.com
http://ruskinelementsofdrawing.wordpress.com
Social media – maximise impact?
Has potential to increase engagement but be aware:– long term commitment essential so financial
implications in resourcing– Can also work against you. DLNet vs. Dulwich Picture Gallery blog
Online audiences - links
Advice and links on social media strategy, online audience research, user testing, etc
http://onlineaudiences.wordpress.com/
More info / advice / ideas
Martin Bazley
0780 3580 727
www.martinbazley.com
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