1.
King John’s House & Tudor
Cottage Trust Ltd
Addressed to: Anne James, General Manager
STUDENT CONSULTANCY BUSINESS PLAN
STUDENT CONSULTANCY TEAM MEMBERS:
DARIA DORIANI Mobile: 07522134324 Email: dpd1g13@soton.ac.uk
DANIEL BYRNE Mobile: 07411410629 Email: db10g13@soton.ac.uk
KATE MOYNIHAN Mobile: 07542362509 Email: km17g13@soton.ac.uk
KAINAT HUSSAIN Mobile: 07599401240 Email: ksh1g14@soton.ac.uk
February 2016
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Dear Anne James,
King John’s House and Tudor Cottage (KJH) as you have presented to us, is a very
unique space with a lovely garden, it also hosts an engaging exhibition at the Moody House.
However, it is struggling to attract people’s attention and lies in the shadow of Romsey
Abbey. It is further compromised by a lack of internal support and is faced with a tight
financial situation.
Nevertheless, we believe it is a great asset to the community and can be brought to the
forefront of the town. In our proposal based on the outline of the brief you provided, we have
tackled four critical issues, which we believe can provide the necessary boost needed.
We have delved into your current marketing methods and proposed uplift with
specific examples as to what needs changing to improve the first impression you give to
potential customers. We have also provided you with potential activities and events you could
invest time in which will sustain business and build a rapport with the local community. All
this will be helpful however, it needs internal support to regularly manage these elements and
so we have given possible ways to recruit volunteers and interns to help the daily staff. In the
long term as you highlighted funding has been an issue, we believe that all improvements
mentioned above will help build your case when you apply for funding in the future. We have
also in our proposal dedicated a section, which will hopefully guide you in attaining the
funding that you need.
This proposal is tailored to your needs and with the research we have done we believe
that targeting these areas and continually keeping up-to-date with them, will give KJH the lift
that it deserves from all those visiting Romsey and all those who live there. We hope it
proves beneficial to you.
Yours sincerely,
Daria Doriani,
Daniel Byrne
Kate Moynihan
Kainat Hussain
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary 4
Our understanding of the aims 4
Our solution 4
Moving forward 5
Progression timeline 6
Solution Recommendations 7
Volunteering 7
Events and Activities to Expand Customer Base 10
Marketing (Social Media, Website, Flyers, Offline Publicity) 14
Funding 22
Implementation Plan 24
Volunteering 24
Events and Activities to Expand Customer Base 26
Marketing 27
Funding 27
Financials 28
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Executive Summary
Our understanding of the aims:
The key business issues highlighted by King John’s House and Tudor Cottage (KJH)
dealt with a need to expand the customer base to include more clients and encourage a wider
age group of attendees, to revaluate marketing techniques to boost attendance and finally to
find possible avenues to attain funding.
There were a few key matters to take into consideration, these were to do with being
cost-efficient in whatever solution is recommended, for anything planned to be sustainable in
the sense that it is not a one-off and provides financially on a regular basis and that it can be
carried out with the resources at hand. This brings forward the desperate need for more
volunteers and/or interns, which are key to any of the solutions presented being effective and
moving forward.
The proposed solutions take into account the needs of the client and have been
divided up into four main areas: volunteering, marketing devices, marketing activities to
expand customer base and funding. They have taken into account the limited resources
available and aim to boost the image of KJH to attract attention towards it by redesigning its
methods of communication and supporting it with further volunteers.
KJH currently has all the latest methods of communication such as their own website,
social media pages and flyers, however they fall short in maintenance and so there are
recommendations to make them give a more modern feel and attract a wider range of clients.
This will be crucial as this is the first impression anyone receives of KJH. It is intended that
these changes will have a ripple effect and give KJH the boost it needs. The intent is to back
this up by internally providing volunteers who are able to maintain these avenues and
continually regulate communications between KJH and its customers to make sure that it
does not remain cut off and overlooked from the community. This will then further highlight
its importance to any potential investors interested in funding the Trust.
Our solution:
We have split the tasks into four main sections: Funding, Volunteering, Marketing
channels, and Events. This means that we have many solutions that will each impact King
John’s house in different ways.
We have identified that King John’s House needs more volunteers. They specified to
us that they need some for day-to-day tasks, and also told us of the lack of younger
volunteers. Therefore, we decided to split the volunteering solutions into two categories:
younger volunteers and older volunteers. The main solutions for finding volunteers are to
attract more people through the internet. KJH would use websites such as Gumtree to post
free adverts requesting volunteers, as well as using other volunteering websites in their
search. After looking at the current volunteering brochure, we decided that having two
brochures would be better; one targeted to younger volunteers, and one targeted to older
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volunteers. For younger volunteers, we have recommended that KJH contact local schools to
get on the list for work experience and Duke of Edinburgh placements, as well as other
solutions.
We have found solutions for KJH’s requirement for both targeted and general
funding. KJH told us how they wished to renovate their flag with targeted funding, so we
have found and compiled a list of charities and trusts that provide money to historic buildings
and relevant organisations. We have a detailed rundown of different funding organisations
that are very relevant to King John’s house, and how best to apply for the funding. As well as
these, we have identified some smaller scale funding opportunities including a voluntary 20p
on cakes and coffees in the teahouse, and crowdfunding websites online.
King John’s House expressed their desire for better-marketed events to increase their
customer base. There are many small and medium sized societies in Romsey that KJH are not
yet making the most of. We have a long list of appropriate societies, as well as their contact
details, that KJH could build relationships within an aim to expand their customer base and
recognition through the community. The idea of the “Big Fair” has also been put forward.
This would be a day event where all the societies come to the house and showcase their latest
work. KJH could be the hub of this collaboration and bring in more customers and build a
more connected community of societies.
We found that King John’s House is lacking in structured online marketing. Our
solutions include how to update KJH’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts.
All of these changes are simple to do and will make KJH appear more organised and official
online. We have also noted some problems with the main website. The solution shows how to
make changes to make it easier to navigate and simpler for the user. We also detail
recommendations for changing the design of the website, for example the background
images, to make it more visually appealing. Lastly, we recommend new ideas for
restructuring the KJH flyer, including recommendations on the design and content in the
flyer. These changes would make the flyer brighter and more colourful, with less specific
images to appeal to a wider audience.
Moving forward:
The recommended solutions are mostly easy to implement, but they will be time
consuming so the steps to get more volunteers and/or interns should be taken as soon as
possible. This will ensure that there are enough people to implement the solutions for funding
and marketing.
The increased number of volunteers will assist with the funding applications and the
marketing strategies. The marketing and funding can work together to improve KJH overall,
which should increase the customer base and in turn could increase the number of volunteers.
There is no strict deadline on these ideas; they can all be implemented simultaneously
providing there are enough resources, although some will take longer than others. These
solutions are designed to work for several years into the future, so they all need to be updated
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often. For example, keeping the website and flyers up-to-date, continually applying for
funding and ensuring continued contact with local schools and organisations.
Progression timeline:
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Solution Recommendations
Volunteering
King John’s house current volunteers are strained and have expressed the need for
additional volunteers. We have categorised the type of volunteers that they require into two
categories: Older volunteers and younger volunteers. This is because the two would be
expected to have different responsibilities. This distinction also makes it easier to formulate
different plans to attract the different kind of volunteers; working on the logic that younger
volunteers are more digitally connected and older volunteers are generally less so.
Older volunteers:
The need for older volunteers is vital since currently there is a lack of available staff
for greeting customers in the booth. As well as this, the current volunteers expressed the need
for another couple of volunteers to help with the day-to-day tasks that need to be completed.
There is not a “criteria” as such for determining who to target, but it helps the search if we
can narrow down the characteristics of people who are most likely to want to join KJH. These
are: (1) Live locally, (2) Interested in History, (3) Talkative and customer friendly.
Volunteering at King John’s house has many benefits, we decided that to attract older
volunteers, we must try to understand why they would want to help, and then tailor our
adverts and communications with potential volunteers accordingly. The three main attractions
to working at KJH are: (1) Joining a fun and caring community of volunteers (2) Giving
something back to the local community (3) Gaining knowledge and insight to Romsey’s and
England’s history.
Solutions:
1. Advertising volunteering vacancy of KJH website:
o Place a basic advert on the main website’s homepage. Users click on the
advert and are taken to a page that shows contact details for KJH and the
requirements for the volunteering vacancy as well as what successful
applicants would get in return for volunteering.
2. Placing adverts on local gumtree websites / volunteering websites:
o Place adverts on gumtree advertising the volunteering vacancy. Include
contact details for KJH and what they would get out of it.
https://www.gumtree.com/romsey
https://www.gumtree.com/southampton
https://do-it.org/opportunities/landing
3. Making eye catching posters, display around site:
o Put up a couple of eye-catching posters that encourage people to ask the staff
about joining the volunteering team. Posters should be interesting but also
need to fit the theme of the house. A good example would be a WW2
recruiting poster with the words changed to say “volunteer at KJH” or similar.
Would need to be made by a graphic designer or could be a job for a young
volunteer / intern.
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4. Redesign volunteering brochure:
o Currently, the volunteering brochure does not focus on what the volunteer will
get out of the volunteering experience. We have agreed that two separate
brochures should be made to appeal to the different target audiences: young
volunteers and old volunteers. The brochure for older volunteers should push
the idea of
a. Joining a new, friendly community of volunteers
b. Giving something back to the community
c. Learning more about Romsey’s history
Younger volunteers:
Younger volunteers have been requested by KJH to create a more diverse working
atmosphere, and to do some of the tasks that the regular staff cannot do/ do not have time for.
Due to the school week, younger volunteers would be able to work mainly on weekends, and
KJH staff has suggested that younger volunteers could work on the booth to greet customers.
The kind of young people who are likely to want to volunteer for KJH must live locally,
should have an interest in history, should want to gain experience dealing with customers,
and have basic technology skills.
To attract younger volunteers, KJH should appeal to their sense of growth and
achievement – they should push the idea of gaining skills and experience. Younger people
need these things to stand out from the crowd in job interviews, so showing them what they
could achieve by volunteering with KJH would be the best way to grab the interest of
younger people.
Solutions:
1. Contact local schools for Duke of Edinburgh/work experience opportunities:
• Request that you be put on the list for Duke of Edinburgh and work experience
placements. Ask for a certain number of students, show the school that you
have a good volunteering programme set out for them. The website below
shows the schools close to Romsey and gives their contact details too.
http://www.schools-search.co.uk/school-
search.php?Soutcode=SO51+7LF&type=Secondary&radius=5&btnSubmit=S
ubmit[
2. Advertise for interns on local gumtree website:
• Target adverts to 18-25 year olds on local gumtree website. Focus on what
they will get out of it. Also focus on the requirements and responsibilities that
they will be entrusted with.
https://www.gumtree.com/romsey
https://www.gumtree.com/southampton
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3. Contact university for history students to volunteer:
• Ask history department to send emails a couple of times per year to students
asking for volunteers. Need to write a good email to grab attention and clearly
show the benefits of volunteering at KJH.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/history/contact.page
4. Contact university for the volunteering society:
• The University of Southampton have a website called “MyCareer” where
students can log in and look for jobs and volunteering opportunities. KJH
should apply to become a part of this by following the link below, reading the
guides that are provided, and submitting you advertisement. It is free and
quick to complete and would target all interested students.
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/careers/employers/advertise-your-
vacancies.page
5. Redesign the volunteering brochure to focus on younger people:
• As above, focus on the skills and experience that they will gain from
volunteering. Skills that they will get include:
a. Talking with customers
b. Working as a part of a team
c. Being trusted with money
d. Selling the museum tour to people
6. Make a volunteering programme for younger people:
• Having a set programme that lists what each young volunteer will be tasked
with on each day would make the experience more enjoyable for the student,
and easier to manage for whoever is supervising them. The programme should
basically be a timetable of tasks for the student, and should be set up so that
they are not doing the same thing for too long, and get to help in as many
different areas as possible. This would help keep them organised, but also
teach them more skills and keep them interested.
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Events and Activities to Expand Customer Base
As KJH require an expansion of their customer base and the need for more frequent
visitors, a feasible way to do so is to target the local community and strengthen their ties with
KJH not only a as a heritage sight but also as a space that can offer them a service to build
their community.
The intent is to approach existing communities that already have committed members
and bring to them proposals of ways in which they can utilise KJH for their activities. This
will bring in funds sustainably with events happening regularly and will over time build a
rapport with the community, which helps KJH in their standing as an important site for
Romsey.
Below is a table that holds societies housed in Romsey who have regular meetings
and events. This contains tailored information regarding possible activities and events for
KJH to recommend to each society. The idea is to make contact regularly to make sure that
they are aware of KJH as a space to utilise.
This could then further lead to KJH promoting a collaborative between two societies.
For example:
The societies of the Romsey Ramblers and the Viewfinders of Romsey could be
brought together in an organised walk (perhaps for a charity) where the Viewfinders
Society takes photographs of the route they walk together and exhibit the photos in an
exhibition event at KJH. This event would be very much from the community, to the
community. Promoting the event would encourage people to come and view an
exhibition presenting their local area. With correct promotion on the day with the
help of staff and volunteers this could then be extended to a visit to see the rest of
KJH.
The table has two sections that are underlined and italicised which indicated ways in
which KJH can use the societies as an investment opportunity.
There is also mention in the table of a Big Fair. The concept of the Big Fair is to be
carried out with all the various societies hosting a small stall in KJH to advertise their own
activities. The aim of this is to invite the local community to a fun event held in KJH to
present the potential of the place at a big scale. The day would include activities for all ages
outdoors and stalls indoors. This would bring in a cross section of all age groups and attract
attention to the site. This would also be a chance for KJH to have their own stall to recruit
volunteers and promote activities that happen throughout the year.
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Table of Societies in Romsey:
Society
How they Could utilise King
John’s House and Tudor
Cottage?
First point of contact
Abbeyfield House Residential
Home- Very close to King John’s
House
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/abfield
.htm
·Christmas party
·Special occasions- i.e. if someone
has a birthday
Telephone: 01794 518890
Romsey Local History Society-
Seem to be very active in the local
community
http://www.ltvas.org.uk/
·Hold a monthly exhibition of the
things they have discovered from
the events
·Use space for talks
·Christmas parties
·Hold a publicity event for new
recruits
·Book sale/ new books launch
Programme Secretary- Nancy
Kelly: 02380 737753
Publicity- Jean Brent e-
mail:ernest.brent@yahoo.co.u
k
Chairman- Phoebe
Merrick:01794513751 ro
msey.history@gmail.com
Romsey Abbey Probus Club
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/abbey-
probus/index.html#Committee
·If they could hold their AGM/
important/ special meeting (i.e.
when they have invited someone
to talk)
·Christmas Party
President Stephen Wood -
01794 515860/
skwchf@talktalk.net
Secretary Paul Clayson-
02380 262636/
psclay@waitrose.com
Romsey Probus Club
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/probus
·Same as above Secretary - Doug Weeks
01794 322878
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/index.html
Romsey Choral Society
Very active- good publicity
http://www.romseychoral.org.uk/
·This could be an investment
opportunity- hold a concert for
regular customers in the tea
room/ membership holders/
people who book/hire regularly
and open it to the public
Chairman- Kath Tilling:
chairman@romseychoral.org.
uk
Admin Secretary- John
Tilling:
secretary@romseychoral.org.
uk
Publicity- Kaarina Manzur:
publicity@romseychoral.org.
uk
Romsey & District Lions Club- aim
to provide service, assistance and
funds for those in need
http://www.e-
clubhouse.org/sites/romseyuk/index.
php
&
Message in a bottle
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/clubs/li
ons/lions.htm
·Big Fair
President- Lilian Brimelow:
02380 730599,
m.brimelow@sky.com
Secretary- Stuart Thompson
email: stuart.thompson12@nt
lworld.com
Romsey Rambler’s Group
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/ramble
rs/index.htm
·A photograph exhibition of the
pictures they take on their walks
Tom Radford
tom.radford@hotmail.co.uk
Romsey & Waterside Visually
Impaired Group
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/rawvig
.htm
·Big Fair
·Also any workshops they do and
special events such as AGM or
Christmas meetings
RAWVIG: Secretary - Diane
Dawkins- 01794-518969/
dianedawkins@btinternet.co
m
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Romsey Blind Club
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/blind.h
tm
Romsey U3A
http://u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.ph
p?site=347&page=1
·Big Fair
·And if they want to use the space
for any of their events
Brenda Sennet
01794 501040.
Rotary Club of Romsey Test
http://www.rotaryclubofromseytest.o
rg/index.aspx
·Big Fair
·And if they want to use the space
for any of their events
Secretary- Jim Purdie
jim@purdiehome.co.uk
Senior VP- Tony Trowsdale:
trowsdalemk.1@gmail.com
http://www.rotaryclubofroms
eytest.org/html/WhatWeDoFr
ame.html
Romsey Modellers:
http://www.romseymodellers.co.uk/
·If they wanted to do an exhibition
to commemorate the world war
every year/ a progression of the
air force exhibition
http://www.romseymodellers.
co.uk/about
Viewfinders of Romsey
http://www.romseyviewfinders.org.u
k/
·Do an exhibition
·Commission them to take new
pictures of KJH
·Combine with Romsey
Rambler’s Group
Chairman- Lynn Lambeth:
chairman@viewfinderscc.org.
uk
Secretary Terry Jamieson-
secretary@viewfinderscc.org.
uk
Youth Clubs
http://www.romseynet.org.uk/youth.
htm
·Big Fair
Refer to the individual group
pages on the website
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Marketing (Social Media, Website, Flyers, Offline Publicity)
1. Social media environment
1.1.Facebook
When you access the Facebook profile of the trust, it automatically appears that this trust
is a history museum. Taking into consideration its classification, the entire profile should
have an ancient “vintage” appearance in order to catch people’s attention and give a brief
outline of what is available there. Hence, the profile picture does not clearly show what all is
about, as the collage is not very clear. The recommendation would be to set up a profile
picture that highlights just one aspect of this history museum (a specific building or room). In
addition, the current cover does not highlight an important feature of the trust. In order to
offer a variety of information and catch people’s attention with something “brighter”, the
cover page should illustrate the gardens.
Facebook Recommendations
Actions to be taken
Change profile picture
Change cover
More photos of the buildings
More photos taken at events
More photos with the gardens, during all
seasons
Photos with the staff working there
Make events on Facebook when there is an
event at King John’s House, hence you can
estimate how many people will come and you
will have greater publicity
Less emphasis on kids and older people
Posts must be addressed to the larger
population, including teenagers and young
adults
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King John’s House is currently using this marketing channel mostly as a way to either
announce new events or to make people aware of the ones that are cancelled. As Facebook is
one of the most popular social environments used by the large population, the
recommendations would include: post more photos of the buildings, photos taken at several
events, photos of the gardens during all the seasons, and even photos with the staff working
there. By doing this, potential visitors will get a closer look on what’s available there.
1.2 Instagram
Instagram Recommendations
Actions to be taken
Change profile picture (same as on Facebook,
in order to avoid confusion)
Post photos more frequently
Follow more people
Follow other history museum
Keep posting the same type of photos
Current strengths High quality photos
Change
cover
–
use
a
photo
of
the
gardens
Change
profile
picture
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1.3 Twitter
Twitter Recommendations
Actions to be taken
Change profile picture
Change cover
Same profile picture and cover for both
Facebook and Twitter, in order to avoid
confusion
Current strengths Frequent tweets
Change
cover
(same
photo
as
on
Facebook)
Change
profile
picture
(same
photo
as
on
Facebook)
Change
profile
picture
–
this
is
not
representative
(same
photo
as
on
Facebook)
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1.4 Pinterest
2. Website
Pinterest Recommendations
Actions to be taken
Change profile picture (same as Facebook, in
order to avoid confusion)
Put more emphasis on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram
Not considered a priority in the short term (as
this is not commonly used by the larger
population)
Change
profile
picture
–this
is
not
representative
(same
photo
as
on
Facebook)
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Currently the website lacks structure, without focusing on the most important aspects of the
history museum.
Website General Recommendations
Actions to be taken
Change background
Change “Instagram” logo to the official one
Change the photo with “King John’s House”
as this is not representative, it just repeats the
name
Restructuring the website
1. Background pattern – choose a simple one-colour background, which highlights the
antiquity aspect, for example:
2. Font–handwriting
Handwriting Font
It is very clear and easy to read
It is similar with people’s writing
It gives the impression of something old
It gives the impression that the website was
attentively designed
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3. Structure the content
Cover
photo
–
King
John’s
House
Gardens
–
as
this
is
ranked
as
the
best
feature
on
TripAdvisor
Each
square
will
be
accessed
via
click,
each
focusing
on
only
one
aspect:
-‐About
us
-‐Plan
your
visit
(schedule,
opening
hours,
maps
etc.)
-‐Collections
-‐Events
-‐Exhibitions
-‐Buildings
(brief
presentation
of
all
the
buildings
-‐Gardens
-‐Tudor
Tea
Room
(Photos
+
Menu)
-‐Families
and
Children
“Contact
us”
button
(email,
telephone
number,
address,
etc.)
Social
Media
(Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
Pinterest)
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3. Flyers
Take
this
out,
as
we
do
not
want
to
target
a
specific
population
Take
this
out,
as
we
do
not
want
to
give
the
impression
that
this
place
is
just
for
children
Do
not
use
this
picture
anymore
(too
dark,
too
large,
and
not
very
appealing)
-‐Keep
the
motto:
“a
beautiful
and
well-‐kept
secret”
-‐use
only
one
photo
on
this
side
-‐use
only
one
type
of
background
1
2
3
4
5
6
Use
only
one
type
of
text
box
–
we
recommend
using
squares,
as
they
are
larger
and
the
picture
can
be
seen
better
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First side
Keep the motto
Use only one photo with only one building
Take the people out
Use only one type of background
Use handwriting font on all the sides
Second side
Use one photo with King John’s House
Use one photo with Tudor Cottage
Third side
Use one photo with The Moody Museum
Use one photo with Moody’s Gunshop
Forth side
Use the forth side only for the Tea Room (we
recommend to use one picture of the whole
room, one picture with the desserts/food, and
one picture with the tableware
Fifth side
Use one photo with the gardens, and one
photo with the privies
Sixth side
Use the sixth side only for general
information: address (maps), reservations,
schedule, telephone number etc. (without any
photos except a map)
Summary: You should make use of simple, bright, and colourful photos. You should use the
2nd
, 3rd
and 4th
sides only for illustrating the inside features, whilst the 5th
, 6th
, and 1st
sides for
illustrating the outside features.
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4. Offline Publicity
Funding
The two types of funding researched for King John’s House are targeted funding and
general funding. Targeted funding would be used just to restore the flag, which was
highlighted in the initial meeting, or a similar small, important project. General funding
would be used for the running, repairs and upkeep of the building.
Most of the following organisations were found using the Heritage Funding Directory,
which is a database of all funding opportunities for heritage projects in the UK. There are
grants, loans and awards for a wide range of projects and organisations so the following ideas
are only a selection of possible funding opportunities. There are a lot of different selection
criteria so this resource could be used in the future for different projects at KJH. Details can
be found at http://www.theheritagealliance.org.uk/fundingdirectory/main/fundinghome.php
The Association of Independent Museums give funding for small important items in a
collection, which could be directed to the restoration of the flag. For this application the
importance of the item must be clear, and there are two deadlines per year, in March and
September. Details can be found at
http://www.aimmuseums.co.uk/content/aim_conservation_grant_scheme/
The Friend’s of Southampton’s Museums, Archives and Galleries could also provide
funding for the museum or targeted funding for the flag. In 2011, they provided funding for
the restoration of a Tudor House so this a good indicator that they would consider funding the
flag restoration. Details can be found at http://www.fosmag.org.uk/funding/
Offline Publicity
Give out flyers on the street
Make flyers available at the Tourist Point
in Romsey
Publish an article at least each six months
in the local newspapers or magazines
Advertise King John’s House in those free
newspapers/magazines that all the Romsey
residents receive at their doors
Word of mouth
Put posters in Romsey when there are
important events or talks
Advertise the museum in local schools,
local events, local club events through
flyers and posters
Try and get the chance to be invited at the
local radio station for a short talk about
King John’s House
Offers (for example: if you buy a cake,
you get one tea/coffee for free).
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The Romsey and District Buildings Preservation Trust is a trust which ‘aims to
protect and preserve the historical and architectural heritage of buildings within Romsey’
and from their website, they are looking for new projects to assist with. The trust could assist
with the upkeep and repairs with the main building and could also be great at publicising
King John’s House. http://www.romseydistrictsociety.co.uk
There are a number of heritage funding grants from the Lottery fund, which range in
project and size of the grant. Some of these could be specifically for collections in the
museum, for example an exhibition on World War I, and some are just for general heritage. A
similar project that was funded was the restoration of a Grade 1 listed building in Essex in
2009. This building also contained a museum and a library, similar to King John’s
House. This is a great site for funding as it can provide funding for specific events, such as a
particular exhibition in the museum, or repairs to the main Tudor cottage building. Details
can be found at https://www.hlf.org.uk/looking-funding/our-grant-programmes/our-heritage
Small Scale Funding
A smaller scale fundraising solution would be to create an online donation page with a
site such as gofundme or justgiving, which is an easy way for members of the public to help
fund the restoration of the flag. This would work best by setting target then putting a link to
the donation page on the website, social media, flyers and on the tables in the tea room.
Having a specific goal and obvious links will encourage both people who have visited the
museum, and people who just use the tea rooms to make a donation. Details can be found at
either https://home.justgiving.com or at https://www.gofundme.com
Another smaller funding idea would be to introduce a certain cake or drink into the
tearoom where, for example, a discretionary 20p is donated to KJH on behalf of the customer.
Although a small source of funding, this could encourage customers of the tearoom who
wouldn’t normally visit the museum to look around and to get involved. This money could be
collected and added to the above donation page so that all donations from customers are
collated and the total will build up.
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Implementation Plan
Volunteering
Most of the solutions here are fairly easy to implement, there are some that will require more
work and some that will require outside help and expertise. Listed here are the solutions with
the steps required to successfully implement them.
Older Volunteers:
Advertising volunteering vacancy of KJH website
1. Write a landing page (the page on the website that describes what applicants will
get out of the job, requirements, and KJH’s contact details.
2. Ask website designer to create this page
3. Ask website designer to create simple advert that links to the landing page. Advert
should say “Volunteer Here” or similar
Placing adverts on local gumtree websites / volunteering websites
1. Write simple advert – focus on what they get out of volunteering (see 3rd
paragraph
in “older volunteers” section in solution recommendation for ideas on what to focus
on)
2. Go to the links below, click “Post Ad” in top right corner
3. Monitor email for potential volunteers
https://www.gumtree.com/romsey
https://www.gumtree.com/southampton
Making eye-catching posters, display around site.
1. Pick a couple of World War 1 or 2 recruitment posters.
2. Write down what you would like to change the wording to. Would work best if
relevant to KJH and volunteering
3. Ask a graphic designer/intern/young volunteer to make the changes digitally.
4. Print and place around KJH.
Redesign volunteering brochure
1. Draft the writing for the brochure – focus on what successful applicants will get out
of volunteering. (Strong friendships among volunteers, giving back to community
etc.)
2. Send writing to graphic designer/intern/young volunteer along with previous
volunteering brochure and ask to replicate it with new wording.
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Younger volunteers:
Contact local schools for Duke of Edinburgh/ work experience opportunities
1. Contact local schools by email or phone; draft an informal message that focuses on
what you can offer the students.
2. Ask to be put on their list for Duke of Edinburgh and work experience weeks.
3. Call/email biannually to reassure them of your desire for students.
Advertise for interns on local gumtree website:
1. Go to the link below. The content should be same as for older volunteers expect
focuses on skills and experience that younger volunteers can obtain.
https://www.gumtree.com/romsey
https://www.gumtree.com/southampton.
Contact university for history students to volunteer:
1. Email contact expressing your desire for student volunteers. Ask them if they could
circulate an email written by you to all history students.
2. Write email focused to students – what skills they get out of it, what knowledge of
local history they would get.
3. Send Email to the contact at the university.
4. Repeat once or twice per year depending on what they will allow.
Post advert on MyCareer for Southampton students to volunteer:
1. Go to the first link below and read how University of Southampton can help you
find student volunteers.
2. Click the link on that same page that says “Go to MyCareer” and follow the
process.
Redesign the volunteering brochure to focus on younger people:
1. Same as for older volunteers expect focuses on the skills and experience that they
will get out of volunteering.
Make a volunteering programme for younger people
1. Identify tasks/activities/projects that need to be worked on.
2. Prepare a timetable for the students; include deadlines for tasks if necessary.
3. Make sure that students do different things throughout the day to keep the
experience interesting.
4. Keep track of progress of volunteers so that you can give them appropriate
feedback at the end of the experience.
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Events and Activities to Expand Customer Base
This implementation plan is represented as a timeline.
Take the
first step to
communica
-ting with
all the
groups via
email or
phone to
make them
aware
Present the
societies with
tailored
suggestions
for ways in
which they
can engage
with KJH
Begin
feeding the
idea of a
Big Fair
and
encourage
the groups
to come
together
Create
a
layout
for the
day
Prepare
flyers and
create a
section on
the
webpage
where
people can
express
their
interest
Have a
Facebook
events
page which
can be
updated
regularly
to build
excitement
Post updates
of which
groups have
signed up to
take part and
any
activities
that might
be
happening
i.e. carol
group
performance
at a noon
Big
Fair
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Marketing
This implementation plan is represented as a timeline.
Funding
Most of the mentioned grants involve application forms and details of the project and
its importance to the community or its heritage. These applications will take time; although
once the general ideas are formed it should be easy to do a number of applications at the same
time. For this reason, this could be a job for an intern or volunteer who could just look at
applications and funding so that it is done quickly and soon, and not in competition with
other implementations we have proposed.
The creation of a donation page is easy to do and the sooner the page is created the
sooner people will be able to donate. This would be best implemented in the next couple of
months to get donations in quickly. Most of these applications are open all year round, so this
is a continued solution that can be implemented when there is time to make an application or
when there is a need for new funding.
Get an intern who will
be in charge of Social
Media permanently (in
the beginning use the
photos that you already
have). At the same time,
try and get in contact
with the people who
already volunteer in
order to advertise King
John’s House in the
offline environment, as
we recommended in the
report.
Try and get a
photographer (intern)
who will attend all the
events and take photos
(of all the buildings and
events) – there is a clear
need for high quality
photos for social media,
website and flyer
Restructure the flyer,
using the new photos
(you could contact an
agency for this service)
The third step is to
restructure the website
in accordance with our
recommendations (you
will probably need to
pay for this service, as it
requires time and a high
level of commitment)
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Financials
The potential costs that may be involved in applying our recommendations can be broken
down as follows:
Marketing Costs
One person is needed for organizing the Big
Fair event
One person is needed for keeping the regular
contact with the societies/clubs
Marketing Agency for the design of the new
flyer
A person who will redesign the website
There will be a cost for the trust only when implementing the solutions for the
marketing sector. These can be even more reduced if the trust is successfully getting
volunteers, following our recommendations from the Volunteering section. Hence, the person
who will organize the Big Fair can also keep regular contact with the societies and clubs from
Romsey. In case there is no volunteer for this position, this will represent a cost, namely the
trust will need to employ a person. However, the major cost will be the design of the flyer
and website as commitment and expertise are needed in this situation.
