How to get creative with funding your BIGS Facilitator Training

Here are some creative funding ideas how you can pay for your BIGS Facilitator Training, so that you can train to become a certified accredited End of Life Planning Facilitator with Before I Go Solutions.

What to do if you are keen to do the BIGS End of Life Plan Facilitator Training but don’t have the means to pay right now

Here’s how to get creative with funding ideas…

• Think about who might benefit from you becoming a licensed EOL planning facilitator and ask them for help.
• Be very clear about what you can offer in return so that the investment in your training becomes a no-brainer.
• Know your facts on how end of life planning reduces stress, decreases the need for hospital beds, limits environmental pollution, brings peace of mind, boosts joy in life and much more.
• Convey exactly how this training will benefit you and your community – whose life will you impact and how?
• Highlight that the EOL Plan Facilitator training you are looking to fund is fully CPD accredited.
• Emphasize that Before I Go Solutions is a social enterprise (not-for-profit organisation).
• Show you really want this by being clear about your own contribution – what part of the course fees can you raise yourself?

What kind of help can you ask for?

• Grants / Funding
• Sponsorship
• Fundraising
• Loans
• Exchanges in kind
• Investments from friends and family
• Using a 0% credit card (see important note below)*           

Who can you ask for funding?

• Are there local organisations (Councils, Rotary Clubs, Charities etc.) who’d be open to sponsoring or supporting you in some way?
• How about care homes, hospices and funeral directors in your area – what kind of services might you offer them in exchange for their sponsorship? If you are based in the UK, the Grants Programme offered by Hospice UK may be useful to look at.
• Also, are there law firms, who’d consider financing your BIGS training, with the potential of partnering with you in the future for end of life planning work?
• What about your GP practice or medical associations – how might they be willing to get involved?
• And, how about sources of funding for skills development – have you looked into government or council training resources you may be eligible for?
• Does your employer have a Learning & Development Fund you could apply to? (One of our licensed facilitators did just that and received a 50% grant!).
• What about community oriented local businesses keen to promote the well-being and development of their own communities?
• How about advisory bodies – such as the Third Sector Interfaces in local authority areas – who offer support and funding advice for non-profit causes?
• And, have you looked into crowdfunding platforms such as Go Fund me or Patreon?
• Or, could friends, family and colleagues sponsor you in advance in exchange for a place on your first, pilot End of Life Planning course, once you’ve completed the training?

Above all, fundraising events can bring in surprising support and are also a brilliant way of raising awareness about End of Life planning work – have you thought about possible events, talks, performances or classes you could offer to raise money? And how about sponsored walks or litter-picking, cake sales or fund-raising celebrations?

Whatever avenue you feel inspired to pursue to finance your BIGS training, you’ll get people talking about end of life matters! Word will spread about the work you intend to do. Others will get inspired and you’ll create valuable connections and networks through which to publicise your future work. 

It may be daunting at first AND it can be a lot of fun and incredibly rewarding.

Remember you are already tilling the soil for your end of life planning work to flourish!

Creative Funding Ideas

So there you have several ways to get creative funding for your BIGS End of Life Planning Facilitator Training. 

If you’d like to read more about how our licensed facilitator Emma Satchell secured her funding click here.

Ready to take the training?

Important Disclaimer

* Important note on 0% credit cards – normally we would not advocate using a credit card, but a 0% one can be a great asset if used properly. This is a credit card with a 0% introductory/promotional interest rate available for a set duration. This means you can spread the cost of the training by paying off the amount you want to pay each month, without any interest (so long as it is at least the minimum payment). It means you can take advantage of the best deal for the training too. Here’s an example:  Suzan gets a 0% card that offers credit up to £5000, interest free for 20 months. She pays for the training in full that way, and has worked out she can pay £150 per month off her card, meaning she will repay the debt in full well before the end of the 20 months.

WARNING! Because once the offer ends, the standard rates apply to the remaining balance of your card, you MUST be on top of when the 0% introductory rate runs out.  Otherwise you will be paying huge sums of interest on the balance. So you must make sure you have paid off all the balance by then, or be willing to transfer any balance to another 0% credit card.  This means you must note down somewhere when the offer ends, and make sure you do not use this credit card for any other transactions whatsoever. If you’re not the sort of person to have this kind of discipline, then please do not use this option!