Producing Online Heritage Projects
1. Project Planning
1.3 Determining the Budget
Sharpen your pencil. You are going to estimate how much your project will cost. Before you begin this process, you should contact colleagues in the field for advice on estimating a budget. You can also contact multimedia companies to obtain estimates of current Web development costs.
Appendix D contains a Project Budget Template listing most of the budget categories you might want to consider. You can use it to itemize daily or weekly costs, or simply to include a total in each category. Any items on the template that are not relevant to your project can be left blank. The template is meant to be a guide only, to keep you from being unpleasantly surprised in mid-project. Figures 3 and 4 show the relative costs of the components of two online projects undertaken with CHIN as executive producer.
Figure 3: Sample Budget for an International Virtual Exhibition
Figure 4: Sample Budget for an Interactive Game
Obtaining Support for Online Heritage Projects
For information on possible sources of funding for online heritage projects, please visit the funding section of the CHIN Web site. The resource document Funding Sources for Digitization describes a number of funding opportunities available specifically for digitization projects. Some of these resources also provide funding for staff, copyright management in the digital environment for Canadian copyright holders, and equipment and training for digitization projects 4.
If you are considering applying to the VMC Investment Program, consult the VMC Program Guidelines 5 for information about the Program objectives, operating principles and content policy, along with a list of criteria for investment and eligible and non-eligible costs. Once you have completed crafting the concept and determining the budget, your next step should be your application to the Investment Program.
Cost-Saving Opportunities
Don't be discouraged if the budget you have to work with is small. One of the advantages of Web-based content is that it can evolve and be added to over time. You can divide your project into phases and begin by getting some online visibility for your product, and then add to it as money becomes available. This takes careful planning so that each production phase looks complete and builds on the greater whole.
Another option is to consider the possibility of corporate sponsorship, through which private companies and businesses in your area are given exposure on your Web site in return for their financial support. You can negotiate the level of promotion, which can be based on the amount they would like to contribute.
If students or volunteers wish to be involved with your project, you may be able to factor in their time with little budget impact. Remember that if you include volunteers or students on the team, it is up to you to provide them with direction and support to ensure that the project objectives are met. It is also important for you to let them know how important their contribution is to the overall success of the project.
Many provinces and territories have co-op work programs as part of high school, college and university programs. Co-op students who are interested in becoming part of an organization for a specified period of time during their studies can contribute enthusiasm and a wide range of skills.
If after all of your work on the budget, you add up the numbers and find that the total exceeds what is available, you still have some options.
Cost-cutting questions:
- Can you make some cuts, perhaps by removing a feature or scaling back in some area?
- Can you source more funds?
- Is there an opportunity to barter and trade? Can you secure a service in exchange for a one-year admittance pass? Get a discount in exchange for a link and logo featured within your product?
- Can you break your project into phases, over two fiscal years?
