Transparent Budgeting Through Trust

When Alex Hayes from The National Lottery Community Fund emailed in July 2022, the message was clear: let’s keep the budget conversation open. “If you are holding a cash balance, please let us know and we can adjust your payments accordingly,” he wrote.

At the time, Belong in Plymouth was sitting on around £74,000—some earmarked for development grant use. Rather than rush to spend, the team took a breath. “We want to avoid spending for spending’s sake,” one Core Team member said. “But we also don’t want to delay opportunities that might drive real impact.”

This kind of financial openness isn’t just about compliance—it’s a form of relationship-building. As Matt Bell put it, “Being up front about money is part of how we build a transparent, collaborative culture.”

Managing community-led projects often means juggling uncertainty, multiple contributors, and shifting priorities. That’s why the team embraced the tension between formal reporting and the fluidity of grassroots work. Transparency wasn’t a box to tick; it was a way to model the trust they hoped to build across the city.

Alex summed it up well: “We’ll be in touch shortly to arrange a meeting, but please do send over the budgets as soon as possible.” That kind of respectful check-in speaks volumes—and it’s the kind of exchange Belong in Plymouth aims to replicate across every level of its work.

In a space where financial talk can often be awkward or guarded, this moment was different. It showed that collaboration thrives when people bring clarity and humility to the table—even when spreadsheets are involved.