For the first year after we formed, all of the research and analysis we undertook was done on an unpaid basis, fitted around our other work, study and family commitments.
Since September 2019, we have raised some funds to support our work via a number of crowdfunders. We have raised a total of £47,700 across four crowdfunders (£44,720.08 after fees). We also receive donations via PayPal.
For the last two years, therefore, some of the time we have spent on our research and analysis work has been financially supported by these generous donations. We allocate the work between us based on our individual availability, paying ourselves an hourly rate of £15 for the hours that we claim.
| Date | Crowdfunder | Amount raised | Number of supporters | Average donation |
| September 2019 | GRA reform | £8,780 | 293 | £29.97 |
| May 2020 | Hate crime | £3,455 | 102 | £33.87 |
| November 2020 | General | £14,500 | 416 | £34.86 |
| June 2021 | General | £20,965 | 669 | £31.34 |
19 August 2021
UPDATE – 3 DECEMBER 2022
It is expected that the Gender Recognition Reform Bill will reach the final stage of the parliamentary process before Christmas. The proposals in the Bill are no different to the proposals the Scottish Government first mooted over half a decade ago.
We established ourselves in December 2018 and for our first year of operation, all of our analysis was undertaken on an entirely unpaid, voluntary basis. It is fair to say that none of us expected to still be doing this work four years down the line.
Over the past three years, we have been able to invest substantial time working on the proposals contained in this Bill, the Hate Crime and Public Order Act, the census and other issues thanks to the generosity of all those who donated to our four crowd funders.
As documented above, these crowd funders raised around £45,000 from hundreds of individuals, whose average donation was around £30. Those donations are what has made it possible to do what we have. As the current Bill is reaching its final stage, those resources are now fully used up.
We have taken the decision that we will not crowd fund again for the time being. We know many of our donors are on limited incomes and we do not want to ask them to fund us further, in the current climate.
We are looking actively at other ways to continue activity on the scale of the past three years, in a way that remains affordable for us. We are approaching that task optimistically, with a track record of work we are proud of, but also knowing how challenging it is to fund work of this nature.
Meantime, we continue to receive ad hoc and regular small donations via PayPal, for which we are very grateful. Whilst this is not enough to allow us to pay ourselves, it covers our limited other costs, and means we can continue to plan to work together.
There is too little detailed critical scrutiny of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the relationship of both to the wider network of government funded organisations. We remain strongly committed to addressing that, particularly as it affects policy-making for women.