Dana Economy

Cambridge Buddhist Centre – Some Facts About Our Dana Economy

The Centre Runs on Generosity 

  • Order members and mitras lead meditation and Dharma classes, courses, events and retreats out of generosity. No one is paid to lead these at the CBC.
  • Sangha volunteers offer their time, energy and enthusiasm to help run the centre, through cleaning, reception, supporting classes and in many other ways.
  • Our dedicated centre team coordinates CBC activities, looks after the building and running of the charity in line with the centre’s vision. They are financially supported at around the minimum wage.
  • The centre is fortunate to benefit from the income of an investment property and a surplus from our Bodywork classes. Together these two generate around £50,000 that contributes to the running of the CBC charity.
  • While the centre building has no mortgage or rent, it is a ‘heritage property’ that has high maintenance and heating costs.
  • The CBC does not charge for its Dharma classes, courses, events, and non-residential retreats. Most of its income comes from generous donations from the Sangha, both regular monthly gifts and one-off donations.

Why have a Dana Economy?

  • Our dana economy means that anyone can join our Sangha and benefit from the Dharma and centre activities regardless of their income.
  • Sangha members are able to contribute in all sorts of ways – by volunteering as well as contributing financially. They are part of a community, contributing to the life of the centre, and are not ‘customers’ paying for a service.
  • Your gift enables others to benefit from the Dharma and everything the centre has to offer.
  • Because there are no financial barriers to attending meditation and Dharma activities, this encourages a younger and more diverse demographic to come to the centre. 

Why do regular donations work best?

  • As a charity, the CBC can plan more confidently by knowing what its income will be going forward.
  • If you are a UK taxpayer you can gift aid your donation. The government then adds 25p in the pound, at no extra cost to you. Regular donations makes it easier for us to claim this gift aid. 
  • Please give what you can. On average, our donors give about £30 per month, but even £10 per month can make a significant contribution to the running of the centre.

What do we need from you?

  • This current financial year (to the end of December 2024), we are projecting a deficit of around £20,000. 
  • This is largely due to the effects of inflation over the last few years. Prices, in general, are 25% higher today than they were five years ago. The minimum wage for example went up by 10% this last year alone. Energy prices have also risen sharply. 
  • Donations to the CBC however have not kept pace with inflation.
  • While we have reserves large enough to cover this expected deficit this year, we cannot sustain this situation going forward.
  • We therefore need your help to secure the support for our dedicated centre team.
  • While we are looking at increasing our income in a number of ways, it is clear regular donations will need to be the main source of that increased income.

Want to give? Here is what you can do:

 

Other Ways to Give

Legacies

If you are making a will, please consider a bequest to the Centre. For more information about making a will:

Volunteering

The Centre depends on volunteers who give their time and energy. If you would like to help, please get in touch with Pasadanita, our Centre Manager: pasadanita@cambridgebuddhistcentre.com. You can help out on a regular basis or just occasionally and in a variety of ways, from cleaning and DIY to setting up for events.

Give In Kind

We always welcome teabags, non-dairy milk, toilet rolls, heavy-duty bin bags, and so on. Just adding an extra item to each shopping trip really helps keep our supplies bill down.