Fiscal Planning

Based on the output from the Leadership and Strategic Planning Groups, the Fiscal Team must verify and plan for start-up and continued repository funding. To begin, the Fiscal Team should gather and verify the details and timelines for obtaining funds that are already secured or promised. They should also determine the amount available for initial implementation and for maintenance. If the Strategic Planning Groups identified other potential sources for additional funding, this team should begin seeking those funds. Prioritize these possible sources and begin investigating the steps need to acquire them.

If fees are collected for defined services, this group will determine the fees and how they will be collected and disbursed. Fees may be structured in a variety of ways. We recommend that the repository is free to members, groups, or institutions who contribute to its creation or upkeep and other repositories with whom you federate or harvest resources. Collection of fees may be governed by state laws or policies and may require careful research and consultation with appropriate state agencies. If your state is pursuing the fee option, be sure to include a requirement for e-commerce functions in your repository software requirements.

Many repositories are state-funded while some are self-sustaining and rely on grants, e-commerce, or some combination of funding sources. The most successful repositories have core state or institutional funding and may also receive grant funds. Repositories, such as CAREO, have closed due to reliance on grant funds and lack of system support. You will need to ensure that funding is in place for the repository to maintain services as well as to expand as needed.

Wisc-Online offers a mixed funding model. The Wisc-Online repository and learning object development team receives funding from each participating technical college. In addition, the development of online training resources for small and large corporations provides additional income for content developers. Wisc-Online also offers training to states and institutions on how to:

• effectively use learning objects
• create customized educational resources and training.