TOP TIPS for successful grant fundraising
1.
Ensure your group is fit for funding Most funders will require evidence that your group has the capacity to manage any funding it grants you. Before planning your project is the best time to look at your constitution, organisation set-up, policies and procedures. Policies are working documents there to help you, so this is an appropriate time to review and update them ensuring that they meet your organisational needs. Ask yourself questions such as; does your proposed project meet your charitable aims? Will you be employing staff for the first time? Ensuring your group is ‘fit for funding’ will save you time and money in the future.
2.
Plan your project. Be clear on what you require money for, general speculative applications are unlikely to be successful. Avoid the temptation to chase the funding; Careful planning is essential to fundraising and will make the application writing much easier when you reach that stage. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it, how much money you need will save you time in the long run. A good place to start is to write some aims and objectives; Your aim will explain why your organisation or project exists and what it is that you’re trying to achieve. The objectives describe how you will achieve your aim(s). Community First aims to promote social inclusion for adults with mental health concerns and low levels of confidence and self esteem. To meet this aim we have established the V team; a self help volunteers group which helps people undertake projects of benefit to their local community. Many funders now want to see SMART objectives; Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed Outputs and outcomes How do you know your project has made a real difference? Do you have any evidence? How can you prove this to funders? The jargon that is usually used by funders to show the difference a project makes is ‘outputs’, ‘inputs’ and ‘outcomes’. Outputs: the activities that a project delivers, such as a training course in basic IT skills or a funding newsletter each month. You can usually quantify these easily. Inputs: the resources which are needed to carry out the activities. They can be financial, material or human including time, money, staff, volunteers and premises. Many funders require outcomes that are measurable, so any targets you set yourself need to be realistic. Identify why there is a need for your project, and try to be sure that no other group is running a similar one locally or if there is can you create a partnership or a relationship which is of mutual benefit. If you have Last updated: August 2017 This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.
the opportunity try to visit projects in other areas delivering similar projects to yours, they may have lots of tips for you. Understand Need and Demand Funders need to understand the reason for your project. You need to research and evidence this. You need to identify and explain the real issue you are trying to address and then convince funders that people will use, engage with or benefit from your service The need is the problem or issues you are trying to address The demand is number of people who will benefit from your project If your project is not a one off event then you will need to look at how you are going to sustain it in the future when the grant you are applying for runs out. It will be very important that the funder can clearly see that you have given this some thought, and put together a well thought out projected income and expenditure. Plan how you will monitor and evaluate your project, some kind of report will be required when the funds are spent and it will help your project to evolve.
3.
Target Your Funding; be ambitious but realistic Most funders have specific criteria that groups must meet, and support certain types of services/activities. It is important to spend time seeking funders who are supportive of your type of work, so you are targeting the funding pots that are most likely to be successful. Don’t be tempted to write one letter and send it off to every trust fund you hear about, carefully target each funder showing how you meet their criteria. Writing a large grant bid such as a Big Lottery or Comic Relief application can appear daunting; the small funds such as Awards For All are a good place to start. Try to find more than one, as success rates are often low so applying to one at a time can be time consuming and frustrating. Work out your budgets carefully to ensure you can deliver the project with the funds you are requesting. Thinks about Capital costs which is one off expenditure for equipment etc. and Revenue which cost of staff or overheads to run your project
4.
Write Your Application Once you have completed all of the above you will have all the tools you require to write a bid. Do state the obvious; let them know who you are and what you do. Make sure you read the guidelines first before answering each question and remember to send any supporting documents they request. It is often a good idea to ask a 3rd party who knows nothing about your project to read your application and give you some feedback. Keep focused – many applications now limit the words you can write. Learn the elevator pitch technique and be able to describe your project clearly and succinctly. Focus on the describing the impact your project will have
5.
Fulfil Your Obligations Most funding will come with terms and conditions, read these carefully before accepting the grant and be sure that you can fulfil your obligations and ensure that you report back within any timescales you agree to. Last updated: August 2017 This information has been compiled by Communities First Wessex Communities First Wessex, Community Action Fareham and Gosport Voluntary Action are working together to better share resources and expertise for benefit of our member groups.