Top Tips for Fundraising Success

Following our highly successful series of fundraising clinics, we asked Jimmy and Neil from our fundraising advice team what the sort of problems the CLP groups most commonly faced in finding funding and making successful applications. They told us, “We were really impressed by how motivated this year’s CLP groups are on the issue of fundraising, and they certainly aren’t short of exciting plans and ideas. But we find that most groups, big or small, tend to make the same few mistakes when it comes to making grant applications - and the CLP groups were no exception!”

So we asked these two experienced fundraising advisors to put their heads together and come up with their all-time top tips. They summed up their main advice under a few key principles...

Before you even think about looking for funding you need to be 100% clear about what you want the funder to support. This means putting everything is in place before you begin  the application, ensuring that you are aware of the deadlines and the particular application process and that you have left plenty of time to write a great application!

•         Why? What do you need funding for and why? Your group needs to have clear long-term priorities and be agreed on the need for the project. In addition, all those who will be involved in running the project should be involved in discussions about how the project will work in practice.

 

•         Registered or not? Some funders will only work with registered charities, others will happily fund other kinds of groups. But most funders will want to be sure that your governing documents are in order and reflect your group’s purpose and structure. If you are not sure whether  your group is constituted correctly, contact NICVA’s Charity Advice team.

 

•         When? There is no set calendar or cycle that all funders use. Some have rolling grants, others accept applications several times a year while some grant programmes are one-offs – when they’re gone, they’re gone. So you need to think well ahead to make sure you don’t miss out on a great opportunity. 

So you should plan fundraising activities ahead for the coming year, alongside the rest of your work. It’s a good idea to check out likely funders’ deadlines and schedule in time to research and write applications on a special fundraising calendar.

•         Who? Which funders can you apply to and for what kinds of activities or costs? How can you find more information about particular funders? Use www.grant-tracker.org to find the funders whose priorities best match those of your organisation and project(s). You must read the funders’ guidelines carefully and make sure they provide a good match.

 

•         What? What do funders want to know? Of course you need to be able to describe your project in terms that show how it meets the funder’s aims and priorities, but there are other practical things most funders need to know. Again this is all about good preparation – think ahead to ensure you have the sorts of supporting information and materials needed for the application e.g. bank statements, statistics, community audits… etc

 

•         How? Pay attention to detail to ensure a confident and persuasive application. Make sure you provide all – and only – the information that the funder asks for. Get “fresh eyes” to scan your application and see if it makes sense. This should be someone from outside the group who doesn’t have all your inside knowledge. If it is not clear to them what you want to do and how, it may not be clear to the funders either.

 

•         And if you are successful? Be aware of the monitoring and evaluation requirements of the funder and plan how you will collect, record and report the information from the very start.

•         Read the guidelines…and then read them again…and again.

•         Answer the question Formats for applying vary hugely but most funders ask for specific information either on a standard form or by providing specific questions/headings. Provide exactly and fully the information that you have been asked for - not what you wish you had been asked or what you assume they should want to know.

 

•         Be concise This means learning to express your group’s aims and objectives in a few lines, not going on for half a page or trying to describe everything you have ever done. It actually takes a lot more time to write a few paragraphs of concise information than to fill a dozen pages – but less is more!

 

•         Stay focussed Do not rely on “waffle” or “buzz-words” to impress anyone in your applications. Funders will see this for exactly what it is. It suggests that you don’t have anything concrete and convincing to say about your project and work.

 

•         Be honest Tell funders what you are going to do and what you will be spending their money on. Don’t try to tell them what you think they want to hear. If this funder does not make a good match for your project, then look for a funder who does.

•         If at first you don’t succeed… keep trying. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback (although not all funders provide it.) Talk to other CLP groups about where and why they have been successful in finding funding for similar work.There are so many funders out there that if you have a good project, you will find a funder who is a good match for your group if you keep looking. Learn how to use GrantTracker to find them.

 

•         Grants are not the only way to raise funds. As well as restricted funding from grants (i.e. the money must be spent on specified activities and costs) there are literally hundreds of ways to raise unrestricted funds (money that your group can decide how it wants to spend). The two main sources of non-restricted funds are:

-       individual fundraising e.g. donations, sponsorship, legacies, in-kind donations, partnerships with business etc.

-       income e.g. membership fees, selling skills, services or facilities that that your group can provide.