Get ready for funding
•Download as PPTX, PDF•
1 like•64 views
New to fundraising? This short presentation is aimed to start you off on the right foot and help you make your first application
Recommended
More Related Content
What's hot
What's hot (8)
Similar to Get ready for funding
Similar to Get ready for funding (20)
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Get ready for funding
- 1. Get ready for funding Jon Matthews info@jonmatthews.co.uk @funding_eye www.jonmatthews.co.uk
- 2. What makes a good funding application? Organisational basics • Governance - Is it in your rules • Is it legal – is the activity regulated • Are you financially sound • Project /grant management
- 3. Elements of a good funding application • Consultation • Meeting a real need • Having the right approach • Setting a realistic budget • You know what success looks like • Match funding • Finding the right funder
- 4. Consultation • Find out what do people really want • Surveys • Open days • Interviews • Suggestion boxes • Social media • Other suggestions?........ • Why is the project needed? • What do you want to change as a result of the project • Eg what is the aim. • Make is SMART • Strategies • Local, regional and national
- 5. Describe and Justify your project idea! • Carefully plan the project • Why this approach • What else was considered • Keep it simple • How will you stand out from the crowd
- 6. Budget • Set a realistic budget • Get quotes • Ask for what you need • Are there costs you can meet • Is there any volunteer input • Don’t be greedy • Do your sums
- 7. Success • Monitoring and Evaluation • Set targets to monitor progress • What will you do if things go wrong? • Evaluation • Keep it proportional to the grant • It will help you understand the impact of the work • Demonstrates to funders the grant matters
- 8. Match funding • Try to identify some match funding • Volunteer time • Management costs • Any donated items to the project • Have you undertaken any community fundraising towards the cost
- 9. Find a funder • Only once you have planned your project should you search for a funder • CVC • Funding Central • Funding Eye • http://www.jonmatthews.co.uk/funding-resources/sport-funders/ • Research potential funders and find the best fit
Editor's Notes
- The question I’m asked more than any other is what makes a good funding application. People ask about the right wording they should use , or what is the right way to fill in the form. The answer is normally not what people want to hear, which is planning and preparation. There are no easy / magic tricks to good applications. Writing an application is the easy part, the time is normally taken up in the planning and preparation So before you can start work on an application it is important to get the basics in place first, both for the organisation and the project. Bad applications start with the application form, like painting & decorating 75% is preparation For the organisation: Governance – is the work you want to do allowable with your governing document. You may run a football group, but that may not mean you can also run a netball group. Your governing document may also restrict what fundraising activities you can do or who you can apply to. It is legal – some activities such as lotteries and raffles need a permit or license from the local authority. Depending upon who you are selling tickets to and the size of the event. This can also impact on the maximum value of prizes. Finance – are your accounts up to date? And annual returns to the charity commission made – funders often check this and if you have not sent them off in time use that as a reason to reject a bid Bank Account – have you an account to accept the funds Management - who will manage and report on the funding back to the funder – fail to do this and they are unlikely to ever fund you again
- So what are the elements of a good application Here I’ve listed some of the things that need to be done to help write a good funding application This is not a definitive list, but provides a solid starting point for your project , I will go through these now in more detail
- You need to demonstrate to a funder that the project you are planning is really what people want There are a number of ways to do this: - eg surveys…. These need not cost money or take too long, but be proportionate to the project and satisfy a funder that the people the project is for want it and have been part of the planning Make sure the people you consult are the ones that will use the project! You will need to show the problem that is being faced by the people/community and why things need to change. What difference will it make to people/ how will they be better of as a result AIMS - Having a clear aim makes writing applications much easier. It gives you something to focus on and show what it is that you want to change for the better. Your aim should make a change, contain words like improve, increase, be about making a positive change. Where possible make these SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time limited Making it SMART will help you with the bid, and allow you to evidence change and what you are delivering If you write something vague and unclear it is much harder when you come to write about the need and how you know you have achieved what you set out to do Showing how your work fits in with the bigger picture will strengthen your application and show the funder that you are aware of what other work is going on. If you are applying to a statutory body this is especially important as you need to show how your work complements their aims/ objectives
- Plan the work you want to deliver - detail / numbers are good and will show that you have given thought to the work and know what you are going to deliver/ what the demand is -Funders like to fund differences made to people not organisations. What alternatives have you considered? Why were these ruled out ; this may be cost, practicality for example You need to show you have considered other options but the solution you have chosen is the best – the consultation will help with this showing that it is the option wanted by the community Keep it simple – especially when starting out keep your project simple. It can be all to easy to add bits to a project, to do that extra little bit. This can risk diluting the original idea and you find you have to justify additional activity in the application and end up making life unnecessarily difficult. Often it is easier to write 2 or 3 separate applications Remember you will be one of many applications, often for very similar projects. What makes your project special? - match funding from community activities, involvement of people in the planning, offer good value for money, strong need, personal stories of people who will benefit
- Get quotes for the work. You do not want to find you have not sought enough money to deliver the project. Many funders will ask for multiple quotes Ask for what you need – it can be tempting to cut corners to reduce the cost of a project, but this can leave you with insufficient money to deliver the work properly and end up costing the organisation money to do If there are any costs you can meet or volunteer input make sure you identify these Funders will have seen similar projects and have an idea of what they will cost. Don’t ask for lots of additional money that you don’t need. If your costs are high for some reason, make sure you explain why this is. For instance if you live in a very rural area travel costs are going to be higher Make sure your budget is correct and adds up
- This relates back to the aim – you need to be able to show what success will look like What difference will the project make and how will you record/ demonstrate this? For example…. Has it increased users of a service? Are people now taking more exercise? Having a clear and simple aim will make this be a lot easier! As the project is running what will you record, who will record it and how. What will you do if things do not go to plan?/ how will you know if things are not going well? Have you undertaken a risk analysis – not always necessary for small projects, but certainly worth doing for any large bid Evaluation - Once complete, some form of evaluation is worthwhile, even if just to help you learn from the experience. It could be as simple as setting aside time at a trustee meeting to review what happened This will help you write any grant report and see what impact the grant had beyond what was initially planned It will also help with the planning of future grants and projects
- Whilst not essential , identifying any match funding will show a funder that other people / organisations are willing to support the project. Even small gifts from the community will show a commitment to the work and that people are behind what you are trying to achieve
- There are many funding search engines. All will need information about your organisation and project The CVC will have access to one. Funding Central is an English database, but has the main grants that cover wales. It is free for smaller charities to use. If you contact me, I will also do a free search for you. However I’ve put a link to various funders on my website which should be a start for you Once you have a list, you need to carefully go through them and check for any exclusions and to make sure they fit the work you want to do. Don’t try and make a project fit their criteria you will only make it hard for yourself writing the grant application You can also look the funder up on the charity commission website – in their accounts you will be able to see the size of grants awarded and to which organisations. Spending time researching the funder will save time writing grants applications to funder who you simply don’t meet their criteria