Our Solutions
Fundraising support
When people think about fundraising - they think about cake sales, jumble
sales, fundraising balls and sponsored events but there are many more ways to
raise funds than that and often the other methods need far fewer resources but
are not areas that most volunteers or trustees have experience. This includes
major individual donors, working in partnership with companies and applying to
grant giving trusts and foundations.
Our fundraising solutions are different for each client. We have a huge number
of options that can work for organisations of different shapes and sizes, and
by selecting the best options from this ‘menu’ we can support you to achieve
significant funds to support your project.
All the projects and causes we work on are different, so we tailor our services
to what you need. As fundraisers we are all about increasing your funds, not
spending them so we only suggest taking on tasks that we believe will enhance
your opportunity to raise more funds. You’ll always know what we are doing and
why it is important. No fundraiser can guarantee the quantity or speed at which
funds will come in, but we can assure you that working with an experienced
fundraiser will increase your chances of success.
When we work with clients, we can appraise your goal, and consider the
resources you have available and guide you through the options to reaching your
goal. We write plans detailing who needs to do what, and support everyone
involved until you reach your goal.
Applying for Grants
We are experienced in researching funders and writing powerful grant applications to trusts and foundations. You know your project best and we can help you articulate that to meet each funders requirements. There are many funders out there but not all are a best fit for your project so we help you choose those that are the best match for you to apply to.
For larger grants (£10,000+) such as Garfield Weston, Heritage Lottery Fund and Children in Need etc. there are significant hurdles for you to jump. We can offer services to build these applications such as guiding you through community engagement, activity plans, interpretation planning, audience development planning and writing the application.
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Capital Appeals
What is a capital appeal? In fundraising, a Capital Appeal is ‘a coordinated institutional effort, with a specified goal and timetable to increase an organisations permanent assets’. This is often a new building or extension to existing building or it can be a significant expansion to a programme or a combination of these things.
Supporting projects of this type are one of our key specialist skills. We have worked on successful campaigns with a variety of organisations such as schools, playgrounds and theatres, see our case studies for more details.
We work alongside your organisation to guide you from the pre-appeal phase, into a preparatory phase and feasibility study which is followed by the private and public fundraising until the total is raised. The funding mix for each project varies but with our experience you can be assured that your organisation is put in the best possible position to raise the funds you require. Please see below for more detail on the three phases of a capital appeal.
Phase 1 - Pre-Appeal Readiness
We can take a good look at your organisation and conduct ‘fit for funding’ checks to ensure you are ready for the appeal. Among other things we will look to answer the following: Can you articulate the need for the project? Is now the right time for the appeal? Do you have the support of your trustees? Do you already have plans, visuals, planning permission etc? Most organisations are not immediately ready, and we take time to get to know you and your cause to prepare it for the next fundraising stages.
Phase 2 - Preparatory Phase and Feasibility
The preparation phase and feasibility research for a capital appeal is extremely important and should not be undervalued. We develop a strong case for support and test this on prospect donors, as well as conducting prospect research. Once this stage is complete we can write up the feasibility report which will indicate the likeliness of campaign success. We advise accordingly following this process.
Phase 3 - Fundraising - Private and Public Phases
If the feasibility study suggests that we are good to go we will then move into the fundraising stage. This will start quietly, by approaching and asking donors with personal meetings and bid writing. The private phase is the most important part of the appeal and should generate 80-90% of the total. Once this is achieved we will focus our attention on the public phase, which this is much louder and the part most people associate with fundraising. This is where we engage with the local community, supporters and users to generate the final 10-20%.
Us (L: Claire, R: Katie) volunteering at our clients event
Our Fees
Our fees vary depending on the solution that is right for your organisation. Please contact us for a personalised quote.
Can you tell me how much will it cost?
We understand that small organisations feel they need to answer the ‘how much will it cost’ question when presenting the idea of engaging fundraisers to committees. There is no one size fits all solution, but we can give you the following guidelines:
As fundraisers we aim for our costs to be less than 10% of the totals raised. Therefore, for every £1 you spend, we hope to raise you £9.
Do you work on commission?
Answered simply, No. The Institute of Fundraising advises strongly against this type of payment. The is because it puts pressures on the fundraiser / funder relationship as the funder is effectively being asked to pay the fundraiser if they agree to the grant. We follow the IoF guidance and not work on commission.
If you would like to work with us please contact us to arrange a FREE one hour consultation to discuss your needs.
How long will it take?
This depends on what your organisation needs, please see below for guidance.
Trust & Foundation applications vary in the amount of detail required. As a rough guideline for days spent over a period of time:
- 1 extensive application e.g. Garfield Weston, National Lottery Heritage fund £100,000+ - 10 days
- 1 large application e.g. Children in Need – 5 days
- 1 medium application e.g. National Lottery reaching communities – 3 days
- 4 small applications e.g. Co-op community fund – 2 days
Please note that once the application has been submitted it can take between 2-6 months per application for a decision to be made by the funder.
Capital Projects: Every capital project is unique, we offer a free 1 hour consultation conversation to understand your needs and current position before issuing a full proposal of how we can help.
Fundraising Project Development: This involves a review of your existing content, plus a workshop and/or 1-2-1 discussions to gain an in depth understanding of your work. We will write the most compelling case for support which can then be adapted for different funding audiences. This varies from organisation to organisation based on the complexity, but on average is between 7 and 20 days work. After an initial FREE 1 hour consultation we will be able to give you a price for your organisation.