Funding and resourcing our work JAMES BANKS, SOCIAL PROFIT SOLUTIONS

Transcription

1 Funding and resourcing our work JAMES BANKS, SOCIAL PROFIT SOLUTIONS

2 Five questions we ll cover today 1. Who are we? Are we ready for funding? 2. Why do we need funding? Can we describe what we want to do? 3. Where will we get the money from? Where can we get information on suitable sources? 4. How should we apply? What makes a successful funding application? 5. What other options are there? Could we get the resources we need in a different way?

3 First, a bit of background What size of organisation are you? Using the NCVO Civil Society Almanac definitions: Income Less than 10,000 Name Micro 10,000 to 100,000 Small 100,000 to 1 million Medium 1 million to 10 million Large More than 10 million Major

4 How are resources distributed? 160,000 voluntary organisations, with income of 40.5 billion Micro charities (less than 10k income) represent around half of the sector, but account for around half a percent of the income The largest 577 charities (with income over 10m) make up less than half a percent of the sector, but account for around half the income

5 Where does the funding come from? Individuals make the biggest contribution (including donations, legacies and fundraising) 44% of adults report giving money to charitable causes in a typical month This session focuses on income from sources that need an application but don t forget about other sources of income that could support your work

6 Are we ready for funding?

7 Organisation and structure Governance Do you have a clear structure for decision-making, and the power to do what you want to do? Do you have the right skills and experience at the top of your group to give a funder confidence? Vision and plans Do you have a clear purpose and sense of direction for your work? Do you have any plans in place that show where the organisation/group is going? Financial management Are you set up to be able to receive funding (e.g. bank account with two signatories)? Have you got financial records in place to show effective stewardship of funds? Compliance Do you have policies in place for any relevant areas of work (e.g. child protection)?

8 Skills and experience Track record If you re looking to build on your record, what evidence do you have of your effectiveness? If you re starting from scratch, what experience do you, your volunteers or networks bring that will show you ve got the experience to deliver your work? Capacity to fundraise Have you planned for the time and resources you need to deliver your fundraising plans? Do you have access to the information and advice you need to succeed? Connections and networks Are you involved with relevant local or specialist networks to help you fundraise? Are you signed up to get updates on funding from relevant websites or groups?

9 Knowing and showing the need What problem are you seeking to solve? What need are you trying to meet? Describe clearly what it is you exist to do many applications for funding are dismissed because funders do not believe there is a need for the project, or because people can t articulate the problem they are trying to solve How do you know these problems or needs exist? Gather evidence to support your case this could be statistics, research you do yourself, or evidence from other projects or organisations in your field Don t just rely on numbers case studies and feedback from beneficiaries can all be helpful Why should anyone care about these problems or needs? You re competing with many other groups for funding you need to be clear about why it is important that the needs you ve identified are met

10 Are we ready for funding? 1. Make sure you ve got your organisational and structural building blocks in place first 2. Check what skills and experience you ve got access to, and plan to address any gaps 3. Get support if you need it to ensure success 4. Be clear about the needs you are trying to meet, or the problems you are going to solve, and have evidence for why these issues are important

11 Why do we need funding?

12 Impact, Outcomes and Outputs Overall aim Specific aims Why we do it Impact Outcomes Objectives What we do Outputs Source: CES Planning Triangle

13 Outcomes Outcomes are the changes, benefits, learning or other effects that happen as a result of what the project or organisation offers or provides Outcomes could be for individuals, for families, or for whole communities. They can also be for organisations, or in areas such as policy, law or the environment. Sometimes, outcomes are extra to what you intended to achieve with your work benefits that people gain from your work that were not your main aim when you started. Outcomes can be small or big, soft or hard you may have a big aim, but a small outcome should show movement towards achieving it; some outcomes are easy to measure, such as acquiring a new skill, whereas some are more difficult to assess, such as improving self-esteem

14 Outcomes: example Aim: Project: Outcomes: A harmonious community where people of all faiths and none work together to achieve positive change for society Interfaith conference open to all in the local community Increased understanding of other faiths Increased awareness of opportunities to help the local community Increased self-confidence Reduction in hate crime in local community Increase in social connections

15 Indicators When setting an outcome, you need to think how realistic it will be for you to measure the change that you are trying to achieve in the end, this is what funders will be asking to see for you to demonstrate your success. Indicators are what show you progress towards an outcome

16 Outputs Outputs are the products, services or facilities that result from your project s activities. Outputs are not the change you will see in a person, community or environment, they are the things that you will do to bring about those changes. You can describe outputs in detail, and put a number to them. In the previous example project of an interfaith conference, the outputs could be: The conference itself We held a conference The number of people attending 300 people attended the conference The number of workshop choices 10 workshops on subjects relevant to the audience

17 Further help and advice Charities Evaluation Services are excellent and have a range of free resources available on their website, and information about training and support they can provide if you need it:

18 Why do we need funding? 1. Be clear about your project aim and the impact you re trying to achieve with this work 2. Consider the outcomes you ll achieve, and how you ll measure these 3. Quantify the outputs you ll deliver 4. Use your aim, outcomes and outputs to help describe your project and bring it to life 5. Use this to help ensure your budget is right and that you re applying for the funding you need

19 Where will we get funding from?

20 Searching for funders online Funding Central is the free online directory of over 4,000 funding opportunities, provided by NCVO with funding from the Cabinet Office:

21 Looking for funders in your area Who are the people you d compare yourself to? Could be other inter faith groups Could be organisations in your area delivering services to your target communities Could be similar size groups What have they been funded to do, and who gave them this funding? Could help you find a new funder, or identify one not to approach Check their accounts on the Charity Commission website if you re not sure What sources of local support are there available to you? Councils for Voluntary Service often have funding advice and directories Find your local CVS via

22 Funders of inter-faith work Near Neighbours Fund Grants of between 250 and 5,000 Rolling programme, expected to end March 2016 The Inter Faith Youth Trust Grants ( 500) for inter-faith work with young people 15 September deadline Edith M Ellis Charitable Trust Grants up to 3,000 Deadlines in January, May and September each year

23 Other funders to consider Larger funders Big Lottery Fund (e.g. Awards for All or Reaching Communities) Garfield Weston Foundation ( grants up to 100,000 Livery companies Goldsmiths Company Charity ( grants around 3,000 Mercers Charitable Foundation ( grants up to 10,000 Local philanthropy Community Foundations distributing funds on behalf of other funders, and local philanthropists find your local Foundation at Check the Funding Central website for a more tailored search for your area and project

24 Targeting your approach What are they interested in funding? Grant priorities and areas of interest should be listed (activities and geographic) Staff at the Trust/Foundation will be contactable if you have any queries What don t (or won t) they fund? Lists of exclusions should be on their website Timeline for decisions should be considered will you get the funding when you need it? What have they funded recently? Check their website most have lists of recent grants Check their accounts download for free from the Charity Commission Try to make sure your project fits with what they want to fund don t shoehorn your work in

25 Where will we get funding from? 1. Focus the search on what you need, not what someone will fund 2. Do your research to refine your search e.g. look at what else they ve funded 3. Use free advice and support resources to help you target your approach 4. Target your approach to maximise your chance of success

26 How should we apply?

27 The funder perspective NCVO asked funders for their tips for successful applications, here s what they said (remember, there are lots of excellent resources on the Funding Central website at

28 There is no such thing as a typical Trust or Foundation. Every Trust and Foundation is different we are all quite quirky! I used to be a fundraiser and I know how long it can take to prepare an application so I m always amazed that people submit a bid without having done their research. It s not just about reading our criteria applicants need to find out about the Trust and what we aim to support and our areas of interest. It s all on the website but people just don t read it!

29 We get lots of applications to do similar things so it s important the applicant makes clear why and how they are different, and why we should support them rather than one of the others.

30 Check that your organisation is eligible for the funding programme you re planning to apply to. We receive hundreds of applications every day and many are turned down because they do not fit our criteria.

31 Successful applications stand out because the applicant is clear about what they want to do, can show clear evidence of why their project is needed, what they need funding for, how they have involved their stakeholders and how they know whether they have achieved their aims. Successful applicants will already have a plan in place about how they will evaluate their success it is not something they leave until the project ends.

32 Don t try and contort your project follow your mission not ours. My advice would be that if you don t clearly meet out criteria don t waste your time - we can see a mile off if a project has been warped to try and fit our priorities and we are very unlikely to fund it. You are better off finding a fund which is more appropriate to your needs.

33 If you re not sure about what our criteria mean just ring us and ask. People don t need to be frightened of us! We re normal people and we d rather an applicant called us than guess and get it wrong. If you re not clear, it s no good guessing, please just ask us to clarify.

34 You d be amazed how many applicants don t say clearly enough what they need the funding for. A common mistake is to talk too much about what the organisation does in general, and not to say clearly what they want to do and what funding is required for.

35 Make sure you focus on clearly answering the questions in the application form. Read the whole application before putting pen to paper and make sure you have answered all the questions. We simply don t have time to contact applicants and ask them to send missing information.

36 It s always worth taking a look at the standard conditions of grants before you apply and they are available on our website. For example, for grants over 50K we ask for a certified statement of income and expenditure which has to be prepared by an accountant. Some organisations hadn t realised this before applying. We would be happy to consider these costs being included in the budget, but once a grant has been made we can t change the amount.

37 Allow enough time. The main reason we reject applications is because applicants don t allow enough time for us to assess the application before they are due to start their project.

38 Summary making the application Check whether you meet the 5 C s test summarised by NCVO: Compliance: Are you eligible to apply? Criteria: Does your proposal meet the main criteria of the fund? Content: Have you answered all the questions on the form? Have you included your supporting material? Clarity: Is it clear what you want to do, and how you plan to do it? Is it clear what any partners roles and contributions will be? Have you explained any technical terms and spelled-out any acronyms used? Competition: Have you got a clear USP (unique selling point)? Have you thought about how you might look in comparison with the potential competition?

39 Summary steps for success Focus make sure you re following your aims, not following the funder Evidence show the need, talk about your record, highlight your research Differentiate be clear about what makes you different and why your work s important Research get to know as much as you can about the funder Time meet the deadline, make sure you ll get a decision in time to deliver Communicate talk to the funder to help you tailor your approach Plan make sure you re thinking about monitoring and evaluation throughout Answer tell them the things they re asking for, not what you think they should know Clarity if you can say something in ten words do so, don t say it in twenty

40 How should we apply? 1. Consider things from the funder s perspective 2. Keep everything focused on your aims, on the needs, on the questions you re asked on the form 3. Involve others to check you ve done everything on the checklist get someone to read the application! 4. Be realistic in what you can achieve, in the resources you ll need to succeed, and when you can deliver

41 What other options are there?

42 Who do you know? Have you mapped out who knows who in your network? Some employers match-fund any money raised by their staff for charities You may have a contact for local philanthropists or others who may donate to your work Contacts with Trustees of grant-making organisations could help you to make a more informed approach (or be invited to apply for funds where this is the funder s preferred approach) What other support could you get with fundraising? Does anyone in your network have fundraising skills? Are there local events that you re connected with that could generate income for you?

43 Do you really need money? Are you looking for skills or professional time? Look for professional volunteering brokers e.g. LawWorks for solicitors ( Advertise for skilled volunteers e.g. Reach ( Do you need space or things? Would your local authority or other groups let you use their spaces? Could you get goods donated by business e.g. InKind Direct (

44 Could you work with others? Work in partnership with other organisations apply for funding together, boosting access to resources, building your capacity as a grant recipient, and delivering your aims For example, could you link up with a youth organisation in your area to help deliver interfaith work alongside their existing programmes of activity? Look at how you could develop partnerships at a local level that could aid your work, and also open up new opportunities for funding Contact local networks through your Council for Voluntary Service (CVS)

45 What other options are there? 1. Make sure you ve checked who knows who 2. Look at what you could deliver with volunteered time and skills 3. Consider what in-kind support could enable you to deliver within your existing capacity 4. Look at opportunities to work in partnership 5. Diversify your local networks to increase opportunities

46 Five points we ve covered 1. Making sure we re ready for funding Getting the building blocks in place before we start 2. Describing what we want funding for Clarifying our aims, outcomes and outputs 3. Identifying sources of funding Researching funders and what they need 4. Looking at tips for success Designing our applications to meet funder needs 5. Considering other resourcing options Looking at other ways to achieve our aims

47 Questions and discussion

48 Thank you and good luck with getting the funding and resources you need!