Fundraising

Consider your fundraising strategy

  • Are you opportunistic, needs-led or strategy-led?
  • What about ethical principles and no-go areas?
  • Do you have a view on targeting different types of funding?
  • Do you have a view on targeting different sources of funding?

You may want to focus on specific types of funding – or strike a balance:

  • Grants from organisations
  • Donations from individuals
  • Primary-purpose trading (charging for your services)
  • Non-primary-purpose trading (activities purely to raise money)

Consider your fundraising strategy

  • Are you opportunistic, needs-led or strategy-led?
  • What about ethical principles –are there any ‘no-go' areas?
  • Do you have a view on targeting different types of funding?
  • Do you have a view on targeting different sources of funding? 

You may want to focus on specific types of funding – or strike a balance:

  • Grants from organisations
  • Donations from individuals
  • Trading

You may need to distinguish between:

  • Primary-purpose trading (charging for services covered by your charitable objects or your community interest statement)
  • Non-primary-purpose trading (business activity designed to raise money)

Familiarise yourselves with Charity Commission guidance on:

When seeking grants from organisations:

  • Treat funders as investors
  • Be clear what you are inviting them to invest in
  • Focus on the future. A track record builds investor confidence, but (unless it’s an award) it’s the future they’re investing in

For most grant funding, e.g. social welfare grants, you will need a clear project plan covering the key questions:

  • What is the need?
  • What is the evidence of need?
  • Who will benefit and how?
  • How will you deliver this benefit? Why using this method?
  • Why are you the best people to do this?
  • How do you involve people in decisions?
  • What difference will your project make to people’s lives?

When you’ve done all this, you are ready to carry out a funding search. Macc members can use Macc’s funding portal