Making a good case for your cause
A very large number of letters and applications have crossed our desks since the Foundation began grantmaking in 1989. In many cases it is clear that a considerable amount of time and effort has gone into them, while in many others, the opposite is true. The fact is that, while a good application will not be enough by itself to get funding for a bad project, a poor application can significantly reduce the chances of a good project receiving the support it needs and deserves.
What, then, is a good application? This is not a question with a simple answer, for good applications can take many forms. Indeed it can be often easier to identify a poor application which, for example, leaves many questions unanswered.
There are some excellent books available on the subject, notably Michael Norton's 'How to Write a Better Fundraising Application', published by the Directory of Social Change, which is listed in the Appendix. This contains a huge amount of helpful advice, with detailed plans and worked examples, which we would thoroughly recommend, especially to anyone about to embark on any kind of major fundraising initiative.
All we want to do here, very briefly, is to share a few tips and make some observations, based on my own experience as someone on the 'receiving end'. There is nothing particularly surprising here, and much could be said to be fairly obvious. We hope, though, that they will prove helpful, especially perhaps to people for whom fundraising is unfamiliar territory.
They apply equally to:
- appeals to trusts, local authorities, companies or any other potential funder
- proposals submitted in a letter or by completion of an application form
The golden rule is the same as for any letter you send to anyone, personally or at work: to put yourself in the shoes of the person who is going to receive it, and write it in a way that tells them, simply and clearly, all that they will want to know.
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A. Being Positive about: Your Charity, Your Project, Their Grant
Marketing people sometimes talk about a 'U S P' - a Unique Selling Proposition.
A good place to start when putting together a request is to compile a list of positive facts and messages about what you do, and what you are aiming to do. These are all things you would like the person receiving the application to know about you. Once you have drawn up the list, you can then make sure you include them, either in the application letter, or the most appropriate place on the application form, or in a covering letter that goes with it.
You could begin by asking yourself some questions, such as:
- what is so special about the work of your charity?
- what are the three best things about your charity?
- what are the three most important things about your work?
- what are the three main ways in which people benefit from the work you do?
- what three key differences will your project make to people's lives?
- what are the three biggest achievements of your charity?
- what are your three most recent successes?
- who are the key people associated with your work?
- who are your three most valuable supporters?
- B. Some Dos and Don'ts
Be:
- PERSONAL - address your request to someone by name: if you don't know, telephone and ask before you write
- RELEVANT - find out if your work fits their criteria, by using Guides like this one where you can (most grant applications fail because they are ineligible, yet very often some simple enquiries would have identified this, and avoid a lot of unproductive effort)
- BRIEF - for most people, time is short: if they are really interested in something, they will want to find out more, and take the time to do so
- INTERESTING - most people have to wade through large amounts of paper: they want to read something that sounds interesting
- ENTHUSIASTIC - if you're not excited about what you are doing, it's unlikely that other people will be
- URGENT - you want them to make the decision to support you now, whether you actually need the grant itself next week, next month or next year
- CLEAR - words like 'shall' and 'will', rather than 'might' or 'could', can help emphasise the benefits of your work and the contribution their grant is going to make
- INTELLIGIBLE - use simple words to express your ideas, and the practical outcomes of your work
- FACTUAL - support your case with facts and figures:reports of recent events, research undertaken by you or someone else, or statistics such as Census data
- SPECIFIC - ask for exactly what you need (rather than 'as much as possible'), and what you need it for (a list of items with their costs can be useful)
- REALISTIC - describe what you aim to do, and what you think you can achieve: aiming too high can lead to stress and disappointment in failing to meet targets and expectations
- ORGANISED - by setting out everything clearly and logically, you add to the impression that the project itself will be well managed
- FORWARD - by looking beyond the immediate needs, and putting the project in context
- THINKING - within the overall work of the organisation, you can reinforce the long-term nature of the benefits flowing from the grant
- POSITIVE - people generally like to be associated with something that is successful, and to contribute in a way that will add to that success, whether it be by helping more people, more often, or in more ways
And Finally:
- BE THANKFUL - if you receive a grant, acknowledge it promptly, keep people informed about how things are going, give them the opportunity to find out more or see for themselves (if appropriate), and consider whether this could be the start of a longer-term relationship
AVOID:
- 'Dear Sir', which suggests you have taken little care to find out about them
- name and address errors, which create an unfortunate first impression
- obvious mass mailing: people want to feel you have a special reason for approaching them in particular
- trying to say everything, which can mean the key points fail to stand out
- leaving too many questions unanswered
- asking for too much money, or too little
- assuming a certain level of knowledge or interest
- jargon and abbreviations that will be unfamiliar to some people
- generalisations, which may not necessarily hold good
- negative comments, for example, about other organisations
- concentrating on your organisation, instead of the people you aim to serve
- C. A word about applying to companies
All of the above points are relevant, only more so!
There are several key differences between trusts and companies to keep in mind:-
- while trusts exist in order to make grants, companies do not: however important they may consider charity and community support, it is not their core activity.
- while trusts have a Deed or other governing document registered with the Charity Commission which determines their priorities and policies, most companies do not: they can choose how much to give, to whom, and in what way, and they can change their priorities and policies at any time.
- while trusts' overriding purpose in making grants is to fulfil the objectives set out in their Deed, companies may decide to support particular causes for a wider variety of reasons: it can be useful therefore to consider what these might be.
- while trustees and their staff are there to make grants, company employees may well have other responsibilities: as few companies have people wholly dedicated to their corporate giving, a company contact is likely to have lots of other things to do, and less time therefore to give to your application.
These differences have a number of important consequences to bear in mind when approaching a company for support:-
- HOW
it is usually better to write
A telephone call may cause an interruption at an awkward moment, or come when someone is in a meeting, leading to a sequence of calls as each person tries to find the other one available. They are going to need something in writing at some point anyway, if they are going to take it any further.
A written request can be read at a time when they can give it their full attention, and if need be, ask for more information, or suggest a meeting, if they are interested.
brevity and clarity are even more important
You need to be able to communicate who you are, what you do, what you need, and why, in a way that someone can grasp in say three minutes. If they are interested, and they want more information, they will ask. As a guide, it may be an idea to present your initial request in the following form:
- put all the key facts in a covering letter, preferably all on one sheet of headed paper
- put any other facts and figures, if they are sufficiently important, on a single sheet attachment (eg a project costing, an event outline, or a pertinent press article)
- enclose your latest Annual Report, which will give them lots of other information about you.
- WHY
Say why you are writing to them
Just as trusts, in an ideal world, would receive applications only for purposes within their criteria, so companies would like only to receive requests that appeal to them, and to which they can say 'yes'.
You're not going to write to every company you come across, so make it clear, near the beginning of the letter, why you are writing to them in particular. However you describe it, this boils down to one or more reasons why you believe they should give, or may well want to give, or should be interested in what you have to say. This is linked, in turn, to consideration of a further issue...
Try to understand why companies give
There are, of course, very many reasons, but the great majority of company giving falls under one, or sometimes several, of the following headings:-
- employee involvement: for example, an employee requests a donation on behalf of a charity for which they volunteer, or wants the company to contribute for a sponsored walk they are taking part in
- close to home: for example, a charity based just round the corner from the company's premises, or whose work benefits many in the town where the company is one of the major employers
- PR benefits: for example, a sponsored event where the company's support can be seen by many, or a larger project where the company can put its name to a particular part of it
- business connection: certain types of company may have particular interests, such as a pharmaceutical company in health, or an energy company in the environment; others may set up an Award scheme that will reach people in a target market for their products, such as young people
- personal interest: for example, the owners or directors of a company have an interest in a particular charity, or an area of charitable activity
So, if you fit one or more of the above criteria, make it clear early on. On the whole, your chances of success will be much higher, because you have pointed to a reason why they might want to say 'yes'. It also shows that you have taken some time to find out about them before making contact.
- WHO
The final step is finding out which are the companies to concentrate your efforts on. Hertfordshire has well over 20,000, for a start. The following pointers may help:
Focus on the major corporate givers with an established policy
The reference section at the back of this Guide mentions publications by the Charities Aid Foundation and the Directory of Social Change, which you can buy or examine in the reference section of larger libraries. A good number of the companies listed have a sizeable presence in Hertfordshire.
Many of the larger companies have published formal policies, like a grantmaking trust, so you can see whether your project is within an area of interest. If it is not, you can avoid wasting time and money on an application which will very probably be declined, and spend it instead on approaching another that is more likely to be interested.
Find out which are the companies where you know someone
It might be worth asking your trustees, staff, volunteers, clients and anyone else involved in your charity whether they, or a close relative, work for a company that might give to support your project.
Some companies will only consider requests submitted by their staff. Some will offer to match what a member of staff contributes, which can double the proceeds of a sponsored event, or recognise the value of what they are giving in time as a volunteer. There is also the possibility of fellow employees joining in fundraising to support their colleague.
Look round locally to see which companies are close to you
You might just want to walk around nearby streets to see who is there. The well known names in the high street, such as the banks and the big stores, will be in the Guides anyway, but there are others, on trading and industrial estates - less well known, and less often approached, but sometimes sizeable. You can also look in the local papers (see who's advertising), business press, and again the library.
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