My Services

Fundraising Audit
The Fundraising Audit maps, analyses and reviews your current funding situation. Outcomes of this exercise include an identification of the strengths and weaknesses in your overall strategy, supporting documents and approach to funders. This helps you to identify areas where fundraising capacity can be deployed to best effect, i.e. moving away from high effort, low yield activity towards activity that increases income and diversifies funding streams.

Funding Opportunities Research
A wide range of research tools and publications will be used to deliver an up-to-date list of funding opportunities available to your organisation or project.
This may include funders such as the European Union, Government and local authorities, statutory bodies, Lottery, Grant making Trusts, Companies, Major Donors and individuals.
Full details of funder application procedures and guidance, along with specific criteria, exclusions and upcoming deadlines are provided to you.

Bid Appraisal
Drafts of bid applications written by your fundraising team are reviewed and checked, with feedback given on areas to be strengthened to help maximise success.
This can be a particularly useful and cost effective way for new fundraising teams to “bed in” and hone their skills and for more experienced teams to stretch their capacity.

Outsourced Fundraising
This is a flexible way to handle one specific bid or equally, it can be tailored to become a regular arrangement to cover a varied set of funding requirements. Some or all areas undertaken can include; Strategic planning with Board of Trustees or senior management team; research and identification of appropriate funding sources; drafting and editing applications, covering letters and support materials; co-ordination of approval, signatories and referees; print, collation and send off.

Fundraising Strategy
Planning and development work with staff, Board and service users is undertaken to establish how your goals and ambitions can be achieved. This is analysed and matched against available opportunities for funding and projected expectations of achievable income.
Areas such as diversifying the funding mix, income generation, building key partnerships in emerging sectors, and growth towards national significance are all potential areas that can be investigated.
As well as projecting forward, a review of immediate practical steps will be undertaken to ensure that all current activity is geared towards promoting your work in the most fundable way.

Build and Maximise Fundraising Capacity
Support to develop your in-house fundraising capacity through recruiting and training fundraising personnel; coaching or mentoring existing personnel; or developing in-house resources (e.g. bid and research libraries, strategic reference documents, networking activity, links to e-fundraising newsletters & e-fora).
Reviews of the cost effectiveness of your current activity and assessments as to whether there are practical ways in which to stretch your current capacity can also be delivered.

Fundraising Training
Training on a range of topics can be delivered including; finding fundraising sources, bid writing, the application process, building relationships with funders, account management, tendering and procurement, raising money from individuals, and more. Please call to discuss your requirements.    

Fundraising and Communications Strategy 
Integrating your fundraising message into your overall communication strategy is an important step in ensuring fundraising success. This ensures that all key stakeholders to your organisation are aware of your aims and objectives and the importance of continued support.

Work can be undertaken to clarify: Who are your stakeholders? How do you currently communicate with them? Are the same messages being given to funders, as to service users, as to potential donors? Is this correct for you?
What are your success rates? Are you reaching those with whom you need to communicate to achieve your organisational objectives?
Through review, fundraising strategy, communications strategy and organisational business plans can be brought into alignment to ensure all actions complement and support each other.

Website advice and design (for Fundraising) and copy writing for publications or fundraising materials can also be undertaken.

Call: 07837 925 739

Mail: larissa.steer@yahoo.co.uk