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Top tips: Writing your fundraising application

So far in 2024 we have written articles on an introduction to developing your fundraising strategy, identifying need and appealing to donors and researching and identifying funders.

This month our article will include some top tips on writing the applications themselves. Below we will discuss what must be included in an application and discuss how to prove your organisation is best placed to tackle the problem.

What must be in an application?

Clearly defined need – You exist to meet important needs and you have to talk about the problem in a way the funder understands, encouraging them to want to help and fix it. You must show a clear need and provide a realistic and practical solution to the problem with achievable outcomes. Show that your work has allowed you to see the gap in provision that your project will fill and that you have talked to your community and asked them what they need.
Project goal that addresses the need – What your project does should directly relate to the problem that you have identified – make the connection – what does success look like?
Plan to achieve the project goal – Plan with a timeline, people, admin, materials and a progression towards the final goal of the project.
Planned monitoring and evaluation – Decide how you will monitor and evaluate your project, what measurements you will take and who will be taking them.
Effective and cost effective organisation – You should have your accounts submitted with the Charity Commission and show that you have successful projects within budget, balanced books and long range financial plans and awareness (business and fundraising plans). You should be able to show that you’ve planned, costed and budgeted your project. You should NOT be sitting on years of reserves, however – your money should be spent on your beneficiaries, not sitting in a bank.

Why you? What are your key selling points?

You must show the funder that you have the ability to carry out a project successfully and spend their money wisely.

Track record – Show that you are well run and that you have a good reputation (councillors, local supporters of influence etc). Enjoy support from beneficiaries, waiting lists, staff (well qualified) and volunteers of long standing.
Budget wisely – Demonstrate that you are sound financially.
Know the risks and your response – Know what problems could arise and think of solutions.
Community support – Identify the gaps, survey the community, ask beneficiaries.
Similar projects – Show you have done something similar or found an organisation online who has done something similar.
Well known – Show feedback letters and quotes saying positive things about you. Establish a reputation on social media and network with other charities. Make sure your website is up to date with stories about your beneficiaries and your successes as an organisation. The first thing a funder will do is look for you online.

What if you’re a ‘new’ organisation?

You should be aware that funders may not fund you until you have established financial credibility such as submitting your accounts with the Charity Commission for two years.

What you are doing is trying to show that your organisation has the ability and backup to deliver the project.

Calibre of employees – Talk about your staff and where they’ve been employed previously with great experience of the problems being faced.
Calibre of trustees and patrons – Show what a great organisation you are because you’ve attracted amazing trustees and patrons.
Letters of endorsements – Get letters and support from local agencies with influence (councillors, council officers, MPs, community policing, local people of influence).
Successful pilot – You’ve done the work in a small way and know that it is successful in tackling the issue you’ve identified (you can use the word ‘pilot to get over the fact that you’ve already started the work you’re applying for funding for – some funders won’t fund projects that are already underway).
Similar and successful project – You may not have done the work successfully yet but someone else in another location may have done. Start a dialogue with them, go to see them, get their feedback and use it in your application. Get their endorsement.
Get noticed – On social media and locally at events or networking.

Checklist for your application

Don’t write an application as a means of working out what the project plan will look like. Thinking, planning, budgeting in advance will make the proposal easier to write.

You can’t tell potential funders everything. You need to select the points that the donor will be interested in. Don’t ask the donor to support your organisation, ask them to support the people you help or the work that you do. Try to communicate the important needs you are meeting and how cost effectively you are meeting them.

Title – Give your project a title – especially one that captures the idea of what you want to do.
Clear statement of the problem – Don’t paint too broad a picture of all the ills in the world. Your problem should be described in such a way that you can propose a solution within a reasonable time with a reasonable amount of funding. What is the need for the work? How do you know? Who have you asked about it? Funders need evidence but don’t go mad with graphs or charts or put them in an appendix.
What is the goal? How will you reach the goal? What does success look like? – Show the goal for the project matches the need that you’ve identified and how the plan will achieve the goal. How many people will benefit and how they have had input into the project’s ideas. How will you measure them and what are your targets? Provide a clear idea of what will happen during the project and when (timeline).
Methods – how will you do it? – Describe the methods you will use and the activities you will conduct. Have you done something similar with a pilot, what did you do?
Monitoring and evaluating – How will you measure whether your project is successful? This should be decided before you start your project – what will you measure and how will you do it? Funders now want to know how you will gather information during the project and how you will assess what the information means. You need to be able to measure what your project achieves over its duration and use feedback to progress the project. You don’t just carry on regardless – show that you will stay on top of events and feed progress into the development of the project. Any problems will be acted upon and not disregarded.
Budget and funding plan – how much will you need? This must be calculated in a clear way by someone who understands the problem and based on similar budgets. Make sure it adds up. If you are applying for only some of the money from the funder, then who else have you applied to? Make sure that you have made the applications you state because many funders actually know one another. Ask for a specific sum and provide a shopping list so the donor can pick (a bit like a wedding list!).
Why would the donor be interested in you? – You fit the criteria, you’ve had funding from them before, there’s a connection, they’ll get great publicity etc.
Long term funding or sustainability? – When the funding runs out, what will you do? You must show that you are planning ahead. It may generate an income in the future, you have other income generation that will pay later (membership/increased fees, you have a fundraising plan to show who you are going to apply to for more funding etc).
Signatory? – This is important. Make sure that they are sufficiently senior and that they will be available for questions/follow ups now and in the future.
Constitution, annual accounts, policy – Often with online applications you must upload the additional information. Make sure that you have this assembled in good time and the most recent versions.
Backup information – Detailed project plan, detailed budgets, CVs of project staff, brochures of equipment, photos, case studies, press cuttings etc.

‘If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.’

Imagine having to explain your project in a conversation and trying to persuade someone of the importance of what you are doing and why they should help you. That is what your application is all about.

Put down your thoughts in an orderly fashion and be as clear as possible. Every word should count.

Use positive language instead of negative, don’t use words that only people in your field understand, don’t make dramatic statements or waffle.

Get yourself a fundraising friend (someone who also writes applications) and read and comment on one another’s applications. You can even find a journalist who are usually ruthless with word counts and where everything you need to know is in the first paragraph.

Have you found this helpful?

If you have found these articles helpful, we regularly run a training session on Grants and Trusts Fundraising Applications led by our Deputy CEO, Alison Morey, who has a wealth of experience helping organisations with their fundraising.

Our next session takes place on Wednesday 2 October where we cover your fundraising plan, identifying your need as an organisation and much more! You can book your place on that session here.

You can also sign up to our monthly fundraising newsletter. This newsletter contains fundraising news, information, resources, event details and the latest funds for you to explore. To sign up to any of our newsletters, you can click here.

Finally, you can request one-to-one support and we’d be more than happy to help. Simply give us a call on 01932 571122.