Impact reporting

This short article identifies the key elements to include in a report on the impact a charity is having

http://www.cfdg.org.uk/news/press-releases/2011/october/~/media/Files/Policy/Have%20your%20Say/Principles%20of%20good%20impact%20reporting.ashx

Millennium Stadium CT

Local Organisations - Awards of up to £2,500 are available for organisations with a remit to serve their local community or town.

The scheme will be open until 19th December 2011 to receive applications for local projects. The Trust has the following four categories: Sport, The Arts, The Environment, The Community.

The following organisations are eligible to apply: Not-for-profit organisations. Properly constituted voluntary organisations. Charitable organisations. Voluntary groups working with local authorities (applicant cannot be the local authority). Priority is given to organisations serving groups and communities suffering from the
greatest disadvantage.

www.millenniumstadiumtrust.co.uk/

Sustainable Steps

The programme has up to £620,000 to fund a single project that will help to develop the capacity and capability of communities across all of Wales, to take action on climate change. The successful project is likely to be a partnership that will engage with communities that have previously taken little or no action to address the causes and consequences of climate change

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_sustainable_steps.htm?regioncode=-wal

VILLAGE SOS GRANT FROM THE LOTTERY

BIG have launched a grant linked to their village SOS competition. It is aimed at kick starting community businesses throughout UK. Applications MUST show consultation with the local community. Visit their website for full details. DEADLINE 6 OCTOBER
Village SOS competition


http://www.villagesos.org.uk/competition

Princes Countryside Fund open

The fund will be open again from the 1st September

http://www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/our-projects/apply-funding

15 great social media campaigns

These campaigns are from the US, but still useful over hear and give a good range of campaigns that could be adapted, but also demonstrate the power social media has as a fundraising tool

http://www.sumac.com/social-media-campaigns

People’s Postcode Trust Small Grants Programme

People’s Postcode Trust Small Grants Programme is now open;


Applications can be between £500 and £5000 in Wales. All projects applied for in this round must be run between October and April 2012

See the 'How to Apply' page to download an application form.

The deadline for all applications is 5pm on Friday 26th August

http://www.postcodetrust.org.uk/how-to-apply/

Needs Assessment

Need assessment

With greater emphasis being placed upon demonstrating the need for a project- the following information is designed to help a group identify the need for a project, it was originally written with a village hall in mind, but could be adapted and applied to other projects.

1) Identify the existing resource(if there is one)
a.What use is it getting – how frequently is the centre used
b.How is being used – what activities are being undertaken
c.Who is using it – what groups are using the centre
d.What alternatives are available – other halls / facilities nearby

2) Identify potential
a. Who else could use the hall
b. What additional activities could be undertaken
c. Who could be attracted in to use the centre

3) Ability of committee to manage project


All this information can be gathered in several ways:

A survey of the community - This could be a short survey given to every household to ask if they use the hall/, how often, what needs it is not meeting, where else they travel to use facilities, and what their priorities are.

A survey of user groups - To identify the needs of groups using the hall and also those who are not using the hall and what may encourage them to do so.  What space and facilities do groups need want (storage, staging, lighting, music, large / small areas, kitchen, bar, changing area, toilets).  This information will provide a basis on the size of centre that may be needed and what equipment would be needed and also features wanted.  

Audit of existing resources

a. In the village / b. Surrounding villages   / c. Accessibility of other resources (i.e. transport)
This would identify what is available elsewhere and how accessible the alternatives are and address issues of duplication and local need for the project.  The information would also help to identify opportunities for activities that are not being offered locally.

Consultation with stakeholders - Speak to management committee and those with an involvement of the running of the centre.  This will draw out any issues concerns of stakeholders and identify possible future uses of the centre.

Consultation with Statutory bodies - To identify any legal, planning or other issues relating to the existing centre.

Census data - To identify the socioeconomic  demographic profile of the area.  This will identify who is the potential audience of the centre.

Skills audit of the management committee - This would be a short questionnaire to establish the range of skills held by the committee that can be used to identify any gaps where the committee may need strengthening or where professional help may need to be brought in.

Time Management

Slim timer is a really neat (free) and easy to use programme to help with time management. You simply enter the various projects you are working on and it records the time spend on each project.

it can run reports on time spent on projects; which is a great help when completing timesheets for evidence of expenditure

http://slimtimer.com

Tools for internet fundraising

These are the slides from my basic online fundraising course which show how to use various online fundraising tools like ebay, online donations, every click and other search engines, adsense,

Social media as a fundraising tool

This is a set of slides from a course I run on using social media as a fundraising tool. The course is designed to help organisations identify appropriate types of social media to interact with a wide audience , through this interaction you can generate more interest in the organisations work and this leads to fundraising / donations possibilities


http://www.slideshare.net/jrxm/earning-more-online

Social Media Workbook

This workbook takes you through the necessary stages to develop your social media strategy


http://www.mtnonprofit.org/uploadedFiles/Files/Org-Dev/Principles_and_Practices/Other_Sample_Docs/Social%20Media%20Workbook.pdf

Writing better annual reports

Annual reports should not been seen as an administrative task that needs doing each year. They are an opportunity to show of the difference your organisations has made in the year, as well as to thank your supporters and volunteers.

As you have to produce the report, it is worth investing a bit of extra time to make something that shows your work of to the maximum.

This is a good guide to set you off in the right direction
http://www.philanthropycapital.org/publications/improving_the_sector/improving_charities/talking_about_results.aspx

Slide Show

Slides on planning and using social media

http://www.slideshare.net/mikeyames/leveraging-social-media-for-fundraising-success

Social Media Guides

Two free Guides for social on social media

Social Media Strategy Workbook - http://www.mtnonprofit.org/uploadedFiles/Files/Org-Dev/Principles_and_Practices/Other_Sample_Docs/Social%20Media%20Workbook.pdf

12 essential tips for success in Social Media http://www.motivelab.com/briefs/SocialMediaTips.pdf

Major donors

Great response to a question about fundraising from major donors

I think the first thing to do is figure out what logical tiers of donors (and prospects) you have, and then create cultivation/stewardship strategies for each. Often, it's simplest to break your data base into three or four levels:

The top level should be those who deserve highly personalized attention because of their giving history or high potential/inclination to be a major donor: phone calls from your boss, board chair or most appropriate connection; hand-written notes; one-to-one meetings—if they want them; as well as small gatherings at which they are made to feel like true stakeholders and/or insiders. As noted above, in some cases the latter can include either board members or those who benefit from your work, or both. (Either way, no asking take place at these!)

I concur that asking your top donors what aspect of your program was the impetus for their involvement, what they love most about your organization; I find that doing that opens the door to the donor almost "selling" themselves, rather than them having to hear a pitch. Sometimes I find that creating a questionnaire similar to what's used in a feasibility study is useful if you call each donor to ask if you can come pick their brain about their thoughts on what's working, what's not, etc. People tend to be quite interested in giving advice, especially about an organization to which they've already committed personal resources; by doing this, you glean a wealth of info, get to know them much better and bring each even closer to your group.

The second level might get most of the above, but without the one-to-one meetings (unless it's a small number of people, in which case a total of three tiers might be just fine). Stewardship events for this group can be fairly basic and hopefully turn-key: tours of your facility, or occasional and informal dialogues between your boss and 6-12 people over coffee in your offices. The point here is that doing these is a great way to connect without investing a lot of time or money.

The third tier, which most likely will include those who've given fairly regularly (even if at low-dollar levels, however your org defines that), should be sent communications and acknowledgments that recognize their loyalty; as you know, this group is typically the #1 source of planned gifts so should be well-tended! Having events for this group, though, is very time-consuming and only realistic if you have enough staff or a super-engaged board.

The last group needs the basics: newsletters (by post or email), e-blasts, annual report, at least a few solicitation letters/emails a year, updates from the president or, sometimes, senior program staff, etc. Needless to say, much of these also go to all four tiers—just not the generic solicitations.

(Comment from Jennifer)

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/My-boss-wants-do-some-2414401.S.62234849?view=&srchtype=discussedNews&gid=2414401&item=62234849&type=member&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_pd-ttl-cn

EU Funding directory

Online version of Dereks EU Funding Directory for Wales.

The document is available to download in English or Welsh on my website here: http://www.derekvaughanmep.org.uk/eu-funding-directory

Free resource

The Institute of Fundraising have produced their own short guide to social media as a fundraising tool

www.btplc.com/mydonate/Networked_for_good.pdf

Citizens Voice

For any group in Powys interested in the Lottery Citizens Voice funding, the deadline is creeping up to get proposals in to PAVO. I would strongly encourage any group with an idea for this funding to submit something as your idea may be able to form part of a larger project if it cant stand alone

Fundraising - whose responsibility

I find it increasingly frustrating that working within an organisation that as the sole fundraiser, Im looked to for all the ideas. But Im hardly best placed to do so as Im less in contact with those delivering the work on the ground. EVERYONE in an organisation has a responsibility to look for opportunities, yes I can help develop these ideas into something that maybe fundable, but I can't come up with the ideas.

The other danger is that all new initiatives will follow my favoured areas of work and interests which may well be out of touch with what is needed. Rant over.

Where are my followers?

To engage with people you first need to be where they are, don't wait for them to find you as there are too many other alternatives who may catch their interest instead. Find out what networks they are using, where is your charities name cropping up on forums, social media sites etc. Tools such as Google Alerts can be used to help find where people are talking about you, as well as simple web searches

Website

I'm developing a site to support third sector organisations who are interested in using social media to help them with their fundraising. The aim is to provide ideas and tips to groups to help them make the most of the opportunities that are available

www.internetfundraising.co.uk

NFP Reports

New report for groups new to fundraising from NFP Synergy
www.nfpsynergy.net/reports_presentations/our_free_research/default.aspx

New Media

Welcome to my blog. IT is aimed at third sector organisations who are interested in using new media in their fundraising efforts. I will be posting new ideas and links to resources to help organisations with their online fundraising and to make the most of social media in engaging with supporters