Fundraising Support Opportunity
We are inviting Expressions of Interest for free, one-to-one, fundraising support, as part of the OCT’s Funding Plus programme and our commitment to enabling grantees to be more sustainable and resilient, in line with our Purpose Framework.
In conversations with grantees, we hear that many are facing challenges with fundraising, and with accessing training and support. And right now, as the cost of living catastrophe worsens for so many, charities are facing real strain on their resources and increasing levels of demand. Some of us being former fundraisers ourselves, we know that it is particularly difficult for charities with little/no funding to secure the confidence of donors; and for those who have little or no fundraising experience to secure funds to either stabilise or grow.
We therefore have designed this opportunity as a way to begin to meet some of these needs, with the long term sustainability of charities in mind. We hope that it will provide meaningful, targeted, short term assistance as well as support organisations to plan further ahead.
The opportunity
We are offering up to 10 organisations the opportunity to work with a highly experienced fundraising consultant across three bespoke one-to-one sessions.
This work will be tailored to your needs and capacity. We imagine that organisations may request support on a range of areas, including: reviewing existing work, guidance on finding the right funder, stewardship, building blocks to effective fundraising, income diversification, core/unrestricted fundraising, reporting, working with your Board, and signposting to other resources. The consultant will act as a critical friend, listening to some of the obstacles you are facing and offering creative and constructive approaches to solve issues and navigate difficulties. The support will not include any direct fundraising, such as bid writing, donor cultivation, or content writing, and the charity will be responsible for implementing the work discussed.
Each session will be approximately 1 hour long. You will be expected to complete some tasks between these, so they will be scheduled at intervals which suit you over a period of 3 months. The sessions will be held during winter 2022/spring 2023 and will be held online.
This opportunity is free of charge; all we will ask for is a feedback form within a month of the completion of the work.
How to apply
We will prioritise smaller organisations (with an annual income of under £2m p/a) who are active grantees; however, given the current climate and churn within our sector we are open to receiving applications from others. If the consultant doesn’t feel they are the best person to help you with your enquiry, we will let you know.
To apply to benefit from these fundraising clinics, please complete a brief expression of interest here. We will review applications on a rolling basis until 24 February 2023, when the window will close. We expect that this support will be of interest to a large number of organisations, so we would suggest that you apply sooner rather than later.
