Successful Bid Writing: The workshop will look at bid writing from the perspective of the charity and help you recognise the key requirements of writing a winning bid, which will include each of the following steps: The pre-application preparation process How to write and design a successful funding application Plan and build an effective budget Bid Writing fundamentals The do’s and don'ts for bid writers How to ensure project sustainability How to research and build a funding portfolio

Activity 1: In groups of three, spend ten minutes to discuss what steps and information you will need to complete when preparing to write a funding application

Pre-Bid Preparation: Pre-bid meeting to establish why the project is needed and what outcomes will need to be achieved Identify and match the new funders criteria to the project idea Research the funding websites that have been identified to approach Identify and accumulate evidence of need for the new project Identify if the project will be for core, capital or project funding Identify how the project will be delivered and where Case studies and pictures to support the bid Articles of association Year end audited accounts and project budget Letters of support from partnerships or stakeholders

Activity 2: In groups of three, take ten minutes to discuss the ten steps every funding application must include.

How to Write a Successful Bid: Who you are What you do Why you provide your service Where the project will take place When the project will take place and for Need for the project How the need will be addressed Impact and outcomes of the project Monitor and evaluation methodology Budget and project sustainability

Plan and Build an Effective Budget: Create clear costings, outlining the costs for pilots, the development phase or an investment-ready proposal Be realistic when breaking down costs; budgets should accurately reflect the planning, research, project delivery and evaluation Grant and funding assessors will always look out for over and under- estimated costings Most funding bodies will want to know if you have approached any other funders or secured any other funding Make sure you have researched whether the funding body you are applying to prefers to be the sole funder or understands that there may be other investors Provide details of multi-year funding requirements with a detailed forecast budget

Bid Writing Fundamentals: Understand exactly what the funder wants to support Ensure there is funding match for the charity Ensure the evidence of need supports the core, capital or project idea Keep things clear with subheadings using the ten point rule Keep things concise with relevant information and detail to support your application request Ensure there is a balance between text and statistics Illustrate your application with case studies, pictures and visual data Ensure the long-term change of the beneficiary is clearly demonstrated using outcomes, which can be tracked to show change Ensure the application goes through a rigorous review process

Do’s of writing a successful Bid: Question what you want to do and why it's important Chose a title for the project that is accessible and self-explanatory Are you responding to a problem? If so, outline why it needs to be solved Make time for expansive research around your subject - collate statistics, facts and quotations that prove the need for your proposed activity Detail how you will go about achieving your ultimate aims, referencing short, medium and long-term objectives Understand what you will create or provide Decide who you will be working with to implement these plans and why Outline what progress you have made to date Build a timeline to detail what is required to take the idea further: outline any roles that you would like to recruit for, the next steps you want to take and the time this will take you

Don'ts when Writing a Funding Bid: Do not apply to a funder without fully researching their criteria Do not apply to a funder unless the pre-application process has been completed Do not apply to a funder unless the needs led assessment process has been completed Do not apply to a funder unless the funding budget has been approved and agreed by the project manager Do not use in house acronyms Do not over complicate your answer with unnecessary text

Project Sustainability: Develop portfolio of trust and foundation funding opportunities Develop a bespoke legacy strategy to approach potential legacy donors Develop local funding opportunities to reach the hearts and minds of potential new supporters Review your external environment to identify new funding opportunities Engage in a funding discussion with stakeholders, staff, management, trustees, volunteers, beneficiaries, and the wider community to secure new funding Ensure you diversify income generation through a number of sources Utilise assets of the charity, particularly your own business income generators, to provide long-term sustainability of projects Increase relationships with local businesses to become their charity of choice

Activity 3: In groups of three, discuss projects you currently require funding towards or new projects you would like to deliver

Researching Funders: www.trustfunding.org.uk www.grantsonlinelocal.uk

Questions: Damon Musgrove Bid writing consultant damonm2@Hotmail.co.uk 07584426440