In this course I’ll walk you through the strategies and techniques I’ve learnt in 18 years of fundraising so that you feel CONFIDENT in sending out great trust applications.

YOU’LL LEARN TO:

• Understand the different elements involved in successful trust fundraising

• Put together a pipeline of suitable prospects

• Master the art of writing successful applications to trusts and foundations.

MODULE 2

Packaging your work

This module is all about how to put together ‘fundable’ projects - whether that’s your existing core services or brand new work. We’ll look at the differences between core and project funding and I’ll show you some different methods for packaging up your work into fundable projects.

Next I’ll tell you the key success factors in trust fundraising so that you can make sure you’re doing all of these things as well as the pitfalls and how to avoid them!

MODULE 3

Preparing your application

The key to great trust applications lies in the preparation. In this module we’ll look at what information you need to prepare before you start writing your applications and how to get this information. We’ll look in detail at how to talk about the differences your services make, and how to put a project budget together.

I’ll also walk you through how to make sure you are covering your overheads and the importance of full cost recovery.

MODULE 4

Finding prospects to apply to

First we’ll start off by looking at what a prospect research process looks like as well as some of the free and paid-for resources you can use. Next, I’ll walk you through a 3-step process to your prospect research so that you can assess who the best prospects are for your organisation.

We’ll also look at some of the common mistakes with prospect research so that you can avoid these!

MODULE 5

Writing applications

This module is all about the writing. I’ll walk you through the structure for a great application letter and show you what to include (and what to leave out!). We’ll look at some example applications so you can see how to implement the template.

Next we’ll look at the writing process with some techniques to make the most of your time and avoid those moments where you’re starting at a blank piece of paper!

MODULE 6

Writing techniques

In the final module we’ll learn about some of the techniques you can use to elevate your writing. We’ll look at why storytelling matters and how to choose which stories to tell. I’ll also go through some principles of design so that your applications look great and stand out.

Then, we’ll look at what to do after you submit your applications and the next steps you should take when you hear the outcome. We’ll go through a thank you letter template and look at how to forecast and predict your trust income as your grow your trust fundraising programme going forward.