How to make your applications stand out from the crowd

There’s no denying that trust fundraising is getting more and more competitive. With statutory funding cuts and new charities registering every day there are simply more charities competing for the same pots of money.

Grant administrators and trustees often have to sift through hundreds and hundreds of applications so how do you make sure yours is one of the ones that stands out from the crowd?

Be more visual

Whilst I’m not suggesting sacrificing quality content for the sake of a picture, there is a reason they say that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Think about it from the assessors point of view -if you have hundreds of applications with pages and pages of text to look through, and then one pops out that’s visually appealing, which one would catch your eye? So think about how you could use photos, charts, quotes and figures to break up text and enhance your application (this won’t apply of course if you’re completing an application form).

Although I’m no branding expert, a few techniques that you can use to visually break up text include:

• Putting quotes from beneficiaries in a different colour, font size and on a separate line

• Using headings and subheadings to guide a reader through your application

• Adding photos of places or buildings as well as maps if you’re fundraising for a particular venue.

• Using coloured highlight boxes for key facts and figures.

TIP: If you’re worried about photos and pictures using up too many space in your application make sure you ‘wrap’ text around the picture so that it sits alongside text rather than the picture taking up the whole width of the page.

When adding visual elements to your application, make sure your layout and design match your charity’s brand – if you have one, get the marketing team to look over your application. Is it consistent, and does it match your website and other promotional materials? If your application is consistent with your brand then you might just be helping a potential funder to know who the application is from even before they’ve read it, and being one step ahead is what we’re looking for here.

Use the principles of storytelling

Although we often think the big statistics make the most impact sometimes its one story that can create an emotional response to what we’re reading. Don’t leave your ‘case study’ to the end of your application or include it as an appendix – make it centre stage. Can you introduce the reader to your story right at the start of your application? Can you take the reader on a journey so that they then learn how your organisation helps that one person and what difference it made to them?

Find your USP

Every organisation has something unique and special about it.

It might be the personal story of the founder, the passion and enthusiasm of the staff or something in particular about the way you deliver your services. It’s really good to involve your colleagues and beneficiaries in working out your USP as an organisation – it’s not just what you think makes the organisation different, it has to come from everyone.

You’ve got to dig really deep on this one – we’re not looking for the standard answers around being ‘the only charity in the area that does x, y and z’ but something that really demonstrates the passion for what you do.

Ask yourself - what would the people you help say about you? What do they think makes you special? What makes you come to work every day? What makes the organisation a special place to work?

Be creative

I will always remember when I was interviewing for a Trust Officer role at YouthNet. We received hundreds of applications and invited around 10 candidates to interview. One candidate brought along some example trust applications she had written in the past to leave behind after the interview – we hadn’t asked anyone to do this but she used her initiative to showcase her skills and ability. And she got the job, so it worked 😊

Now I’m not suggesting you start sending reams of extra information along with your applications if the funder hasn’t asked for it, but perhaps have a think about how you could be creative with your writing, sending or delivering your application. If it’s a local trust could you hand deliver the application? Could you package your application in a creative way that helps the funder to appreciate your cause? Rob Woods from Bright Spot Fundraising talks in this post about how a children’s cancer charity made 12 replica red roses to send to a high end florist company that they wanted to get a meeting with – 12 roses because that’s how many children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer every day. And they got the meeting they were after.

So have a think about ways that are relevant to your organisation.

How could you be creative with writing, sending or delivering your application that would make you stand out?