[Q&A series] Should I call every funder I apply to?

[Q&A SERIES]

Would you advise calling every Trust I am planning to send applications to telling them that I am going to send them an application? I am curious to know whether I should always be doing this, or whether this will just be viewed as a nuisance or whether it gives the Trust a chance to tell me to not apply to them. 

Ok, so first things first, if you DO call a Trust and they say don't apply because their next meeting is full up or they're not accepting applications, or you're not eligible to apply, then this is a GOOD THING! It saves your time in writing and sending the application so that you can focus on prospects who will accept your application. If you're not the type of organisation they would support then far better to know this up front than to spend time drafting your application. So don't be afraid of finding your prospect isn't the right one - this is all part of what we call ‘qualifying’ your prospects i.e. finding out if they are the right ones to apply to.

Let's move onto whether you should call every Trust you're planning to apply to.

If a Trust openly says on their website ‘please don’t call' or ‘we won’t accept calls to discuss applications' then it's probably best not to bother them. You want to show that you've read their guidelines and understand their priorities so going against something they're openly stated, doesn't give the right first impression.  Equally, if they don't publish a phone number and it's really difficult to find one through your various searches on databases and the Charity Commission website, then that probably means they don't want to be called either.

In most other cases, I would always suggest calling a Trust if you can and preferably to find out some information rather than just to call for the sake of it. It might be that you want to check when their next meeting is, or if they have a preferred format for applications. These days, it's even worth just checking that they are still receiving applications given the number of changes to funding over the past 12 months. If for example, they have an address to post applications to, it's worth checking they still want them sending to the same address or whether an emailed application is easier. 

The point here is that you're introducing yourself and your organisation and giving yourself and the funder an opportunity to have a discussion. They may well ask questions about your organisation and your work, which gives you a great opportunity to tell them more about you, and something that gives you the edge over other organisations who are just sending written applications. Or they'll just answer your questions and you've spent a few minutes checking that yes, they are happy to receive an application from you. 

So overall, it's a good idea to call whenever you can.