Investing in developing your fundraising skills can bring huge returns on investment. Unfortunately not everyone has access to training and too many fundraisers still have to battle for even the smallest investment in their development. So I wanted to do something special to make my training courses as accessible to as many people as possible. Welcome to the Trust Fundraising Academy bumpsale!
raising the bar
An online course to help you learn how to write successful fundraising applications.
In this course I’ll walk you through the strategies and techniques I’ve learnt in 18 years of fundraising that have helped me secure several million £'s worth of grants.
target planning workshop
A short workshop to help you create a clear plan for how you’re going to reach your targets next year.
If you've ever been asked how much you think you can raise, but don't know how to come up with a realistic figure, then this mini-course is for you.
building relationships over the phone
This mini-course is all about the importance of building relationships with trusts and tackling your fear of the phone in order to do this.
Ready to feel more confident and improve your fundraising results.
“
Alicia is just excellent in her approach and style of explaining. The information was very relevant and extremely helpful. I particularly liked how every stage of trust fundraising was so well broken down and each aspect was very clearly laid down. Also AMAZING templates and helpful workbooks.
-NATASHA, THE BRENDONCARE FOUNDATION
How the bundle is being sold
The Trust fundraising academy bundle started at just £1 and it increases in price by £1 after every purchase.
This type of pricing is called a ‘bumpsale’.
The total value of the Trust Fundraising Academy Bundle is £255, but we started the bundle price at just £1. Yes, it’s a really good deal!
As soon as you click the buy button, your price will be locked in for 3 minutes. If you don’t checkout within those 3 minutes, the price may increase. Once you purchase, you’ll get access to all three courses via a link sent by email with immediate access to everything!
The bundle will only be available from now until Monday 8th November at 8pm UK time.
WHAT PEOPLE are saying:
Raising the bar
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.
“TODAY HAS BEEN A GOOD DAY. WE HAVE RECEIVED TWO MORE SUCCESSFUL AWARDS! RAISING THE BAR HELPED SO MUCH TO FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT ASPECTS AND ORGANISATION OF TRACKING WHAT I DO.”
- Lesley Redfern-Phillips, Gorfenna Community
What you’ll learn:
MODULE 1
Introduction to trust fundraising
This first module is all about understanding that trust fundraising is so much more than just writing applications. We’ll look at the 6 steps in trust fundraising and what’s involved in each stage. We’ll have a look at the current trust fundraising landscape, as we all know that things have changed A LOT over the past year. We’ll look at some of the challenges as well as the opportunities that your organisation might be able to take advantage of.
I’ll also teach you an easy method to demonstrate to funders why your projects and services are needed as well as how to show funders why they should fund your organisation.
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.
In a recent survey, 92% of Raising the bar students said they have secured grants since taking the course, including:
Garfield Weston Foundation £13,000
CSIS Charitable Fund£25,000
The TUUT Charitable Trust £20,000
Danson Foundation £20,000
The Hobson Charity £3,000
The Education and Training Foundation £10,000
The AEC Trust £30,000
Pears Foundation £20,000
Wolfson Foundation £75,000
The Fore £15,000
National Lottery £8,500
The Three Guineas Trust £10,000
Severn Trent Community Fund £45,563
Skylarks Endowment Fund £7,500
Target Planning Workshop
DURING THIS WORKSHOP YOU’LL LEARN TO:
Create a plan of action to reach your target and what you can be doing now to get ahead for the next financial year
Assess your strengths and weaknesses within the trust fundraising process and the areas you might need to develop
Put together a simple plan to share with your manager and others in your organisation so that everyone knows what your focus will be and what your risk areas are
NB Closed captions and transcript available.
We’ll go through my own planning template during the workshop so that you can create your own plan straight away.
what’s included:
Pre-recorded videos where I’ll take you through some practical exercises to help you review your previous year of fundraising as well as how to plan ahead and calculate realistic targets.
A pdf planning template that you can use to plan your own fundraising targets next year.
“
Raising the Bar was a masterclass in trust fundraising. It covered every element a fundraiser must consider when making applications to trusts to improve their success rate. I'd recommend it as a must for anyone new to trust fundraising and for those with more experience it will underpin existing knowledge and provide a valuable resource to support activities. The intensive but short course modules are easily digestible and Alicia brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and sound advice. I have no doubt that the knowledge I have gained from the course will increase my chances of securing grants. I only wish this course had been available a few years ago when I started out!
- ANGELA, CANTERBURY OAST TRUST & RARE BREEDS CENTRE
Building relationships with trusts
with claire nethersole
This mini-course is all about the importance of building relationships with trusts and tackling your fear of the phone in order to do this.
What you’ll learn:
How building relationships can transform your results
Steps you can take to build good relationships with trusts and foundations
Creative ways to use the telephone to thank and build relationships with trusts
Example phone call script and questions you can ask when you call a trust for the first time
NB: Closed captions and video transcript available
"Quick, clear and simple. Claire is a good communicator and there were lots of good practical tips."
"Claire came across as really personable, relatable and warm. There were definitely some good tips, and it was nice to know other people have the same concerns/worries about making phone calls."
About your instructor:
Claire has been working in community fundraising for 15 years in large, small, medium and tiny charities. With a proven track record of increasing income from campaigns, events and engaging the community to fundraise, Claire is passionate about building relationships with donors. Claire runs a consultancy www.cnfundraising.co.uk and is on the Committee Board for the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Consultants Group.
Enrolment ends soon!
The Trust Fundraising Academy Bundle will be available until Monday 8th November 8pm UK time.
“I would highly recommend the course. I learnt a lot in a short space of time and now feel confident in researching and writing funding applications to trusts and foundations.”
—poppy, cornwall rural community charity
I’m Alicia
A FUNDRAISER SPECIALISING IN HELPING CHARITIES WRITE BETTER, MORE SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICATIONS
A fundraiser for almost two decades and qualified project manager, I help organisations build successful trust fundraising programmes to make amazing services and projects happen. Over the years I’ve written, and read, hundreds of grant applications. I’ve seen what works and importantly, what doesn’t!
Today, I work as a fundraising consultant, juggling family life with my husband and two boys whilst helping charities to be more effective in their trust fundraising.
Some of the funders I have secured grants from include the City Bridge Trust, Morrisons Foundation, February Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Henry Smith Charity, Reaching Communities, the Department of Health and the list goes on….!
Frequently asked questions
How do I access the courses? +
After purchase, you'll be sent an email with a link and password to access all the resources. Make sure you save the link or email so that you can come back to it anytime.
How long do I have access to the courses? +
For life. So you can always come back and review the course materials at a later date if you need a refresher. The courses are self-study so you can return as many times as you like, whenever you need to.
Will we win a grant straight away by doing this course? +
No. Most trust fundraising takes time, usually a minimum of 3-6 months. These courses are about giving you the tools and resources to build your organisation's income in the longer term.
Do you offer any refunds? +
Due to the special bumpsale promotion we are running, no refunds will be offered.
We are a new organisation, is this course suitable for us? +
The materials will teach the foundations of writing successful applications to trusts and foundations so is suitable for all types or organisations but please bear in mind that you will need to be an established organisation (registered charity or CIC) in order to apply for most grants.
We're not based in the UK, will the course work for me? +
Whilst I will be teaching the foundations of trust fundraising which would be applicable to any type of organisation, we will be using practical examples from the UK so you are likely to get the most out of the course if you are UK based.
Don’t see your question answered? Just pop an email to HELLO@ALICIAGRAINGER.CO.UK and I’ll be happy to help!