Elgin– Fundraising Seminar – Elgin– Fundraising Seminar – 11stst April 2010 April 2010

Lesley Macdonald

The Robertson Trust

Welcome!Welcome!

Overview of The Robertson Trust Background information Specifics Helpful hints Questions

TheThe Robertson Trust Robertson Trust

Established in 1960’s by 3 sisters living in Berwickshire

Income generated from shares held in The Edrington Group i.e. the whisky industry

Disburses approx £9Mm each year mainly to charities based in or working in Scotland

Who are we?Who are we?

Small staff team of 7 based in Glasgow Trustees meet 6 times a year Want to be approachable and supportive Happy to talk prior to application Try to visit in person – not telephone

assessment

PrioritiesPriorities

Care - (28%)

Education and Training (16%)

Community Sports and Arts (13%)

Health - (11%)

‘‘Other’ CategoriesOther’ Categories

Children, Young People & Families (14%)

Communities (8%)

Culture, Heritage and Science (7%)

Environment, Saving Lives, Civil Society, Animal Welfare (3%)

What we don’t fundWhat we don’t fund

Individuals or organisations which are not recognised as charities or whose work does not take place in Scotland

Umbrella groups not providing a direct service Organisations and projects whose primary

object is to provide a counselling, advocacy, advice and/or information service

Projects which are primarily intended to promote political or religious beliefs

Types of donationTypes of donation

Small (revenue up to £5k p.a. and capital up to £10K)

Main (revenue over £5k p.a. and capital between £10 - £100k)

Major Capital (only within our Priority Areas and for £100k +)

Facts & FiguresFacts & Figures

767 applications received in 2008/09

Average of 128 for consideration at each meeting

Committed £9.9m to 497 different charities

71% success rate

Preparing the ApplicationPreparing the Application

Do your research - find funders whose criteria, geographical area and size of donations match yours

Don’t design your project to meet a funders priorities or deadlines

Provide contact details including e-mail address and legible signature

Check all applications with committee

Writing the letterWriting the letter‘do’s’‘do’s’

Write to a ‘real’ person Keep it concise and to the point Follow the headings in the guidelines Include attachments as requested Provide fully costed budget Give details of other funders approached Get someone not connected with your

organisation to read it through

Writing the letterWriting the letter‘don’ts’‘don’ts’

Overload the application with attachments

Include DVDs/CDs Woffle/pad out Use jargon Repeat yourself Include lots of research

Financial InformationFinancial Information

Revenue – Projected Income and Expenditure Budget

Capital – Expenditure plus future cashflow predictions

Fundraising Plan Evidence of capacity to manage funding

Annual AccountsAnnual Accounts

Audited or independently examined

Breakdown of information

Note to accounts to explain anomalies

Level of reserves

What happens to your What happens to your application?application?

Checked for basic eligibility and inclusion of key information

Passed to assessment team for a more detailed check

Decision taken on whether or not a visit / telephone call is required

Once all information is gathered a recommendation is written for the Trustees

Challenge meeting between staff to agree recommendations

Trustees final decision

What makes a good What makes a good assessment visit ?assessment visit ?

Arranged for a time when activities are taking place in the premises

Opportunity to meet a range of people including beneficiaries of the service

A quiet place to meet with knowledgeable people to discuss the application

Informal atmosphere

What does an Assessor What does an Assessor look for?look for?

commitment, enthusiasm activity which shows the potential to make a

difference good planning and evidence of capacity to

run proposed activity evidence of local support sound financial management honest appraisal of potential difficulties sustainability of the project (especially for

capital grants)

Are you successful?Are you successful?(+)(+)

Letter of offer – sign and return Pledge conditions – understand and make a

note of Maintain contact with funders and send

relevant updates – good or bad Send information requested to release

payment Ensure end of grant / year conditions are met

Are you successful?Are you successful?(-)(-)

Often a standard letter to inform you of the decision

Many funders will give feedback if asked

- More applications than available funds- Not a strong enough fit with priorities- Our funding unlikely to make a difference- Not convinced that the project will deliver- Poor communication when previously funded

Usually have to wait a year before re-applying

Grant MonitoringGrant Monitoring

Funders are interested in your work and do read reports – more interested in outcomes than how each £1 has been spent

We are interested in what has worked but also as importantly what hasn’t worked and why

Alert us to significant problems affecting the grant as they occur

Send a report on how the grant has been used at the appropriate time and before requesting further funding

Helpful HintsHelpful Hints

A personal approach can make all the difference so do your homework

Encourage visits – it’s easier to say “No” to a piece of paper

Ask for what you want to be funded - not for what you think we might like to fund

Don’t try and hide any problems - be up-front and open

Believe in your work – let your enthusiasm show!

Contact DetailsContact Details

Lesley Macdonald

The Robertson Trust

85 Berkeley Street

Glasgow

G3 7DX 0141 221 3151 www.therobertsontrust.org.uk