I am pleased to announce my training programme around fundraising for this 2023 with The West Sussex Voluntary and Community Sector Infrastructure Alliance.
A series of sessions to improve your fundraising skills. These sessions are open to voluntary and community organisations across West Sussex, Mid Sussex, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, Crawley and Brighton and Hove.
| Date | Time | Topic | Eventbrite Link |
| Wed 17th May | 10am – 12 noon | Prospecting and Research How do you find the right funders for you? | Here |
| Thurs 15th June | 10am – 12 noon | Measuring your Impact Making the most of your evaluation and monitoring for your fundraising | Here |
| Tues 18th July | 1-3pm | Writing for Impact How can you make your applications and letters to trusts and foundations stand out? | Here |
| Wed 13th Sept | 10am – 12 noon | Ask Lucy anything about fundraising! | Here |
| Thurs 19th Oct | 1-3pm | Untapped Fundraising Potential How can you find new ways to raise funds? | Here |
| Wed 8th Nov | 8-6pm | Trustee Training – Fundraising Where can trustees start? Fundraising options for your organisation | TBC |
| Tues 5th Dec | 10am – 12 noon | Managing your relationships with your donors and funders | Here |
Prospecting and Research How do you find the right funders for you?
Wed 17th May 10am-12 noon
- How can you do great research about Trusts, Foundations and Grants before you
make an application? - Where do you look for information and vitally – what is that information telling you?
- We will explore a range of FREE and paid resources and how to make the most
of them. - You will also leave the session knowing how to use the Charity Commission
website for your Trust fundraising research.
Measuring your Impact: Making the most of your evaluation and monitoring
for your fundraising
Thurs 15th June 10am-12 noon
It is vital that people and organisations we ask to support our work understand what
impact their donations will have.
- Evaluation, monitoring and impact measurement are essential tools for fundraising.
- Do you know your outputs from your outcomes?
- Are you unsure what you need to measure and what people might be interested in?
- Do you collect lots of information but aren’t sure what to do?
- Do you want to use your data, case studies and stories more effectively in your
- fundraising?
- Then this session is for you!
In this session we will explore
- Why do you need to talk about impact?
- What’s the difference between impact, outcomes, outputs and inputs?
- How do you develop an evaluation framework?
- What is a Theory of Change and do you need one?
- What are the different ways you can use the data and stories that you collect?
Writing for Impact : How can you make your applications and letters to
trusts and foundations stand out?
Tues 18th July 1-3pm
Writing for funders is a key part of a fundraisers work
- Do you want to write better letters to funders?
- Are your applications lacking impact?
- Could your case for support stand out more?
This session is about how to make your writing and applications clearer and stand
out. We will use examples to highlight key information and explore the common traps
people fall into. In this session we will explore:
- Using behavioural economics to transform your charity messaging
- Top tips on what works including language and layout
- Funders pet peeves
- Types of writing including Free Form Applications, Letters and Applications
- Case for support: what are the key messages you need to include
- Useful resources
Ask Lucy Anything About Fundraising!
Wed 13th Sept 10am-12 noon
We can talk about anything! Come and share your success and frustrations, ask
questions and let’s learn together!
Untapped Fundraising Potential: How can you find new ways to raise funds?
Thurs 19th Oct 1-3pm
Do you want to
- Find new ways of raising funds?
- Understand where your untapped potential is?
A good range of income streams helps an organisation to be more financially
resilient and can reduce the impact of reduced funding in one income area.
Many not-for-profits start their fundraising journey with Trusts and Foundations
before exploring new ways to raise funds. However, many are unsure how to start
individual giving, major donor or challenge events fundraising. That is where this
session can help!
We will explore how to
- Understand your untapped potential for new income streams.
- Recognise what you need to do to ‘get your ducks a row’.
- Create a plan that you can implement and sustain long term.
Trustee Training – Fundraising: Where can trustees start?
Fundraising options for your organisation
Wed 8 November 2023 6-8pm
During which we will consider:
- What are the different fundraising options open to you?
- How do you know which options are right for your organisation?
- What are the practical first steps you can take to diversify your income?
- How can you support everyone in the organisation to help with fundraising?
Managing your relationships with your donors and funders
Tues 5th Dec 10am-12 noon
Do you want to
- Have better connections with your donors and supporters?
- Find more touchpoints and exceed expectations?
- Enjoy your relationships with your donors and supporters?
Underpinning successful fundraising needs to be fantastic stewardship to build long
term relationships. We must at all times remember that “They are not your donors,
you are one of their charities” (Mark Phillips), importantly, it is that we are one of their
charities. The relationships need to be personal, supported, appropriate and at times
unexpected. In this session we will explore
- developing relationships so funders and donors are long term partners
- how to understand and exceed funders requirements and expectations
Information about the training can also be found on Community Works website here