Before funders will give your organisation any money, they need to be confident that you have the financial systems in place to deliver the project and account for your spending.
Funders expectations will include that:
- Your management committee meets regularly and has close contact with your users or community and has the required skills to deliver the project
- Your organisation has transparent financial systems and procedures
- You support your staff and volunteers well and carry out regular supervisions.
Developing a budget
Your budget for the work you want funded needs to be as accurate and comprehensive as possible. See the Financial Management section for more information about writing budgets.
Some tips for writing budgets:
- Be realistic about how much things cost
- Budget for planning, monitoring and evaluation
- Make sure you have systems in place for monitoring and reporting on spending
- Remember to include running costs (such as premises, stationery, management)
- Show in-kind support and match funding
- Check the terms and conditions of the grant before accepting funding
- Be realistic about what you can deliver
- Keep in regular contact with your funder – and always alert them to any problem as soon as possible.
Plan ahead
Effective fundraising takes time, so try to start the process as far in advance as possible. It can be useful to set up a fundraising committee, perhaps combining a selection of staff volunteers and trustees.
This page is a summary of the information in the full online toolkit.
