There is a lot more to successful fundraising than writing funding applications. While bringing in funds for your organisation may seem to be the most obvious place to start, you have a duty to show that your organisation is able to receive and manage funds properly.
In order to approach a funder, a voluntary and community group needs to be properly established with a formal constitution and a bank account. You need to think about whether the constitution you adopt is adequate for your needs: What specific things do you need in order to cover all the activities you will be doing? The clearer you are about what it is you want to achieve (your aims) and how you are going to achieve them (your objectives), the easier it will become to identify how much support you’re going to need.
This may involve thinking about whether you should register as a charity, set up a company (limited by guarantee or social enterprise) or whether being a relatively informal association will best meet your needs. You will need to decide which forms of funding or finance are right for your organisation such as:
Generating income for your organisation, whether through grants or trading, requires forward planning: How will you sustain your organisation and activities in the future?
This is a lot to consider but modest plans only need modest beginnings and there is help and advice available. Many highly successful voluntary organisations started round a kitchen table, with just the commitment of a few people and a good idea.
