How to... fund your campaigning
You’ve decided you want to campaign – excellent. The first three questions you need to ask – and answer - are: what do you want to achieve? how much will it cost? and, how are you going to pay for it? There is only so much the takings from pub gigs and cake sales will cover, and if you’re planning a major event you will more than likely need some outside funding.
Start thinking now about:
- What are your objectives and how will you achieve them?
- What do you want this activity, project or event to achieve?
- How can you meet these objectives?
- What resources do you need to achieve them?
- What evidence do you have to support the need for this activity?
- What facts and figures can you use to support your case?
- Has the idea been tried before? With what results?
- Can you state your case clearly and with conviction?
- How will you measure success?
How much will it cost?
Once you know what you want to do, the next thing you need to work out is how much funding or support you need to find. You need to make sure that your figures are as accurate as possible. Underestimating your costs can leave your students’ union out of pocket, but overstating your costs may lead sponsors to reject your application. In order to give a correct cost, get estimates and include all possible costs you can think of.
How are you going to pay for it?
You need a fundraising strategy. There are many ways of raising money and you need to limit your approaches to a few that you can do well, rather than spreading your efforts too widely. You need to work out a fundraising plan that takes account of your abilities and resources, timeframe, and scale of financial need.
You also need to make simultaneous approaches to a number of possible sponsors. No matter how promising a prospect sounds, you cannot rely on success with a one-off try!
Who are you going to approach?
There are a number of possibilities, including charitable organisations and private and corporate funders. Trade unions may be interested in co-sponsoring your event, as may local media outlets. Stores where students regularly shop may be willing to sponsor your activity. You’ll need to draw up a list of who you are going to approach and what you’re going to ask them to do.
Don’t forget to check with either your students’ union or NUS staff that the body or company is appropriate.
How are you going to approach them?
You need a staged strategy. First, make contact with a telephone call to establish whether the organisation would be interested in the type of activity you are suggesting. Try to get the name of the relevant person to whom you should write. If you’re approaching a charitable or statutory funder, there may be only one time that you can apply for funding, and they may have a system that you need to follow to get the support.
Second, follow the telephone call with a brief proposal and a covering letter to the relevant person. Most companies will only look at a proposal that is submitted in writing. You need to consider who should sign the letter to make sure it carries the most authority.
Third, after sending the letter you should try to meet with a representative. If you think your cause will be helped by having the meeting at your office premises, (there may be things that should be seen or people who should be met) try and arrange this. Otherwise, it may be better to meet at the prospective funder’s offices. The face-to-face encounter will often decide the success or failure of your application. Therefore, every attempt should be made to arrange a meeting.
Finally, if you are successful in getting support, make sure you remember to thank the company and to let them know how the activity went.
How do you write a funding proposal?
It is important that your funding proposal is clear and concise, and presented in a professional manner, in order to show that your students’ union is a credible and professional organisation and that you are capable of carrying out the work you are trying to raise cash for.
You need to include specific details about all the following in your proposal:
- Your objectives and how you plan to achieve them
- Timeframe (start date and sponsorship duration)
- Costed expenditure
- What the opportunities are for the funder, and what they get out of being involved
- What you are looking for from the funder
When you’re writing the proposal, you need to put yourself in the funder’s shoes and think what they would want to get out of this activity. Advantages of involvement could include: an advertising/promotion opportunity to reach students and others, an opportunity to be associated with a useful project in the community, or PR coverage in the local press.
You must include detailed information about what the funder will get for their money. For example, if you are asking for a major sponsor for your activity you could state the benefits as:
- Inclusion in press releases to all the local papers
- Logo and tagline on 1,000 leaflets which will be handed out to students in the students’ union foyer
- Logo and tagline on 100 colour posters which will be displayed in prominent locations on campus. Approximately 2,000 students walk past these posters each day.
Money isn’t everything
Remember, it is possible that other forms of assistance may be as (or sometimes more) valuable than money. Could the company offer you such things as a vehicle, staff time or printing facilities? The list is endless, and it may be easier for a company to donate this sort of help.
And finally...
- Remember, you are asking a company to give away money or services. Be aware of the benefits to the company and acknowledge these as an important part of your proposal.
- Make good use of any personal contacts you have with anyone within the potential sponsors, to make sure your application is considered and to give it support in any possible way.
- Never miss an opportunity. Make sure you talk to any suppliers about your work and ask for their support – it may result in extra discount.
- As with any job, successful fundraisers need a variety of skills. These will include: persistence, great powers of persuasion, good personal presentation and contacts. The fundraiser will also require a good knowledge of their own organisation, or project area, in order to speak and answer questions with an undoubted authority. Sometimes it is the luck of the draw and a matter of timing that results in success.
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