One issue
funders have is how much to take on trust and when to ask for supporting
evidence. For example, on an assessment
visit, a funder can ask the charity what policies it has in place and be
satisfied with the answer. Or they can ask to see one or two policies as a spot
check. Or they could ask for every policy and read them all. (The same is true
of paper processes. A funder could ask you to send through some or all of your
policies with your application form). A balance has to be struck which is
partly about being pragmatic – they are unlikely to have time to read your
complete policy handbook. And partly about the appetite for risk – the funder
needs to ensure that they have done enough to meet due diligence requirements.
My
starting point is one of trust but I will check and dig deeper when things
aren’t quite right. There was a doctor on the radio this week talking about
their approach, which struck me as similar. Doctors talk about symptoms and
signs. Symptoms are what the patient tells them. Signs are what the doctor
finds or observes. They have no reason to question the symptoms account unless
they don’t match the signs. So in the case of your policies, the funder is
happy with your response until you struggle to find the files and handover a
copy of your safeguarding policy dated 2010.
What does this mean for funding
applicants? Providing some supporting evidence will go a long way to reassure a
funder. So instead of saying something general like “we have robust systems”,
back this with “we have PQASSO level 1” or “our last policy review was
completed by the Board in August 2014 – copies of all policies are on our
website”. This is much more likely to engender trust and will assist the funder
with any spot checking they do need to do.
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