Sunday 31 July 2016

Lights, Camera, Action: films for funding

As the saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words” so you would think that images are invaluable to a fundraiser struggling with a restricted word count when applying for funding. But how are pictures within funding bids received? Do they help?

An image could help in the following ways:
-        To engage the reader
-        To help your bid stand out
-        To reassure the funder that you exist and do things
-        To tell the funder something that text can’t

But in my experience they don’t really add anything. When reading applications, my focus is on the words and how the questions are answered. Many charities don’t have the skill needed to capture a story with a single image. And I don’t think many decision-makers would be swayed by a good image anyway.

However, the inclusion of photos can be helpful in capital bids. If you want funding to refurbish a dilapidated building, then a picture can show clearly why you need a new toilet block in ways that a lengthy paragraph can’t. And they do help on your website, which may well be looked at as part of the assessment process. Here images can convey tone, personality and activity.

If you have some budget for photography, a good investment is in short films that demonstrate the difference you make. You can include a link in your bid and they are a great way of having the voice of beneficiaries heard within the application process. I watch lots of these and they are a really useful tool for understanding what exactly an organisation does and who it supports. It is not so much the imagery but the storytelling that matters. With the rise in smart phones and free editing software, videos have never been cheaper or more accessible to make. Research shows that short films work e.g. your crowdfunding campaign is more likely to be successful if it includes a video.

As with any application, it is important to make sure it is good work you are funding and not just good presentation but good communication plays an important role. Both Lankelly Chase Foundation and Paul Hamlyn Foundation have experimented with incorporating video into their application processes. Nominet Trust and the Baring Foundation have included a video pitch in their new Digital Arts & Creative Ageing programme.  I believe this is a trend that is likely to grow. 


Emma Beeston Consultancy advises funders and philanthropists on giving strategies and processes; researching and scoping options; selecting causes and charities; assessments and impact monitoring. www.emmabeeston.co.uk ; emma@emmabeeston.co.uk; emmabeeston01

Wednesday 20 July 2016

How are trusts and foundations like snowflakes?

In the latest BBC documentary series with Brian Cox, Forces of Nature, he explained that snowflakes look similar because they are formed by the same forces but every one is also different as each is formed by travelling a unique path.

Grant makers are the same. There are around 10,000 Trusts and Foundations in the UK alone. Each has different aims, priorities and criteria. They are all similar in that they are trying to make a difference through allocating their resources as best they can. But each is different because of all the choices made along the way.

This weekend I was a guest lecturer on the Cass Business School Charities Masters course as part of the Grantmaking, Philanthropy and Social Investment module (see link). I guided students through just some of the choices needed to create a grant making programme, from the strategic considerations such as: ‘Do you want to help people or change the world?’ to the practical aspects such as: ‘Which assessment methods will you use?’

Each step in the process of creating a coherent grant making programme involves making a decision and the order the decisions are made in matters. For example, if you decide to respond to the needs defined by applicants then it is much more likely that this will dictate an open grant process. For the students, each decision they made created much debate as there are no right answers. The result was that, within the session, the students created grant making programmes that all started from the same point but, two hours later, were all, like the snowflakes, completely different.



Emma Beeston Consultancy advises funders and philanthropists on giving strategies and processes; researching and scoping options; selecting causes and charities; assessments and impact monitoring. www.emmabeeston.co.uk ; emma@emmabeeston.co.uk; emmabeeston01