‘More fundraising
initiatives fail for lack of realistic potential donors than for any
other reason’ Nick Booth, founding CEO, The Royal Foundation
to your school. If your school has carried out any fundraising in the past, then even a spreadsheet of names and organisations may be a good starting point – people who have given before are far more likely to give again. The type of project you are
fundraising for, how much you need to raise and how quickly will also influence your approach. For example, trusts and foundations have a relatively quick turnaround and may provide more substantial funding to build or upgrade facilities, but this is likely to be a one-off donation. Whereas establishing a regular giving programme, with parents contributing monthly, may be one way of developing an ongoing source of sustainable income for projects at your school. Consider the following when
developing your target audience: n Ask others for help – colleagues, governors and parents will all have their own networks of contacts who may provide good starting points when you are considering who to approach. n Map your school’s networks – who and what organisations do you know, how ‘warm’ are they to the school and how much could they realistically give? n Define your ‘hit’ list – ideas such as ‘banks’ or ‘supermarkets’ work
24 AUTUMN 2022 FundEd
best if you identify a specific person in one such company so that you can develop a fundraising ask tailored to their interests. n Target each approach – there is no singular way to approach all your potential donors. For some, such as trusts and foundations, clear guidance is provided on how you should request support. For others, such as your parents or alumni, you may use a mix of approaches, from regular newsletters and engaging events, to a letter from the headteacher requesting support for a specific project. n Ask the right questions – fundraising is all about building relationships and potential donors are more likely to give if they know and trust you. But it is also an opportunity for you to sound out your target audiences on their interests and what type of project they are most likely to support. n Network through your network – as you start to grow your network,
remember that each of your donors has their own network. Encourage them to support you by sharing and ideally introducing you to their own connections. Not only will this accelerate how quickly your network grows, but such personal introductions are more likely to lead to positive fundraising results too. n Consider your longer-term vision, as well as the here and now – while you might prioritise approaching a particular audience to support an immediate project, it’s also worth thinking about building relationships with other audiences now to achieve your vision for the future. Remember this is about incrementally building a community of givers over several years.
The Institute for Development Professionals in Education offers a free toolkit for state schools, in partnership with the Wolfson Foundation. See
idpe.org.uk/#state schoolfundraisingtoolkit
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