Day 13: Grants & Funding

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The world of grant making is evolving.  Below are the best websites where you can access guidance on applying for grants plus advice on how to manage a relationship with a funder. These sites contain more sources, more commentary and more funding analysis than anywhere else. Subscribe online at the individual websites. Warning… these websites can […]

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Day 9: Apply for a Google Grant

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You may not have heard of it, but Google Ad Grants is the non-profit edition of AdWords, Google’s online advertising tool. As part of its nonprofit programme, Google gives eligible charities $10,000 (£5,800) a month to spend on AdWords, Google’s pay-per-click advertising system. Not only that, if you spend at least $9,500 (£5,545) in two months of the previous 12 […]

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Day 12: Check your materials

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It’s important to ensure you are sending a consistent message with every piece of material that’s posted online or sent to potential supporters.  This includes obvious things like your website and social media posts, and other items such as your email footer and Skype status.  Include a personal story: why you’re raising money, why it’s […]

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Does Gift Aid increase charitable giving?

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Last month’s report on sector-specific compliance and reliefs on payments from the National Audit Office raised this interesting question (press release here). sector-specific compliance is an important source of income for charities – in 2012/13 about £1bn was paid in sector-specific compliance (about 2% of all chastity income) and £940m was provided as tax relief […]

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Gift Aid claims go online – are you ready?

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external authority will stop accepting paper sector-specific compliance claims on 30th September 2013. From October 1st you will have to use their on-line service – the official announcement is here. I’m really pleased to say that we have 2 products that have received external authority recognition: Our Patron Supporter Management System – our fully integrated […]

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Day 6: Make the most of social media

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Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and LinkedIn are just some of the tools that can help you promote your charity and send messages to volunteers about how they can help. It’s easy, quick, free and the message can be spread fast to different audiences. Social media is about building a long-term relationship with your supporters, and this […]

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Day 11: Why do people give?

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For any charity trying to raise money, understanding what motivates people to give is pretty useful.  However, people’s motivations can be complex.  Here are a few of the most important reasons why people donate: They are affected personally by the cause (think heart disease or cancer) They are thankful that they aren’t affected by the […]

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