Elgin– Fundraising Seminar – 1 st April 2010 Lesley Macdonald The Robertson Trust

Welcome! l Overview of The Robertson Trust l Background information l Specifics l Helpful hints l Questions

The Robertson Trust The Robertson Trust l Established in 1960’s by 3 sisters living in Berwickshire l Income generated from shares held in The Edrington Group i.e. the whisky industry l Disburses approx £9Mm each year mainly to charities based in or working in Scotland

Who are we? l Small staff team of 7 based in Glasgow l Trustees meet 6 times a year l Want to be approachable and supportive l Happy to talk prior to application l Try to visit in person – not telephone assessment

Priorities l Care - (28%) l Education and Training (16%) l Community Sports and Arts (13%) l Health - (11%)

‘Other’ Categories l Children, Young People & Families (14%) l Communities (8%) l Culture, Heritage and Science (7%) l Environment, Saving Lives, Civil Society, Animal Welfare (3%)

What we don’t fund l Individuals or organisations which are not recognised as charities or whose work does not take place in Scotland l Umbrella groups not providing a direct service l Organisations and projects whose primary object is to provide a counselling, advocacy, advice and/or information service l Projects which are primarily intended to promote political or religious beliefs

Types of donation l Small (revenue up to £5k p.a. and capital up to £10K) l Main (revenue over £5k p.a. and capital between £10 - £100k) l Major Capital (only within our Priority Areas and for £100k +)

Facts & Figures l 767 applications received in 2008/09 l Average of 128 for consideration at each meeting l Committed £9.9m to 497 different charities l 71% success rate

Preparing the Application l Do your research - find funders whose criteria, geographical area and size of donations match yours l Don’t design your project to meet a funders priorities or deadlines l Provide contact details including address and legible signature l Check all applications with committee

Writing the letter ‘do’s’ l Write to a ‘real’ person l Keep it concise and to the point l Follow the headings in the guidelines l Include attachments as requested l Provide fully costed budget l Give details of other funders approached l Get someone not connected with your organisation to read it through

Writing the letter ‘don’ts’ l Overload the application with attachments l Include DVDs/CDs l Woffle/pad out l Use jargon l Repeat yourself l Include lots of research

Financial Information l Revenue – Projected Income and Expenditure Budget l Capital – Expenditure plus future cashflow predictions l Fundraising Plan l Evidence of capacity to manage funding

Annual Accounts l Audited or independently examined l Breakdown of information l Note to accounts to explain anomalies l Level of reserves

What happens to your application? l Checked for basic eligibility and inclusion of key information l Passed to assessment team for a more detailed check l Decision taken on whether or not a visit / telephone call is required l Once all information is gathered a recommendation is written for the Trustees l Challenge meeting between staff to agree recommendations l Trustees final decision

What makes a good assessment visit ? l Arranged for a time when activities are taking place in the premises l Opportunity to meet a range of people including beneficiaries of the service l A quiet place to meet with knowledgeable people to discuss the application l Informal atmosphere

What does an Assessor look for? What does an Assessor look for? l commitment, enthusiasm l activity which shows the potential to make a difference l good planning and evidence of capacity to run proposed activity l evidence of local support l sound financial management l honest appraisal of potential difficulties l sustainability of the project (especially for capital grants)

Are you successful? (+) l Letter of offer – sign and return l Pledge conditions – understand and make a note of l Maintain contact with funders and send relevant updates – good or bad l Send information requested to release payment l Ensure end of grant / year conditions are met

Are you successful? (-) l Often a standard letter to inform you of the decision l Many funders will give feedback if asked - More applications than available funds - Not a strong enough fit with priorities - Our funding unlikely to make a difference - Not convinced that the project will deliver - Poor communication when previously funded l Usually have to wait a year before re-applying

Grant Monitoring l Funders are interested in your work and do read reports – more interested in outcomes than how each £1 has been spent l We are interested in what has worked but also as importantly what hasn’t worked and why l Alert us to significant problems affecting the grant as they occur l Send a report on how the grant has been used at the appropriate time and before requesting further funding

Helpful Hints l A personal approach can make all the difference so do your homework l Encourage visits – it’s easier to say “No” to a piece of paper l Ask for what you want to be funded - not for what you think we might like to fund l Don’t try and hide any problems - be up-front and open l Believe in your work – let your enthusiasm show!

Contact Details Lesley Macdonald The Robertson Trust 85 Berkeley Street Glasgow G3 7DX l l