Being confident about the language, financial models and governance structures that contribute to successful fundraising will help you make informed decisions about fundraising strategies and targets.
This self-assessment will help you establish whether you are fundraising ready.
Finance training materials
Understanding your finances is the foundation of embarking on any fundraising activity. This e-learning module will guide you in getting to grips with your budget, understanding what you can influence and identifying how to make a difference.
Once you’ve created an account, you can access the modules at any time and work through them at your own pace.
Our financial planning toolkit
You may also find it helpful to look through the Financial Planning toolkit which has been designed to help you understand your finances and your prospects. It is an essential first step to help ensure that you have the right building blocks in place to begin fundraising.
The toolkit covers:
- Key financial concepts, including cost base and full cost recovery
- Assessing the alternatives: what to start and what to stop
- Evaluating the options, including efficiency savings, economies of scale/scope, selling services, and income generation
The guidance features a number of case studies including the shared service at The Keep in East Sussex and the entrepreneurial approach to generating more income in Norfolk Record Office. It also suggests where you can go for more help and signposts onto suggested further reading.
Full cost recovery
In planning projects, organisations need to understand the true costs of their activities, and funders need to recognise these full costs too. To get a better understanding, take time to read our Full Cost Recovery briefing.
You can also use this Full Cost Recovery template to calculate the full costs of a particular project or service in an easy step-by-step process.