Charity Fundraising Ltd: FAQs

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Q: We undertake / intend to undertake charitable work, we have a steering committee which meets, and appropriate structures in place, but we have not yet applied to the Charity Commission for Charitable status; can you help us please?

A: Yes, Charity Fundraising Ltd can work with you towards the achievement of charitable status, including helping you to draft the necessary documentation / submissions. Graham may be able to quote a fixed price for this service.

Q: We believe that many charities also register as a Company Limited by Guarantee, do you recommend this?

A: There are many different structures available for voluntary sector organisations Yes in most cases we would recommend that you also register your charity as a Company Limited by Guarantee, because so long as Trustees act for and on behalf of the organisation in a responsible manner this will substantially limit their personal liability if things should go wrong. We can do most of the work for you if you wish. Graham may be able to quote a fixed price for this service; _graham@charity-fundraising.org.uk_

Q: How much will it cost us to employ the services of a Consultancy such as Charity Fundraising Ltd?

A: We generally charge £400 per day for our services. We believe this to offer excellent value for money; fairly representing the value of our experience and highly competitive in relation to the fees charged by many other consultancies.

Q: Can you work for us on a commission basis?

A: No, Charity Fundraising Ltd only work on a day fee basis and advise trustees / management of charities to avoid commission arrangements with professional fundraisers. Our professional body, the Institute of Fundraising www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk also strongly recommends against commission arrangements, except in exceptional circumstances. ­

- The following extracts from the Institute of Fundraising's codes of fundraising practice demonstrate the main reasons for this:

- Depending on the nature of the fundraising activity and the people involved it can be difficult to establish who is responsible for achieving what income within any given campaign.

- There is wide scope for confusion and dispute on how payments are calculated (i.e. for recurring income, is commission paid only on the first donation?)

- In relation to the sums raised, donors may be misled or disapprove of payment by commission

- In relation to the sums raised, the fundraiser may earn an unacceptable level of remuneration – either too high
or too low

- Payment by commission does not reward commitment or time spent on fundraising; it simply reflects results in terms
of income raised. This promotes a short term approach which may be to the detriment of future fundraising efforts

- Payment for fundraising services on a fee basis respects and rewards the fundraisers’ professional worth
and removes any possible motivation on the part of the individual fundraiser to engage in high pressure techniques
with prospective donors in order to secure additional income to themselves

- Research indicates that the donating public disapproves of commission as a method of remuneration for fundraising activity. Where public disclosure of payment by commission is required, knowledge that commission payment is to be made as part of the appeal process, will, in itself, be likely to have a suppressive effect
on actual fundraising potential.

Q: We have recently gained a considerable grant from a foundation. How do I ensure that when the funding comes to an end, we haven't become too dependent on it, and that the good work generated can continue?

A: We frequently receive pleas for help from charities approaching the end of their only source of funding. Voluntary sector organisations have a responsibility to deliver their objectives, but also to ensure their work will be sustainable and secure into the future.

Grant exit strategies require good planning from the outset, the spreading of risk and appropriate fundraising skills. Put a fundraising plan in place as early as possible and assign someone with the time and resources to implement it. Don't underestimate the time and effort that will be required to achieve continuation funding, it's often far more difficult than the initial start-up grant.

A major funding success represents both opportunity and threat. We advocate spreading the risk by diversifying the range of funders you approach and dont assume that because a funder gave you a grant last time they will continue to fund you in the future. For any organisation, risk goes down as the number of income sources increases. Dont overlook the possibilities of sponsorship or earning income. NCVOs sustainable funding project is an excellent source of further information.

Diligent record keeping of service delivery, including photos, statistics, feedback and evaluation forms, all help to prove that funding the continuation of the project is worthwhile.

Q: As trustees of a small charity we seek to appoint a fundraising consultant, your recent news items displayed on your website are most impressive, ie; over £1,000,000 (one million pounds) raised in four bids for Healthcare, Aids prevention and Education in Africa,-- £372,004 from a Reaching Communities Big Lottery bid for autism.west midlands, etc - but can you help a small charity?

A: We do also achieve numerous small successes on an ongoing basis for our clients however we only show major successes on our website news. Please make contact via the 'Contact us' button on the website or phone the Charity Fundraising Head Office on 01394 610581 to discuss all options. If you are from a small organisation and the cost of fundraising consultancy is prohibitive then our 'Finding Funding' training day at £130 including VAT and lunch could prove the best investment your charity has ever made.

Q: As a small group of people concerned about the environment and global warming we wish to appoint a fundraising consultant to help us establish a recycling initiative as a properly constituted Social Enterprise and exemplar project capable of replication. Can you help?

A: Please speak to Peter See (tel 01394 610581) Senior Fundraising Consultant and Manager of our Social Enterprise Service; a SFEDI - assessed Business Advisor, Peter has previously developed a regional business advice and support network for social enterprises. Charity Fundraising Ltd can help you identify the detailed processes required to help you to ensure the service will be successful. We can, for example help with business plans, feasibility studies, operational reviews, development strategies and fundraising strategy including the drafting of applications for funding. For further information on help for social enterprises, please refer to our Social Enterprise page.

Q: I am Chair of a charity working towards the rehabilitation of offenders, our attempts at raising funds are diverting us from the real work of the charity and we do not have sufficient time to draft major bid processes, do we need a fundraising consultant?

A: The founder / Director of Charity Fundraising Ltd, Graham Parker, has worked for over forty years with offenders, ex offenders and those at risk of offending; this included 25 years in the Governor Grade of the Prison Service. Graham also founded a Charity, a Young People's Project and Training organisation with similar Objects to those of your charity. We specialise in the drafting of major bids, these can be extremely time consuming but raise the major sums, please see our news items for examples of recent major successes.

Q: With regard to funding application processes what is your success rate?

A: While we cannot make guarantees of success, we generally bring in income for our clients at a level of several times the fees that we charge. Our best result to date has been 100 times our fees. We aim to ensure good value by only working for clients at a level that is appropriate and affordable to their organisation. Working with Charity Fundraising also offers additional intangible benefits such as developing management and fundraising skills and procedures in house and supporting long term strategy development. Fundraising is becoming increasingly competitive but our knowledge and experience built up over many years enables us to give your campaign the best possible chance of success.