Radio calling…

Earlier this year, we ran our first workshop for people in the media, bringing our tried and tested fundraising session to those working in radio.

This bespoke request came through our previous work with Creative Lives (used to be Voluntary Arts) as well as connections in Coventry through City of Culture. Sound of Cov could see the need in the sector re raising additional funds, as well as the potential of up-skilling people around seeking grants and diversifying their funding.

We have been running a successful introduction to bidwriting workshop for organisations in the arts and voluntary sector for over ten years. These versions of the original workshops were suitable for individuals and organisations in helping them to achieve successful funding applications; looking at different sources of income; unpacking the writing process; and hearing tips and the latest insights and trends.

What has developed over the last 10 years is seeing, especially now, how essential fundraising is for sustainability and the future of many sectors, including the media.

This was our first face-to-face since workshop since Covid: the last time we delivered this session was with undergraduates and post grads at University of Bristol just before lockdown in March 2020.

“The workshop was AH-mazing! Laura’s style of teaching was simple, effective and I now fully understand the process of fundraising.” Workshop Attendee

So what does a fundraising/bidwriting workshop cover, and could it work for other sectors/networks and cluster groups?

We have a whole range of workshops available as downloads/on-demand, or live - be that online/on a zoom, or face-to-face/in a room. These include:

INTRODUCTION TO BUDGETING (3hr/ half day workshop) A companion to the ever-popular fundraising workshop, this one goes through the basics of budgeting, inc key terms, what to include in your income/expenditure headings, why showing your workings helps explain how you will deliver a realistic project. 

 *NEW* INTERMEDIATE FUNDRAISING SKILLS (3 hour/half day session) This workshop will help you to understand the fit between your need and the potential opportunities for support - through research, and prospecting. Includes advanced writing tools and tips, how to ensure your budget and other attachments support the application narrative, what it's like to work for a funder, and the value of genuine partnership building and joint bidding

*NEW* DEVELOPING A FUNDRAISING STRATEGY (3 hour/half day session) This session supports you to take a 3-5 year view of where you are now and where you want to be. Including: the role leadership and strategic planning within developing a fundraising strategy, what a case for support is and how to go about creating one, and the research/prospecting that might be needed to find new avenues of support. Also includes a case study.

*NEW* DIVERSIFYING YOUR FUNDING STREAMS (3 hour/half day session) This workshop helps to ease your overreliance on arts and cultural funding by thinking through diversifying your income and fundraising streams. Includes how to configure a more diverse funding mix matched to whatever you need the funding for, the options that genuine partnership working might open up, introductions to some free/paid for resources to support this (eg searchable databases, info/signposting). 

Have a look at our Support & Develop page or contact us for further ideas on how we can support you/your sector.