Get their name right!
The devil's in the detail...
Welcome to the Nest Egg!
Whether you’ve been reading our stuff since 2019, or are new here - you are welcome!
Today’s article…
…is super short so espressos at the ready! It’s written by Caroline and was inspired by listening to Adrian Edmonson on Desert Island Discs.
He was as entertaining as you'd expect - a gripping storyteller who brought his reminisces to life so vividly I felt like I was there (not always a good thing when he was describing his difficult childhood).
What jarred like hell was Lauren Laverne getting his name wrong not once but twice!
Oh my days - cringe....
When someone is opening up and getting emotional about the loss of a dear friend, getting their name wrong is not cool (and he was more gracious than I and didn't say anything).
Same goes for fundraising. Don't ruin your ask by getting their name wrong. It's easily done and yet easily avoided at the same time.
Let’s get into it (also, go and listen to the episode with Ade cos it was joyful)…
Get their name right!
by Caroline Danks
I’ve been thinking recently about trust fundraising and attention to detail.
Have you ever applied to the Hedley Foundation?
What about the Hedley Foundation?
Or the Headley Charitable Trust?
Or is it the Headley Trust?
ARGH!
I think you can see where I’m going with this…
In a world where 1 in 12 cold applications are successful and where a small, local foundation receives up to SIXTY applications in a day, trustees are through sheer necessity looking for ANY excuse to eliminate applicants from the process.
They don’t want to reject people, of course not. But the reality is that the phrase ‘drowning in paperwork’ is no longer an exaggeration. Many trusts and foundations are small, family run charities, administered from home by volunteers. They’re struggling to keep up.
Don’t make it easy for them to reject you
Those I’ve spoken to are finding it harder and harder to make decisions about who to fund, not only in the light of an increased number of applications overall, but also, in the professionalisation of the sector, meaning that more applications are fitting their guidelines and a higher percentage of charities are actually doing their research in advance (though plenty of charities are unfortunately still throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks).
So this is a gentle reminder to double check the names of the funders to whom you’re applying.
Use their websites and or the accounts which you’ve downloaded from the Charity Commission.
Take care over your applications. Don’t rush through them because year end is coming and you still have a shortfall to fulfil (throwing spaghetti at the wall really isn’t a valid or valuable fundraising strategy).
It would be awful for the incredible work of your charity to be immediately discounted because of an unnecessary error.