I have just finished a phone call with a potential donor.
No deal was done and no funding promised. In fact, we agreed that the best option would be to talk again in a few months, at which point we may get as far as me submitting an outline application. Of course, it would have been wonderful if a cheque had dropped into my letterbox as a result of this one call, but that was always going to be unlikely.
Many clients I speak to have great projects and are understandably impatient to get the funding in place to get then underway. However, funders often operate on different time frames and it can typically take many months of work and relationship building before they will even formally consider supporting your work, no matter how good it is. Indeed, as a general rule of thumb, the larger the amount you are seeking, the longer it can take between initial contact and receipt of a donation or grant.
This can be tough, particularly for smaller organisations, where it can often feel like you are living ‘hand to mouth’. Realistic planning, particularly for fundraising, is therefore vital to help you to manage cash-flow, projects and funding.
Whilst there are never any guarantees in the world of seeking funds, there is plenty of experience around that can help you to plan ahead and begin to plot what funds you may expect to receive and when as a result of your fundraising activities. If this is something that would be useful for your organisation, please feel free to contact me to see if I could help