Whether you are going to apply for grants, contracts, loans, social investment, sponsorship or ask for donations, make sure you have the following in place:

• Be clear about the problem or issue you want to solve.

• Will enough people use your service or product - is there a need, demand, or market?

• The change or difference you want to make (sometimes called outcomes) and what you will do – services/goods/activities.

• You have the right skills and abilities to run the enterprise or project, including planning, managing money, people & places.

• The organisation or enterprise has the right legal structure & that the directors/ trustees understand the governing document (set of rules) , roles & responsibilities.

• Budget: How much money you will need for example, for staff, volunteer expenses, activity costs, bills, equipment, insurances.

• You have the right policies and procedures in place e.g., Safeguarding, Health and safety, Equal Opportunity, Volunteering, Employees, GDPR - keeping personal information safe and secure.

• What information you will collect about who is using your services - monitoring; how you will check how well the service or product is doing – evaluation.

Please contact us if you need more information or advice