Download - Cambridge University Students' Union

students in their union: clubs and societies handbook 2002/3step 1 - your proposalThis needs to be: Presented in a professional manner in order to show that your club or society is credible and professional. The proposal needs to demonstrate that you are capable of carrying out the work you are trying to raise cash forto a good standard.Initially when you are drawing up the written proposal, you need to ask yourself the following questions: What do you want to achieve through this activity, project or event?How are you going to meet these objectives? What evidence do you have to support the need for this activity? What facts and figures can you use to support your case? Has the idea been tried before? With what results? Can you state your case clearly and with conviction? How will you measure the success?step 2 - your funding needsOnce you are clear about what you want to do, the next step is to work out precisely how much it will cost. This costis the amount for which you need to fundraise. Again, you need to spend some time on this to make sure that yourfigures are as accurate as possible.Be aware of underestimating your costs (leaving your club or society out of pocket) or in overstating your costs,which may lead funders to reject your application. In order to give a correct cost get estimates and include all possiblecosts you can think of, such as inflation, equipment replacement costs etc.step 3 - your fundraising strategyOnce you have a written proposal and costings, you are ready to look for sources of funding. The main sources offunding you will have the option of approaching are: Charitable or Statutory funders Companies/organisations providing sponsorshipThere are many ways of raising money and you need to limit your approaches to a few that you can do well, ratherthan spreading your efforts too widely. You need to work out a fund-raising plan that takes account of your: Abilities (do you have experience in this area? Are you a good communicator?)44