Nina Arwitz London Environmental Education Forum January 2010 FUNDRAISING: OVERVIEW OF FUNDRAISING CONCEPTS and SAMPLE TEXT FOR A SCHOOL WILDLIFE GARDEN PROJECT OVERVIEW OF FUNDRAISING CONCEPTS Aim In a fundraising context the aim is the overall thing that you want to achieve. There should be only one main aim. To determine what your aim is, think about why you want to do the proposed activity. TIP: When you write your aim, refer to the funder’s specific criteria. Once you have found out what they are looking for, try to match your aim with their priorities and put it in their language. Outcomes
Outcomes are the results that you hope your activity will make; the changes or differences to the people or area involved.
Together, the outcomes will ensure that your overall aim is met.
Outcomes are not what you are going to do in the activity; they are things that will result from it.
Language used to describe outcomes includes words such as: improve, decrease, increase, develop, sustain, enable.
TIP: Link Outcomes to funders’ targets. Many funders identify the outcomes they want to achieve. They want to know how the thing you want them to fund will help them to meet their outcomes. Your outcomes should show how the change you want to achieve is the same (or contributes to) the change they want to achieve. The better you can make the match, the more likely you are to get funding. Outputs The outputs are the things that you are actually going to do in the activity that will lead to your outcomes. They might involve building something, running an event, recruiting volunteers or delivering training. “SMART” Outcomes and Outputs Outcomes and outputs should be what funders sometimes refer to as “SMART.” This stands for:
Specific: who or what will change, how much change or benefit is expected, when will change occur? Measurable: can you measure the outcome/output? Achievable: create a baseline to see where you are starting from, don’t overestimate the probable outcome/output. Realistic: be realistic in the potential achievement.
Nina Arwitz London Environmental Education Forum January 2010 Time Bound: identify timescales for achieving your outcome/output – milestones should be identified.
Nina Arwitz London Environmental Education Forum January 2010 Inputs Sometimes funders ask you to list “inputs,” which means the resources that you need to run the project. It is basically the time and money you spend or “put in” to make it happen. Project Need Funders will often ask you to describe why there is a need for your project. You may find it useful to break it down into categories, such as: National priorities: e.g. Learning Outside the Classroom School priorities: e.g. the National Curriculum Individual priorities: e.g. consultation with students Problems and Solutions Funders often ask this question because they like to see that you have thought through what problems you might encounter. Try to think of all the things that could go wrong, and how you would avoid or address them. Budget It is very difficult to create an accurate budget. Even the most experienced often miss something out. In order to put together your budget you should take the time to think through, ideally together with someone else, and list the things that you will need. Then ask someone else to look through it and see what you missed!
Nina Arwitz London Environmental Education Forum January 2010 SAMPLE TEXT FOR SCHOOL WILDIFE GARDEN PROJECT Aim The aim of our school wildlife garden project is to increase primary school students’ interest in and understanding of wildlife. Outcomes 1. Enable students to grow their own plants 2. Increase students’ understanding of basic wildlife ecology 3. Sustain a long-term interest in wildlife outside the time spent in the garden 4. Develop life-long skills and confidence to grow plants Outputs 1. Build one garden of X square meters in the NW corner of the school grounds 2. Plant X species of plants in the garden during the months of X and X 3. Plan and deliver X planting events with X students from years X and X 4. Deliver X wildlife ecology lessons linked to National Curriculum learning outcome/s X 5. Hold 1 festival celebration for all school students during the month of X Inputs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
X time spent by teacher acting as project leader X time spent by other members of staff assisting with developing garden X time spent by parents helping at garden events and celebration event X time spent by students helping to build and plant the wildlife garden X time preparing resources to deliver class lessons on wildlife ecology Cost and quantities of tools and equipment needed to build garden
Project Need National policy agendas:
The Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has endorsed the importance of outdoor learning through its “Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto” (http://www.lotc.org.uk/). Its vision is “that every young person should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances.”
Nina Arwitz London Environmental Education Forum January 2010
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) launched an “Outdoors for All Diversity Action Plan” in 2008 (http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/countryside/recreation/outdoors.htm). It emphasises young people as one of the groups that is under-represented in terms of access to the countryside. It is important that all young people, regardless of background, have an opportunity to engage with the natural world and develop an interest in the environment.
Food security and the ability of people to grow their own food is becoming an important issue across the country. A recent article in The Times suggests that food shortages are a real threat and that we are losing the skills and ability to grow our own food (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/ article6098277.ece). The Cabinet Office reports that “existing patterns of food production are not fit for a low-carbon, more resource-constrained future”. Teaching children to grow plants will help address these problems, as well as “contribute to better mental health and help participants to be more active, lose weight, and feel more confident” (http://www.foodvision.gov.uk/pages/growingfood).
School needs:
London Schools Environment Award (LSEA): Developing a school wildlife garden will help the school work toward an LSEA. It will provide a formal structure through which to make the most of the garden, as well as providing students with a sense of accomplishment working towards an award.
National Curriculum: The school garden will contribute to learning outcomes X and X in the National Curriculum. By bringing science concepts to life in a new context, it will help to inspire and engage students.
Individual:
Include any quotes from students, if possible, expressing their interest in having wildlife garden – why they want it, what they would do in it, etc.
Include feedback from other teachers, e.g. science teachers, about the value of using a wildlife garden as a teaching resource.
Potential Problems Problem Lack of interest from students Vandalism or lack of care for the garden Failure of any “crops”/plants planted
Solution Ask students what they want; make sure that the garden offers something that is in demand Involve students in the whole process in order to nurture a sense of ownership for the garden; make sure there is one lead member of the teaching staff with overall responsibility for the garden Take expert advice; if there is a failure, use it as part of the lesson and explore reasons for failure with students