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DSC’s Great Giving campaign aims to achieve better funding relationships that support an independent voluntary sector. The campaign originates from our principle of Responsible Giving.
We want to support and help develop good funding practice among those organisations that give to charities and other voluntary organisations.
DSC’s Great Giving campaign aims to achieve better funding relationships between charities and their funders.
We want to support and help develop good funding practice among those organisations which give to charities and other voluntary organisations.
The campaign originates from our principle of Responsible Giving.
Our campaign has four themes, which are supported by DSC research.
We want to achieve:
1. A clear picture of the funding environment
We believe that funders have a responsibility to understand the environment they are operating in. At present there is not sufficient information about where money is going and what it is supporting.
Providing a clearer picture will enable better planning and decision-making from funders and policymakers, as well as contributing to the growing body of knowledge about the sector.
Our first Funders’ Almanac highlighted some key gaps in available information and data. Future editions will build on what we have already done and seek to fill in some of the gaps we have identified. We will share results with key funders and drive debate on the implications of the research.
Work on the next Funders’ Almanac is underway and it will be published in early 2013.
2. Accessible funding for campaigning
Financial support for campaigning is vital to the role organisations play in achieving social change. Our research report Funding for Sustainable Change [pdf document] illustrates a lack of clarity from grant-making trusts about whether they will fund campaigning activity.
In undertaking future research for our fundraising publications and websites, we will clearly identify funders that support campaigning, and will encourage funders to specify how they provide this support. We will also host discussions with major funders to identify the issues surrounding the support of campaigning.
For more information on the Funding for Sustainable Change see the icon on the right of this page.
3. An end to hidden small print
Our Critical Conditions report examines the transparency of the terms and conditions that govern grant funding. It concludes that despite some good examples terms and conditions are too often not available at the application stage, especially where government funders are concerned.
We are asking all funders to provide all information that governs the use of funds at the point of application, and to be open to negotiating terms when applicants request it. Details of the availability of terms and conditions will be integrated in to the ongoing research process for our funding publications and websites.
For more information on Critical Conditions (full report) see the icon on the right of this page.
4. No ineligible applications
DSC research indicates that over one-third of applications to grantmaking charities are ineligible – meaning they do not fall within the funder’s stated guidelines and criteria. This is a huge waste of resources for funders and applicants; if each application took ten minutes, that adds up to nearly seven years of wasted effort each year.
Clearer guidelines from funders can help, but applicants also need to take more heed of funder guidelines and target applications appropriately. Our Ineligible Applications report (pdf document) contains research findings and recommendations for how funders and fundraisers can reduce ineligible applications.
For more information on Ineligible Applications see the icon on the right of this page.