How funders get Funder Plus wrong (and how to avoid it)

With rising demand, limited funding, and growing pressure to prove impact, Funder Plus has become a strategic necessity by pairing grants with capacity-building support that strengthens charities’ infrastructure, increases long-term effectiveness, and delivers greater value for funders without adding administrative burden.

Let’s be honest: not all Funder Plus schemes are created equal. I’ve seen some beautifully simple, high-impact programmes – and I’ve seen others that tie grantees (and funders) in knots.

Two pitfalls come up again and again.

1. Being too directive

A common trap is deciding in advance what every grantee “needs”: “Everyone must attend this leadership programme” or “All organisations will get governance training first, then fundraising.” Sometimes that works. More often, it lands awkwardly because the real needs are more varied and nuanced.

The intention is good: you want to be strategic, targeted, measurable. But somewhere along the way, the “support offer” becomes an 18-date training programme, asking grantees to give up huge swathes of time on pre-determined dates in a way that just doesn’t fit in with their work or needs. Bookings are high, but attendance and engagement is low as the reality of the time commitment bites.

The most successful programmes we’ve run at DSC have been the most flexible. For example, a bursary model where each grantee gets a fixed pot (say £1,000–£5,000) to spend on any DSC support – courses, conferences, Funds Online, publications – within an agreed timeframe. We issue access codes, manage all the bookings and queries, and report back on what’s been used and the impact it’s had. One clear email, one code, lots of value -and most importantly, accessible as and when the grant holder needs it.

2. Underestimating the internal resource needed

Designing, running and tracking a Funder Plus programme in-house can be a big lift – especially if you’re a small team already juggling applications, assessments and reporting. I’ve seen well-intentioned schemes grind to a halt because nobody had the time to do the chasing, coordination and impact gathering.

This is exactly where working with an external partner like DSC makes the difference. We already have over 200 courses, 80+ publications, 12 annual conferences and tools like Funds Online ready to go. We can segment support by grant stage, cause area or geography, manage all the logistics, and give you clear summaries for trustees – without adding to your staff workload.

The funders who get Funder Plus right aren’t necessarily spending more. They’re keeping it simple, trusting their grantees, and using specialist partners so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

If you’re planning or reviewing a Funder Plus scheme, there are practical examples and options on DSC’s Funder Hub here.

I’m always happy to talk through what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in real-life programmes – feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or email me on [email protected].