We receive and review applications from charities on a regular basis and over the years we have learnt to make them simple and easy to fill in. For the Weston Charity Awards, for example, we receive over a hundred applications in the space of a couple of weeks and, although I love reading about the amazing work most charities do, I have to admit I find it frustrating at times. You really don’t want to have that effect on the person reading your application! Follow these simple tips and your application will be a breath of fresh air.
1. Read the guidelines, then read them again
It feels silly to say this, but sadly it’s necessary. Words aren’t written down just to bulk things up – they are there to explain what the expectations are. If we say “this award is only for registered charities”, it means this award is only for registered charities. And if we ask for “current year income”, we want to know your income for the current year. Giving us last year’s income is not the right information.
2. Pay attention to grammar and punctuation
This is such a simple thing to get right. A sentence not starting with a capital letter or lacking a full stop at the end creates an immediate impression of a poor-quality application and, therefore, organisation. Long sentences with no punctuation whatsoever just make it harder for your message to get across. If it isn’t your forte (and we do appreciate that), get someone else to proofread it for you – there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by ignoring these basic rules.
3. Take time to find out what you’re applying for
I like to think most organisations are very open and clear about what they’re offering and what they’re looking for. In our case, a simple search on the website would lead you to a case study about charities we’ve worked with, a blogpost about the work we do, or a news article about previous winners of the awards you’re applying for.
Don’t apply for something that isn’t on offer or fail to address a major part of the application.
4. Fill out all the information
Just as we don’t put something in the guidelines just for fun, we don’t have information fields just for the sake of it. We have them because we need that information to make a decision. We are flexible and responsive, so if for some reason you can’t find that info or have put it somewhere else, don’t leave it blank – tell us where it is and why.
5. But don’t feel you have to fill in all the space
As the famous expression says: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” The best applications are and, in our view, will always be those that say what needs to be said to answer the question and leave it there. Putting in more text just confuses the point.
Your application is probably the first impression funders will have of your organisation – take your time to make it right. Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading all those applications and know that yours is not the only one. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to understand your organisation and to want to support your work.