A tale of two consortia bids – how collaborative fundraising succeeds or fails.
Through two real-life consortia bids, this workshop will examine how we can win funding through better collaboration. The two case studies were led by the same organisation – but had wildly different outcomes. One highlights a partnership that secured successive years of funding; the other detailing one that failed at the initial submission.
Together, we will explore how the difference between success and failure came down to a set of core dynamics that play out across all collaborative fundraising opportunities. You’ll be supported to apply these learnings to your own partnership working, regardless of whether you are leading or subcontracting, from large international programmes to neighbourhood level collaborations.
As funders increasingly expect multi-agency bids for ambitious, systems-level work, how we present the structure, governance risks, management, and choice of partners is the difference between success or failure in consortium fundraising. Grounded in organisational trust theory, this session will work through how to lay the foundations for good strategic partnership fundraising – the right partners, the right roles, and the right structures – and how to position your proposals to address how funders view the risks and opportunities in funding partnerships.
Key topics addressed will include:
- Why choosing the right partners requires strategic and operational expertise
- Finding the right level of governance, contract frameworks, financial structures, and project management tools for your partnership to manage risk without stifling creativity
- How the strongest case for support for your partnership comes from its intrinsic strengths
- Positioning your partnership to meet funder priorities
Learning outcomes
- Identify when to lead, follow, or walk away from a multi-agency opportunity
- Learn to use a diagnostic framework to choose the right governance, contracts, financial processes, and operational systems to help your partnerships and bid development thrive
- Discover ways to engage and persuade funders, assess risks when working with other organisations, and avoid common pitfalls in collaborative bid writing