What I wish I knew before starting out: Insights from the Locality Convention

Local Trust’s project coordinator, Tallulah Robson, shares four key tips from Big Local areas reflecting on their journeys so far, shared at the 2024 Locality Convention. 

This month, the Locality Convention brought together individuals and organisations who believe in the power of community, to share best practice and new approaches in the sector. 

For one of the event sessions, a group of Big Local areas came together to discuss ‘What I Wish I Knew Before Starting Out’ – sharing their successes, mistakes and wisdom.  

The group’s insights highlighted the complexities of building local organisations, from navigating funding sources to recruiting the right people. Four key pieces of advice stood out in particular, as the areas shared their experiences during the session.  

Securing funding takes time, strategy and effort 

Securing funding is important for any community organisation, but it’s far from easy.  

Just because you have effectively spent money in the past doesn’t mean funders will automatically trust you. Big Local areas observed that establishing trust takes time, strategy and effort. Their key recommendations were: 

• Start small: Request smaller amounts first to demonstrate reliability. Prove that your organisation can deliver results. 

• Showcase your impact: Invite funders to events, keep them informed with newsletters and share success stories. Demonstrating the impact of your work builds their confidence. 

• Stay engaged: Attend ‘meet the funder’ events and always be prepared with an elevator pitch. Build in regular touchpoints throughout the year to ensure your organisation remains top of mind. 

• Build on your success: Funders who have supported you once are more likely to do so again. Maintain relationships even after the grant process ends. 

Having a range of financial support options offers greater future stability 

Avoid putting all your eggs in one basket – funders can change their priorities or pull funding unexpectedly. Having a range of financial support options will help you ensure greater stability in the future, so be sure to: 

• Build relationships with multiple funders. 

• Remember, don’t ask, don’t get. Whether it is bid writing or resources, don’t hesitate to ask others for help. They might say yes!  

• Prepare. Keep your records, quotes, and financial reporting up to date. When the time comes to write a bid, you’ll already have all the information you need.

Building a strong team and board is essential 

As organisations grow, so do their needs and finding the right team and board members can make all the difference. As Kathryn Roper, Senior Membership Officer at Locality put it: “Good board members are worth their weight in gold.” 

Get governance training and invest in the board. It will be a life saver!”

Waqas Arshad, Bradley Big Local 

Recruiting new members can be challenging, especially when looking for individuals with specific skills or connections. The group shared several ideas to make the process easier: 

• Shoulder tapping: If you have someone in mind, reach out to them personally, don’t wait for them to come to you. 

• Gateway projects: For those hesitant about committing to join your organisation, invite them to contribute to a smaller, short-term project. It is a way to engage them and spark their interest in a further commitment. 

• Make meetings engaging: Avoid meetings that focus solely on reporting. Keep them fun and inspiring!  

• Implement a manifesto: Establish clear expectations early on with a manifesto. This holds everyone accountable and sets the tone for the organisation.

Writing bids, maintaining accurate records, and chasing funding can be exhausting without the right resources and staff. Investing in a skilled, committed team is essential for growth. 

Keeping positive helps 

Although it can be easy to focus on missed opportunities, try to stay positive. Focus on relationship building and moving forward. 

By focusing on people and passion, you can create opportunities, break barriers / remove borders for your community to profit and thrive through meaningful engagement and success.”

Taz Virdee, Heston West Big Local

Read our fundraising community action plan for more guidance.

If you’re part of the Big Local programme and your partnership is looking for support from Locality, or another Local Trust support partner, please contact support@localtrust.org.uk