Insights & Ideas
Our library of strategies and resources to elevate your business strategy and funding tactics.
Why do I need a Digital Strategy?
Today more than ever, we rely on technology to help us research, find, and source the things we need. This has been further fuelled by a global pandemic. Did you know that during Covid, 9 in 10 Australian businesses embraced new technologies to support their long term...
COLLIE FUTURES FUND (CFF)
Fund overview The Government of WA has established the Collie Futures Fund, a $20 million initiative to support the growth of jobs for the Collie region. This fund supports the development and diversification of the local economy by supporting job and industry...
Quick Guide to Value-Add Investment Grants (VAIG)
Everything you need to know about the VAIG Fund Many of our clients in the agriculture, food and beverage space have exciting projects on the drawing board and are keen for funding to support them. The Value Add Investment Grant is a great opportunity for any business...
Can I get grant funding as a new business?
Chasing funds for your exciting new business venture? There are plenty of options out there - unfortunately grant funding is rarely one of them. But wait - shouldnât the government be supporting startups? Absolutely! There is support available - just not through the...
Case Study: Strategy Client (with confetti)
Why confetti? Well, it's a lot better than getting glitter everywhere, that's for sure. But also, we're sharing a client case study today about the super-savvy team at Confetti and Co. Established for over 12 years, Sarah and Holly are a rarity in the wedding...
Are you stuck or struggling in your business?
Over the years, we've had the privilege of working with a wide range of different businesses. Some have been operating for a year or two, others for several decades, and then everything in between. But they all have something in common: they realised they were...
4 key questions to ask to avoid a comms disaster
It's easy to be focused on delivering - whether you're in government or the not-for-profit space. But it's important to communicate about the difference you're making if you want to stay relevant to the people who mean most to your organisation...
Should you be stalking your competitors?
Hands up if you are a stalker? Not in a 'getting arrested' way. In a healthy awareness of what's happening in your industry way. We're not suggesting you should be copying your competition - far from it in fact! If you don't know what the competition is...
What stage is your business at?
And how do you move forward? Been in business for a while? Wondering where your business sits in terms of development? Perhaps you are feeling stuck and want to break through to a new stage but aren't sure how? There are many models of business development. We've...
Revisiting your Vision and Mission
Do you know what your business' vision and mission are? Can you effortlessly share what you're all about? Or are they something that you came up with in a strategic planning session years ago that you occasionally dust off to re-write into a grant application? Your...
Grant Rejection – The Silver Lining
Whether you write your grant application yourself, or you pay a professional to do it for you, itâs quite possible your application will be rejected. In fact, itâs inevitable that if you are regularly applying for grant, you'll receive a rejection. In many cases,...
Writing a Bankable Business Case
If youâre a business, at some point, you may need to write a business case. This is particularly true if youâre seeking financial support.  Definition Unlike a business plan, which is an operational roadmap for your business, a business case is used to secure funding...
Grant Writing: Does your pitch get to the point?
Does grant writing seem like a daunting and time-consuming task? The reality is, most businesses and organisations today are time-poor. At the end of the day, they just want to get the questions answered adequately so they can meet their grant deadline. Writing may...
What is a Grant?
If you work for a not-for-profit or community organisation, your role may involve dealing with grants, or grant writing. At the very least, your organisation is probably impacted by grants (or a lack of!). And if you're in business, you might hear a lot of talk of...
SWOT vs TOWS Analysis
When we're working on a business concept with clients, looking at the project from all angles is vital to ensure we create a solution that is robust and workable. Recently we've had a few clients come to us super prepared (we love that!) and they had all...
What do you need to be grant ready?
Things have been pretty crazy for the last six months or so. For us, the last couple of months have been particularly busy with clients needing help with grant applications. There are a lot of funding opportunities starting to emerge as governments try to mitigate the...
Grants for businesses
Under normal circumstances, grant funding for small businesses is pretty rare. Most government funds are diverted into services like the Small Business Development Corporation, firstly because the government knows the best 'bang for buck' is in support services for...
Planning for Community Engagement
When you are consulting with your community and other stakeholders, things can go really right or really wrong. Planning how you go about the consultation is key. If youâre planning a consultation, here are a few critical things to consider: Who are you inviting to be...
Gamification to Increase Engagement
When planning for a community engagement process, there are numerous methods you can use to increase levels of community engagement. One broad area, that you've likely experienced yourself without even realising, is gamification. What's that you say? Is that even a...
Government funding: being prepared and proactive
When it comes to government funding, don't believe the old saying, 'Good things come to those who wait'. Because right now, being prepared and proactive will give you the best chance of securing funding for your project. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been...
Inputs, Outputs and Project Outcomes
Back in the day, when I was assessing grant applications rather than writing them for our clients, I often saw applications that devoted too much time to things the assessors didn't care that much about. Grants typically pay for inputs. That might be wages,...
Engaging with Strategic Stakeholders
When organisations think about stakeholder engagement, sometimes the focus is all about the local level. This is definitely important because community engagement is key to project success. But another level of engagement to consider is how you are connecting with...
Why be grant ready?
We get it, you have tonnes of work to do just to keep things running. You are busy. So why is it worth making the effort to be grant ready? Instead of being reactive and scrambling to respond to grant applications as they emerge, youâre in control. You have a clearly...
The Goldilocks Approach to Your Grant Budget
Itâs not often you can reference a fairy tale when talking about project planning and grant writing. But today's topic features Goldilocks. When it comes to creating your grant budget, think Goldilocks â not too much, not too little, just right. You want to have...
How much does it cost to engage a grant writer?
Here's a question we hear often: How much does it actually cost to engage a grant writer? Well, that depends! Things that would influence the price include: How complicated is the application process? How ready your organisation is to apply. Have you completed a...
Remote working for small teams
Deviating from our usual focus on content about planning projects and sourcing funding, the current challenges presented by COVID-19 have prompted me to take some time to reflect on our strategies for remote working for small teams. We are a small team that all work...
How Project Planning Can Help You Win Funding
This might sound boring and obvious, but investing in thorough project planning sets your organisation up for success when the time comes to apply for grants. Many organisations leap into project planning mode when a grant fund opens. Unfortunately, most of...
Embrace your leadership potential
Embrace the fact that you are a leader. We believe that everyone is a leader, each leading in their own unique way. Donât be shy about it or discount your leadership potential. Leading is not necessarily tied to being a boss, sitting on a board, or acting in some...
What is an Ideal Client Avatar and why should you have one?
Have you ever thought about who your Ideal Client is? If your answer to that question is, âanyone who wants to buy from meâ, then you are most likely limiting the effectiveness of your marketing and content, and maybe even your services and/or products. If you try to...
Being Tender Ready
Let's talk quotes and tenders. If you're a service provider who regularly has the opportunity to respond to requests for quote and tenders, which describes your approach? Option A - Mad panic desperately pulling together all the information you need, often ending in a...
What’s the difference between community engagement and communication?
We often work with non-profit organisations and local governments on community engagement projects. Occasionally it raises an interesting question - what's the difference between community engagement and communication? Many smaller local governments team up their...
Using Structure to Streamline Your Project
So, youâve applied for and secured funding for your project, hurrah! Hopefully this means you are clear on your project objectives, timeline, stakeholders and desired outcome. From here, the success of the project will rely on implementing effective structures to...
Evaluation Series: Method Selection
We're in the final post in our evaluation series where we'll focus on evaluation method selection (along with ideas on different methods to use). In our previous posts, we've covered the basics of project evaluation and how to plan for an evaluation process. Method...
Evaluation Series: Process Planning
In the first post in the series, we covered the basics of project evaluation, exploring what it is and why you'd want to undertake it, along with the principles underpinning authentic evaluation. Now, we'll look at effective evaluation process planning. Identify...
Evaluation Series: Project Evaluation Basics
Project evaluation is as complicated (or simple) as you want it to be. In this series, we'll walk you through the basics of project evaluation, advise how to plan for the process, and finally explore methods for evaluation and how to select the right options for your...
Being Grant Ready
If you're a not-for-profit, or really any organisation that might rely, even in part, on grants to get projects off the ground, they are probably a hot topic. Maybe even a source of constant frustration, depending on where you stand. I talk to lots of people about...
Get better value from your next consulting project
If youâre going to engage a consultant, you want to get good value, so donât leave it to chance. Here are our top four strategies to get better value from your next consulting project. #1 Get familiar with the marketplace Think about when you are buying something for...
Funding for Operations
Where can I find a grant to fund our operations? In short, you probably can't. In today's grant-making environment, it is extremely difficult to find funding to support the ongoing operations of an organisation. This really is a 'unicorn' grant and most commonly you'd...
What is a Business Case?
If your organisation relies on funding, such as grants, to turn projects into a reality, then most likely you will need to become proficient at producing a business case. So just what is a business case? Business cases are generally required for large scale projects...
Should I change my business to a not-for-profit?
'Should I change my business to a not-for-profit?' This is a question I see a lot in business groups on Facebook. The first answer is 'Ask your accountant.' And the second answer is 'Probably not.' Most people are attracted to the idea of converting to a...
Does our not-for-profit need a business plan?
If your business is not-for-profit, what is the point of having a business plan? This is a question (or complaint!) we hear a lot. Perhaps as a non-profit, you are obliged to have a business plan, whether it be to apply for funds or as a requirement from your...
Using Experience to Drive Donations
Not-for-profits touch many lives and undoubtedly your intended audience truly appreciate what you do. But it can be a difficult situation to raise funds in, because often those who use the service are not the ones that can (or should) fund it. However, using...
Alternatives to Asking for Donations
Not-for-profits all over Australia do amazing and important work. But thereâs no doubt it can be tough to continually find the resources to keep operating, let alone improving. Funding is often the number one concern in this sector, but there are alternatives to...
Community Engagement: Giving Away Control to Get Results
What is community engagement? I mean, what is it really and what it can achieve? Communications, public relations even sales⌠none of these things are community engagement. Some of them are the positive flow-on effects from good community engagement but they should...
Five Strategies to Get Noticed by Funders
If youâre involved with a not-for-profit, you probably regularly think âWe need some funds!â Attracting funding is increasingly competitive and standing out from the crowd is important if you want to have the edge. So, how do you get noticed amongst all the other...
Five Hot Tips to Get Traction on Your Big Project
When you're involved with a community organisation, it can be hard to get momentum on a big project. So what are the keys to getting moving and turning your group's idea into a reality? Here are our five top tips for moving from chatter around the clubroom to action....
Seven Common Project Funding Mistakes
Do you have a key project your organisation is trying to get up and going but youâre just not getting traction with government departments or other funders? It can be incredibly frustrating to put a whole lot of effort into a project proposal, only to see it flounder...
Busting Five NFP Myths That Are Hurting Your Sustainability
Sustainability is a bit of a buzzword at the moment in the not-for-profit (NFP) sector, but what does it actually look like on a practical level? Letâs look at five common myths about pricing services in NFPs - myths that are hurting your sustainability.  We'll look...