Lime Green Consulting

👋 Lots of new followers and mailing list subscribers recently - a big hello to you all. We help charities to be more strategic, become more sustainable and access more funding 💚 We do this by providing a mix of strategic consultancy, workshop facilitation, hands-on fundraising support and training. But that's not all - we also publish a monthly blog, we have a fundraising podcast and we've produced a set of fundraising helpsheets. All these resources are free to access, if you're on our mailing list (we rarely send more than a couple of emails per month). If you're not already subscribed, you can do so here: https://lnkd.in/gijezN79 We also post here a few times per week to share our back catalogue of blogs, free resources and other news.

We're getting excited already about some of the fantastic organisations and projects we'll be working with in January. Let the countdown begin! 🎇 We hope that 2025 brings with it a year full of progress for the social impact sector. Paused grant funders, we've got our eyes on you...👀 Happy New Year!

Some of our team had the rare opportunity to gather in person for a little Christmas celebration last week 🍋🟩🥳 Living in different places and with clients based all over the country means that this was extra special! From all of us, a very Merry Christmas! 🎄 We hope that you all take some time to rest and recharge, whatever your plans this season 💚 Mike Zywina, Rachel Cross, Ruth Richardson and Ally Rea 🍋🟩

We've found ourselves saying 'see you next year' a lot this week as many of our Lime Green team and clients started to wind down and take a break over the festive period. This naturally got us thinking over what a year it's been...there's no denying that it's been an enormously tough one for the social impact sector. Yet, it has been a wonderful privilege to have been able to work with and equip so many organisations who are putting their all into making their corner of the world a better place. Thank you for trusting us 💚 It's time to press pause for a while, but in 2025, we will be back with renewed energy to go again! For those of you still beavering away over the next two weeks, please do delve into the host of free content and blogs we have on our website to support your fundraising efforts 💚

Festive fundraising flop? Don't despair! 🎅 The December frenzy puts an enormous amount of pressure on fundraising teams. Whether you're feeling elated or deflated by your Christmas fundraising progress so far, we can imagine that, either way, you're probably feeling pretty worn out. In our latest and final blog post of 2024, our Trusts Fundraising Consultant, Rachel Cross, shares seven reasons why all it not lost if your festive fundraising push hasn't quite reaped the success you'd hoped for 💚 Read the blog 👉 https://lnkd.in/dNsJYXgC

Most new strategies don't achieve much, because the focus is on creating a document, rather than creating a space for conversations and decisions. This puts the emphasis on writing, recording, documenting. A largely solitary act that almost never, in isolation, embeds new thinking and ideas. As a result, most strategies end up on the shared drive equivalent of a dusty old shelf - a forgotten tome that nobody feels motivated to read. But a new strategy should be about talking, debating, collaborating. Giving people the space and permission to share their vision, ideas, aspirations and concerns, and debate complex challenges and competing priorities. It's a messy process where people gradually build clarity, confidence and understanding, even if they don't always agree with the ultimate outcomes. Yes, there'll be some writing to do, but a long way down the path. And if you've done the collaborative part well, you'll simply be communicating the change that has already started to happen. If you're planning a new strategy in 2025 and think we could help, give us a shout 📢

At this time of year when time is of the essence, it can be easy to overlook important, yet mundane and time-consuming tasks, like proofreading. Clare Tarling MBA's post gives some excellent tips to help ensure you're not dropping any balls (or baubles!) when it comes to the quality of your written work.

"Where are the people you support?" I spend a lot of time reading draft funding proposals - and too often find myself asking this question. Often the proposal is beautifully written, with a well-evidenced need, a clear list of outcomes, and a convincing summary of the organisation's work. But the service users / beneficiaries are hiding in the background. There aren't enough quotes, stories, photos - or the ones used are too generic, out of date, or hidden deep in the document. This stuff needs to be there, and it needs to be on page 1. It has to jump off the page, and establish that human connection from the very start. This has always been important. But with the number of applications piling up in funders' inboxes, you need to take every opportunity to stand out from the crowd. Make sure the people you support are front and centre in every funding proposal. Write this on a post-it and stick it somewhere prominent. Remind your colleagues. Don't let any proposal out the door without checking it. Trust me, it makes the world of difference.

Thinking about working with a trusts fundraising consultant to help achieve your charity's income objectives in the new year? This blog from our archive will help you to ask the right questions before signing any contracts, so that your organisation and your team can get the most value out of a potential project 🤝 https://lnkd.in/eNmryA52

A Fundraiser’s Year #Wrapped 💝 (Honestly I could’ve kept going with these all night…) #Fundraising #Spotify #SpotifyWrapped