WVA Virtual Funding Workbook - Section Three

You will now have some written pieces describing what you do, what you want to do, who you work with, who your organisation is etc.  It is worth at this stage, before you package it into a project, just to think about anything that might affect the smooth running of the activities.

Find The Gaps

You may think you have covered all bases, but you are very close to the work that you always can’t see the flaws or challenges and you may have missed something very obvious (we’ve all done it!).  Take some time analysing your activities to see if there are any potential problems with the idea.  Do these problems actually mean it’s not the best plan or is it even going to do more harm than good?  Lots of well meaning projects start up all the time, but the ones that last are the ones that are a good idea and actually make a difference. 

SWOT / PEST

You may have heard of a SWOT / PEST analysis and we have a template for it.  The idea breaks into the following headings and can be thought of in the following ways.

S – strengths – what are the good bits about it, what is the difference you know it will make, this could be very small in the grand scheme but huge to an individual

W – weaknesses – the things that could go wrong, what if no one turns up, what if everyone turns up, what if it rains, what if no one likes it, what if we run out of teabags?

O – opportunities – ways in which the activity or project can grow by helping more people or helping the same people in more ways.

T – threats – what could harm the activities?  What else is going on in the area that could do the same work with the same people?

P – political – what is currently on the political agenda which means that it would be desirable in terms of funding and support? What is also being publicised within the media that would attract people to your service?

E – economic – what is there funding for in the area?  What can you afford to do?  What can people locally pay for? How do you manage the sense of expectation and the sense of entitlement?

S – social – the people involved and the problems they are having based on the experience and opportunities available to them.

T – technological - what equipment / resources (including facilities) do we need to make it happen? Are they hard to find?  Do they cost a lot of money?  Are they specialist?