Creation of Essential Elements of the Bid or Fund
The Golden Circle
Always think of why (….. you want to do this?); How (…. do you have the capacity and the skills/) and What (…..you need to do). Let’s reference Simon Sinek and the Golden Circle and that key question in life….. Why?
The Golden Circle is a concept developed by Simon Sinek who says, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” According to Sinek, most people communicate by starting with the “what” they do aspect and eventually work their way back to talk about “how” and “why” they do what they do.
If you don’t know/ don’t have the capacity or capability – don’t BS or blag!!! Or if you don’t know who will do it and who you are doing it for. Don’t do it!! Some critics of the Golden circle model suggest that the ‘who’ is even more important! Check this out via the following link: Why Simon Sinek is fundamentally wrong (accessed 19/03/2021)
The Key Stages of the Tender and Bidding Process
- Management of the Process – definitions (clarity). Make sure you are clear about why you are doing it [applying for funding or writing the tender] and make sure you fully understand the guidance.
- Planning and Preparation – essential!
- Collection of Relevant Information/Material – information that supports the tender – as previously identified.
- Drafting the Bid/Tender.
- Evaluating and Editing the Bid/Tender – get a second opinion.
- Re-editing the Tender/Bid – get a second opinion! And ideally someone prepared to proof read!
- Final draft submitted.
Mission Creep
Finally, avoid Mission Creep. You need to know what this is. Don’t just chase the funding but stick to your purpose, your vision and strategic aims.
You don’t want it to happen? Can you think of an example? Check it out:
Burger, E ( 2017). Non profit Mission Creep : What is It? How to Prevent It?
Pitch Deck
A pitch deck is a presentation deck that is used to pitch your idea or company to any number of audiences, generally investors. One of the single most important aspects of an effective pitch deck is to organise it based on the audience and forum to which it is being presented.
A pitch deck, also known as a start-up or investor pitch deck, is a presentation that helps potential investors learn more about your business. As strange as it sounds, the primary goal of a pitch desk is not to secure funding—it’s to make it to the next meeting. Some links to videos are provided below but a pitch deck will contain the following:
- Who are we?
- What do we offer?
- The Problem
- The Solution
- The Timeline
- Case Study
- The Process
- Partners
- Marketing Mix
- The Market (and Segments)
- Finances
- And a really good ending!
A pitch deck is usually a 10-20 slide presentation designed to give a short summary of your company, your business plan and your startup vision. A demo day presentation, for example, should be very visual and contain very little text. It's going to be seen from afar and you're going to do all the talking!
The Essential Elements of a Bid
A: Aim
O: Objectives that are SMART.
N: Need – is your project actually meeting a need?
R: Results – be clear about what you intend to achieve and for whom.
D: Dissemination – how do you make a wider audience aware of your achievements?
I: Impact – who will benefit from your project and how?
E: Exploitation – how can your deliverables/ outputs be developed for future, commercial
use?
S: Sustainability – how do the project results, deliverables extend beyond the period of funding?