Fundraising, bid management, project management

Katie Holmes

Services for Charities

About Me

From my earliest experience of volunteering at 14, I realised that making a difference to someone else’s life is one of the most rewarding things you can do. I’ve been working in the voluntary sector since 2002 and enjoy contributing to the positive change that charities and social enterprises achieve. I’m a lifelong volunteer and currently serve as a member of the Institute of Fundraising East Midlands, helping to organise events, managing the finances and delivering fundraising training.

Picture of Katie Holmes Services for Charities Fundraising Consultant Nottingham

Katie Holmes MInstF(Cert)

Small charities and social enterprises have so much positive impact. The organisations that I work with share a number of characteristics:

they are doing good work in their local communities
they work directly with people
they are experts in their field
they value and respect volunteers
they have a holistic strengths-based approach, looking beyond problems and issues to see potential for change
they create a positive, nurturing environment for staff, volunteers and everyone they work with

They are organisations with powerful stories of change to tell.

I choose to work with small organisations because I feel I can make a big difference to organisations with limited capacity.

The organisations I work with tend to have a turnover of less than £500,000. I’m based in Nottingham and work mainly with organisations based in the East Midlands, but also some further afield including Essex and London.

Working with you

Do you have time to think? Is it hard to focus because of the demands on your time?
Have you missed out on fundraising opportunities because you didn’t have the capacity to follow them up?
Do you struggle to complete fundraising applications? Is it difficult to get the budget right?
Would you like to have stronger answers to the questions funders ask?
Would you like to be part of competitive tenders but don’t know where to start?

My semi-structured approach will help you to think through where you are so that you can see things more clearly, make decisions and focus on what matters most.

My experience as a trustee of a small charity, as a Director of a start-up social enterprise, as a partner in a small business and as a volunteer mean that I understand the challenges you face and suggest solutions you may not have thought of.

You will benefit from my knowledge gained from working with dozens of other charities and social enterprises.

By using your strengths and expertise and adding my excellent writing, research and spreadsheet skills, and knowledge of what funders want, we will work together to create the best possible case for support for your work.

My Services

What’s driving change for your organisation?

Are you experiencing a drop in income?

Do you need to respond to local authority commissioning?

Do you want to develop your organisation?

Are you setting up a consortium or partnership?

Are you concerned about future funding?

Whatever the drivers, change is both a challenge and an opportunity.

How can I help you?

I can support your organisation to make the most of the opportunities. This support may be:

Fundraising for specific projects or running costs (unrestricted funds)
Large grant applications (e.g. Big Lottery Fund)
Developing an income generation strategy that will improve long-term sustainability
Competitive tendering – managing the process of putting together bids
Consortium management – independent management to help overcome conflicts of interest and concerns about competition
Setting up, managing, and reporting on projects
Working with trustee boards and committees: strategic planning, finances and governance
Developing your organisation – support to enable you to plan ahead and recruit staff

I aim to become an expert on the organisations with which I work so that I can provide support over the long-term when it’s needed.

Let’s talk!

Client Feedback

Katie supported Safe and Sound at a time of turbulence and challenge. Her knowledge and expertise together with her calmness and balance enabled the charity to progress to a position of stability.

On a personal note as a new CEO Katie helped me on my journey to understand fundraising and bid writing within the world of trusts and grants. Lastly and most importantly she understood more than our business. She understood the reason we do what we do and the difference we can make to the lives of vulnerable young people. Thank you Katie for your support.

Tracy Harrison, CEO, Safe and Sound Group, April 2020

Katie is a very efficient and highly effective individual who added significant value to the charity in the work conducted around funding bids. Katie was able to engage with us to great effect ensuring that our proposition and needs were fully understood before creating funding bids that have already proved to be fruitful. I have no hesitation in recommending Katie to any organisation looking to add value around funding strategies.

Paul Moran, Trustee, Home-Start Erewash, March 2017

Katie has always been an excellent source of knowledge and experience and if unable to assist directly points you in the right direction. Shows a great interest in what the Trust is doing and achieving. Very sound advice.

Richard Teare, CEO, Peter Le Marchant Trust, February 2017

Katie supported my organisation in a recent tender preparation for a significant contract. This support was extremely valuable and I have no doubt contributed to our success. Katie provided clarity, excellent and a rigorously thorough attention to detail. She also brings a wealth of experience in the voluntary sector that allows the details to be set into a wider context.