francis feeley fundraising services

Technical writers to the voluntary and community sector

Are you in the UK Voluntary and Community Sector and looking for

" Somebody to . . . "

  •  Help you put your planned activity onto paper
  • Undertake a research project or project evaluation
  •  Shortlist a pile of grant applications
  • Write a tender document or annual report
  • Fill in those thick forms
  • Cover for a sick bid writer at short notice

francis feeley fundraising services

We provide targeted technical writing services for voluntary and community sector organisations both large and small.

We will carry out any task relating to the sector (including staff training) where the eventual outcome is a written document - be it a report, completed forms or even a process manual for fund distribution.

Our Clients:

  • Customers seeking one off funding of £150,000 or over (£16M is the largest target to date) often on a building related or European funded project. These clients need research and copy writing skills to assemble their business plan.
  • Development agencies seeking to deliver outputs relating to support for voluntary and community sector organisations.
  • Anybody with a huge pile of paper they haven't time to read and make sense of and/or distil into manageable form.
  • Groups wishing to fill out complex forms for European or other funders.
  • Funded projects committed to an independent evaluation.
  • Freepost postal return surveys or community consultation exercises
  • Many smaller clients opt to employ us for a few hours as final proof-readers and independent checkers of their work prior to dispatch - thus cutting their costs to the bare minimum.

 

 The team

Francis Feeley BA Hons. (OU), Cert. Ed., M I of F, G4MRB

Francis has worked in and for voluntary sector organisations since at the age of 14 he lifted his first bag of jumble onto a PDSA collecting van. He is a member of the Institute of Fundraising and trained in organisational development and psychology. He has a history of work, involving buildings, building management and organisational development. He has started a number of charitable ventures including a talking newspaper for the blind and a support service for the siblings of children with cerebral palsy.  

He helped in the design of the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, before entering teaching, from which he retired early in 1990 as the Senior Master of a large Residential Special School. Then he served as a full-time volunteer for 5 years at the Merlin Theatre, Sheffield, where he undertook the role of fundraiser.

 He left to launch francis feeley consultancy in April 1995 and on 1st January 2003 changed the name to "fundraising services" to reflect the successful activity of the previous seven years which increasingly developed into the production of the various forms of written documents which are so critical to the smooth operation of the voluntary and community sector.

 Diz Feeley BA (OU), G6DIZ

 Diz is also well versed in the voluntary sector, having been treasurer and bursar to many organisations. She is a trained sociologist and contributes to the survey work of the consultancy both in the devising of questionnaires and the number crunching. She has a history of running organisations with a strong training element and has a technical background. She provides the administrative and bookkeeping background to the service. She also served as a full-time volunteer at the Merlin Theatre, which she left in 1996 to join Francis as the service grew.

 Terms of trade

We have a strict time-related payment structure - but are very cost effective. All contracts are priced individually and a fee is agreed prior to starting. We prefer to work close to our base in South Yorkshire and work involving significant travel will reflect this in the price.

Our experience indicates that a discussion with us may surprise the client. Because of our long experience in this area and a refined library of standard text and business planning templates we can deliver in hours work that others may take weeks to undertake.

Bookings are now being taken for work in spring 2004.

We are currently quoting an indicative £250 per 7 hour day with no VAT but inclusive of most costs.

We work on at need basis for established clients for periods of as little as one hour per month on strict 30 day terms.

We do not work on commission and refuse all offers of work on that basis.

We do not tender.

Contact details

To talk about your project simply -

Ring +44 (0) 114 249 1969

If the voice mail is answering - please leave a short message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

By post:

The Loft, 177 Rock Street, Sheffield S3 9JF

or

FREEPOST SF1545, 177 Rock Street, S3 7ZZ (no stamp required in the UK)

or

Email to help@somebody.to

Last update 26.1.04

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