Fundraising Consultant – AIM

Invitation to Tender – AIM Fundraising Strategy  

Introduction  

The Association of Independent Museums is a thriving UK museum membership organisation with over 1000 museum members, helping heritage organisations to operate as effective charitable businesses. We represent a wide range from some of the largest attractions in the country to small, grassroots heritage organisations across a huge range of subject areas and localities.  

Background 

Partnerships with external funders have always been important to AIM. Restricted funds from third party funders comprise around 50% of total income. They provide core funding for AIM, for example as an ACE IPSO, as well as funding for grant streams and support programmes for our members. We have some long standing partnership relationships, for example with Pilgrim Trust who fund our conservation grants https://aim-museums.co.uk/for-aim-members/grants/collections-care-conservation-grants/, and others that are newer, for example with NLHF who fund our New Stories New Audiences programme https://aim-museums.co.uk/for-aim-members/grants/new-stories-new-audiences/  

AIM strategy 

AIM is currently working on strengthening our partnerships, building our member community, and amplifying our voice, in order better to serve and represent our members. We have identified that a key enabler to do this is to create a robust fundraising function in the organisation, diversifying our income for delivering grants and activities in order to grow our offer and our membership in a sustainable way. We are seeking support to understand where and how to invest our resources in order to build up our fundraising. 

Fundraising strategy  

We wish to commission an experienced fundraising consultant to work with AIM to produce a fundraising strategy. 

Following our own good advice to museums in our Fundraising Success Guide, we would like the strategy to include:  

• Why do we need to raise funds and what for? 
• How much do we need to raise?
• When do we need the funds?
• Who cares about what we do and might want to help make it happen?
• What funders and funding streams are available to us?
• What do we need to do to raise the funds we need in the most time and cost effective way?
• Which methods are we going to use?
• How will we prioritise to make best use of our resources?
• What do we need to invest in order to get the results we need?
• Who will do what?
• What are the major risks and how can we mitigate them? 

AIM staff have a good understanding of the funding landscape and AIM’s fundraising needs. We would like to work with someone who can help to hone and prioritise our thinking.  

We are also seeking advice on developing our organisational ability to fundraise. The current staff team is 7 people (6.6 FTE), with responsibility for creating and managing partnerships sitting across the team, with grant partnerships managed through the Programmes team. In future we recognise the team is likely to need to have the skills and capacity to service a fundraising pipeline – from prospects, to applications, to management, to reporting and evaluation.  

Budget 

The budget available for this work is £8,000 inclusive of VAT.  

Timescale 

We would like to commission this work in February 2024 and have it complete in order to inform discussions at an AIM Board awayday on 12 June. 

Person specification 

We are looking for an experienced consultant or consultants who: 

• Has a good knowledge of the museum and culture sector in the UK and AIM’s role in this 
• Has a good knowledge and experience of fundraising strategy 
• Has a good knowledge and experience of approaching relevant sector funders, in particular trusts and foundations. 
• Are approachable, flexible and collaborative and will take the time to understand AIM and its team and make practical recommendations 

Tendering for this project 

Proposals should include: 

• Brief credentials and evidence of relevant experience of your company and the names and experience of the people who will work on this project. 
• Your proposed methodology 

• Indicative timeline 
• A breakdown of your costings 
• Two references 

 Proposals should be no longer than 3 pages and be sent to Margaret Harrison, Head of Programmes, [email protected] by 5pm on Monday 22 January.