Community - Journal

Tips and tricks for community organisations

Here are some things to think about when posting projects and using Match My Project.

When signing up for an account, DO…

Sign up with accurate information about your organisation
Wait for an email to access your account, once the contracting authority has accepted your registration
Remember to look and check at whether there are supplier offers that you can match to, which will help your project without having to make a request

When posting a project, DO…

Include information that is relevant to the project. For example, does it require a DBS check if working on site? If the building is leased, do you have relevant permissions to undertake any work? etc.
Be specific about the impact your project will make – the social, environmental or economic benefit to customers, communities or society.
Remember that there are other resources available for projects from our suppliers, including time, materials, advice, training and jobs. This isn’t just about funding
Upload a breakdown when asking for funding – with quotes where possible
Ensure your project has a very clear title and description
Highlight whether communities and residents are already engaged in the project
Highlight if projects are time sensitive. Then upload with as much notice as possible to increase the likelihood of a match. For example, if you have a Christmas activity, then try to post the project by the end of October
Remember that the “ideal value” of a project is between £1,000 to £3,000. Larger projects have been matched, but this is rare
Be aware that larger requests are less likely to be matched. So, can they be broken down into smaller separate projects and uploaded in stages?
Remember that your project will appear in the Directory for businesses to view
Get ready to receive offers from businesses to complete your projects and respond promptly
Contact the business about your requirements before accepting the offer to ensure you’re both aligned (e.g. do you need to see copies of Insurance? Names of staff working on a project? Key contact details?). Make sure that you’re happy to go ahead with them as a project partner
Ensure that each party agrees and understands its responsibilities
Accept the offer

During project matching, DO…

Get started with the project once you’ve accepted an offer from a business. Reach out to them via the contact details provided
Make sure you keep track of the hours, donations and resources that the business is donating during the project. Verify this information with the business as well
Share feedback once the project has completed. You will be able to see your feedback from the business once you’ve given them feedback
Keep track of your progress using your dashboard

…DON’T

Post a project if you don’t have the relevant permissions or can’t provide evidence for it
Apply if you think it’s purely a way to save on budgets

Additional things to consider

Have you thought about other means of support for your project?
Empower other community groups by encouraging them to register and post their own projects
Please note that there is no guarantee of a match on the platform and we don’t have unlimited resources from suppliers
Once a project is complete, please upload your feedback onto the platform to ensure verification of the project can take place and other groups can see what parties are like to work with
Please note that support and resources are limited. All requests will be assessed, but unfortunately making a request doesn’t guarantee a match

Top Tips based on Feedback from Businesses using MMP

Make your project title specific and clear!

Scenario 1 (Example taken directly from supplier):

A community organisation is requesting mobile devices, computers and tablets

DON’T put your project title as: “Request for mobile devices, computers and tablets for volunteers”

DO put your title as : “10 tablets for volunteers” (this is more specific)

Scenario 2:

A community organisation is requesting books for students

DON’T put your project title as: “Reading books for [Community Organisation]’s student reading programme”

DO put your title as: “15 reading books for students”

Reason: The title of the project provides the supplier with a clear understanding of the request from the outset, which can increase the attraction to the request. This is how you win the supplier over, so be specific and concise.

Upload a breakdown when asking for funding!

If you are asking for an item, for example a printer or desk, then:

DO: include the make and model of the item you need

DO: include a quote where possible or link to the item

DON’T: leave this information out

Reasons: Suppliers need to know the financial impact of the request and what exactly the money is being used for.

This ensures that there is no confusion regarding what the community organisation requires.

Break down projects into smaller projects!

If the financial impact of the project is high, break it down into separate projects with each having a financial request of no more than £2,000.

Using Scenario 1:

DON’T write:

Mobile devices, laptops and tablets needed for Volunteers

10 mobile devices, 10 laptops and 10 tablets needed for volunteers across Cambridgeshire to enable them to connect with others and take notes.

DO write:

Project 1: 10 mobile devices

To provide 10 volunteers across Cambridgeshire with a mobile device to enable them to connect with others.

Project 2: 10 laptops

To provide 10 volunteers across Cambridgeshire with a laptop to enable them to take notes.

Project 3: 10 tablets

To provide 10 volunteers across Cambridgeshire with a digital tablet to enable them to create documents.

Reasons: Breaking down the project will give you a greater chance of being matched as the average value of projects that get matched across the platform is £1,100.

More than one supplier can then meet your individual request as opposed to rejecting the request because the financial impact is too great.

Where possible and if your cash flow allows it, consider paying for the project and invoicing for reimbursement.

How this looks practically: If a supplier accepts a project, consider paying for that project then sending the invoice to the supplier to receive reimbursement.

Reason: Once committed to a project suppliers will likely deliver, however, the nuances around your request may be better served by you. Where this is the case, this approach will benefit both parties. Please ensure that you have this documented and agreed prior to the start of the project.

And finally, one more tip from us:

💡 Provide as much information as possible, especially the cost, to get better results!

Explore more

🚀 Top 5 Tips for Community-Based Organisations to Maximise Social Value through Match My Project

🌟 How one community organisation completed 36 projects on Match My Project

🎬 An Introduction to Match My Project for Community Organisations

Are you making the most of Match My Project? Find out from Match My Project’s most prolific community beneficiary how to maximise the resources available on the platform. They’ve given their top 5 tips for community-based organisations.

I spoke to Rachel, the Assistant Head of Henry Fawcett Primary School, the most active community organisation on Match My Project. The school has an impressive history of using our platform to channel the best resources and opportunities into the local community. This has earned them a reputation for excellence in the community.

Our mission at Match My Project is to help communities flourish. We do this by matching community organisations with businesses that want to deliver Social Value and CSR.

Rachel said, “The support that we’ve had via [Hyde Housing Association] from Match My Project compared to the support we get from other organisations … it’s not even comparable”.

Rachel provided some invaluable tips and principles which could help you enhance your impact within the community you serve.

Here are the top 5 tips for Community-Based Organisations on Match My Project:

Build strong relationships
Have a look around
Frame asks clearly
Go the extra mile
Go for it!

1. Build strong relationships

Match My Project exists for people and communities.

That’s the heart of what we do.

It’s all about relationships – so naturally, having strong ones will set you up well to create flourishing communities through the platform.

Rachel identifies two key ways to achieve this:

a. Keep in touch with the authority

“If there are things I put on there and I start getting a bit panicky that I might not get them, I would contact the Social Value person at Hyde and just say … ‘is there anyone you can poke to help us with this?’.”

The authority could be a bridge between you and a new community partnership – they may be able to put your project in front of the right people. Reaching out to them could help you get the resources you need for your community.

b. Understand the businesses on the platform

Rachel puts her success on Match My Project down to her savviness when it comes to understanding the different focuses and preferences of the business users on the platform. She says: “I’ve understood what sort of things they might be looking for.”

She goes on to explain that, when creating new projects, community-based organisations should consider: “What kind of organisations might want to do them? And framing them in a way that is going to be appealing to them.”

While this may require some initial effort, it’s worth the fruitful relationships that could follow:

“I generally end up getting more than I ask for … once you’re engaged with the supplier and they come and have a look and they’ve come to move the furniture but then they go ‘oh but now you need some carpets in here don’t you? We’ll do that’.”

Taking some time to get your head around the outcomes that suppliers are looking for can go a long way in receiving the right support for your projects.

Remember that suppliers will be looking for projects that contribute to the shared goals or outcomes selected by the authority, for example, “safeguarding the environment” or “promoting jobs and skills” – you will see these outcomes listed when creating a new project.

2. Have a Look Around

In the same spirit of working towards shared goals, Rachel also suggests having a look at other organisations’ projects on Match My Project.

She says, “It’s worth having a little bit of a look around to see what other people are doing and who’s being successful.”

I asked Rachel about the type of resources Henry Fawcett Primary has requested on Match My Project and was impressed by the broad range of projects they have completed. These vary from physical things like chairs to volunteers and funding. She notes that their Breakfast Club is subsidised by suppliers on Match My Project, as is a member of staff (a 1-1 mentor for the children), therapeutic residentials, and a boxing club.

To view other organisations’ projects, log in to your account and navigate to the “Directory” on the left-hand side tab. Here you can see community projects, supplier offers, jobs & training opportunities, as well as a list of all organisations under the “organisations” tab.

3. Frame Asks Clearly

“That’s the important thing: being clear.”

Rachel stresses the importance of framing resource requests clearly.

There are three main elements to this.

a. Be specific

“Try and think about framing the narrative in your request. What you put as your heading – that’s the one-line thing that comes up – is really important … if you can make the title show the benefit and paint a nice narrative, I think that’s helpful. And be specific in what you’re asking for.”

b. Prioritise projects

“You’re always playing a game of prioritising what you put on there and not putting too many things up at the same time. And being clear about which ones are really important to you and which ones are nice to have.”

“I try and keep the requests middling and then find that people are very helpful after the fact.”

c. Separate requests

“There is also an art to … separating things out in the requests. So, rather than saying ‘I need my library redone’ [say], ‘I need the walls painting’; ‘I need the furniture moving’; ‘I need somebody to pay for books.’ Because there might be different organisations that are able to help with those things separately.”

The wording you use in your project request is crucial to the success of the project. Remember to be specific in the title, be clear about your priorities, and try to separate larger projects into smaller, more workable ones.

4. Go the extra mile

Providing as much information as possible, and consistently engaging with community partners, makes a big difference to the impact of projects on Match My Project.

What could you do to get the attention your projects need?

Here are some ideas that have worked for Rachel in the past:

“We always try and contact the supplier directly, send photos of what’s going on, say ‘would you like to come visit the project?’ … I don’t have to do these things, but I chose to.”

Little actions like contacting suppliers directly and sending them photographs can have a huge ripple effect. Fortune favours the bold!

5. Go for It!

As the old adage goes … if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Rachel puts it this way: “Ask, because you just don’t know. Somebody might give it to you.”

Or, you’ve got nothing to lose.

In Rachel’s words: “Realistically, I could spend 15 minutes writing a Match My Project request and get £4000.”

Insights on Impact

At Match My Project we are dedicated to getting the best resources and opportunities into the communities that need them most. We are so inspired by community users like Rachel who are using Match My Project to make a real difference in the local community. Listen to our full conversation with Rachel here – you’ll come away with plenty of insight.

You can also watch some highlights of the conversation here:

Do you have any tips or pieces of advice for other community users? Please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you about how to make the biggest impact in communities.

Tips and tricks for Community Organisations using Match My Project