Sessions that leave you ready to take action.

You'll leave with strong foundational knowledge and ready to submit that first application, or take your current funding plan to the next level. We will work through the funding puzzle — grants, personal giving and sponsorship — and the six types of funders you'll meet across Aotearoa: private trusts, community foundations, community trusts, energy trusts, gaming trusts, and government-administered grants.

You'll walk away with: a plain-English map of who funds what in Aotearoa, and a starter funding-plan template for your own organisation.

A case for support is your story, your rationale and your sales pitch in one place — the document that means nobody on your team has to start from a blank page when a funding opportunity turns up at a BBQ, a board meeting or an email inbox. We build yours around five questions every funder and donor is really asking: what problem are you solving, why are you the right people to solve it, why now, exactly how the money will be used, and how you'll prove it was well spent.

You'll walk away with: a working first draft of your organisation's case for support, ready to reshape for your next application, sponsor meeting or newsletter appeal.

Sometimes we just need a fresh set of eyes to review our proposals. In collaboration with Creative Taranaki, I offer one-on-one peer review of creative project proposals that benefit Taranaki communities. Get in touch if you would like to find out more about this highly personalised support service.

You'll walk away with: structured feedback on your own draft, and advice that will strengthen your future bids.

This is a hands-on session. You'll spend most of the morning drafting and getting feedback from your peers, with me moving between groups to help where it's most useful. Bring a real project — an application that's actually due — and work through the "is your draft ready" checklist: have you named the problem clearly, is there a story a funder will remember, is it obvious what the money's for, and is your ask specific rather than a general appeal?

Alongside your peer review round, we work on language and framing — swapping passive constructions for active ones, and using strength-based language that keeps the dignity of the people you serve front and centre.

You'll walk away with: a peer-reviewed draft that's measurably sharper than what you walked in with, plus the language cue cards to keep using on your own.