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How to use Audience Spectrum to Enhance your Funding Applications

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Applying for trusts and foundation funding is a competitive process, so your proposals should be clear, persuasive, and aligned with the values of the funding organisations.

Audience segmentation is a crucial aspect of creating effective funding applications, as it helps tailor your proposal to resonate with target groups.

The Audience Agency's Audience Spectrum segmentation is a framework that classifies the UK population based on their engagement levels with arts and culture and can help you to define the need in funding applications. Here we have outlined a step-by-step guide on how to apply Audience Spectrum Segmentation to your funding applications. We know that everyone will be at various stages in their journey in applying the segments to their fundraising efforts directly, so we have broken our guides into sections.

This guide offers some practical support about how to use the segments day to day and create a common language between your teams about audiences you are trying to meet the needs of through additional funding. Let's get started with the first step...

The Steps

Step 1

Familiarise yourself and team with Audience Spectrum Segmentation

  • If you are starting from scratch, make sure you spend time with your teams to read up on Audience Spectrum: a segmentation tool that classifies the UK population into ten distinct groups (plus 20 subsegments, more on this later) based on their arts and culture attitudes, behaviours, demographics, and - most importantly - their engagement levels. This is the basic first step, to understand how the model functions. Within the information about engaging each segment, you can delve into specifics around Philanthropy which will be useful for consideration in generating funds for your organisation.
  • Familiarise yourself with how Audience Spectrum's segmentation applies to the specific trusts and foundations from which you are seeking funding. Recognise the specific traits, interests, and behaviours of audiences that are relevant when seeking grants or funding from these sources. Most important for funding is understanding each segment's level of engagement with arts and culture, understanding their barriers, and how they might be overcome.

Step 2

Identify Funding sources that align with your audiences and assets

  • Research trusts and foundations that align with your organisation's mission, goals, and the leading and/or priority segments within Audience Spectrum. Look for funders that have a history of supporting projects similar to yours and will actively help you to remove the barriers for those audiences.
  • Accessing Audience Spectrum data through Audience Answers (the next generation online audience insight tool that has succeeded Audience Finder) is an effortless way to collate relevant data for your funding applications and gain insights about your audiences' motivations for (and barriers to) attending.
  • If you are trying to reach new audiences or those not currently engaging, a Population Profile Report can help in identifying those lapsed or untapped audiences, and offer some clarity on their reasons for disengaging.
  • Review your offer and assets and consider how they align with the funding you are hoping to gain; consider commissioning an audit of your assets; this can vary from your physical spaces and places to more intangible assets such as your intellectual property, all of which can create value and generate income through funding.

Step 3

Integrate the segments within your prospect lists/opportunities in your CRM system

  • The quickest and easiest way to align the Audience Spectrum segments with your data on current audiences held within your CRM would be to install an Audience Spectrum Licence which allows you to tag your records in your CRM at an individual prospect level, to easily profile your supporters and identify your key segments in order to include in the narrative of your funding applications.
  • If this is not an option you can also approach this manually; identify areas where the organisation is not currently reaching, reviewing the postcodes for this list and map out which areas have the lowest propensity of engagement for each segment, it is a useful way to build up this knowledge and understanding for key geographical areas and to identify areas of need and key audiences you actively want to engage with through the support of additional funding.
  • Remember to comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and data protection regulations and ensure that you handle your CRM and Audience Spectrum data in a secure and responsible manner.

Step 4

Define Your Project, tailor the approach to craft compelling proposals

  • Clearly define the project you are seeking funding for. Determine the scope, objectives, outcomes, and how it aligns with the interests of the target audience segment(s).
  • For each identified audience segment, tailor your funding application to match their preferences and priorities. Highlight how your project resonates with their interests and needs.
  • Create well-structured and compelling proposals for each funding opportunity. Address the following in your proposals:
    • Introduction: Introduce your organisation, its mission, and the specific project you are seeking funding for.
    • Audience Alignment: Explain how your project caters to the identified audience spectrum segment's preferences, behaviours, and engagement levels.
    • Impact: Highlight the potential impact of your project on the audience and the community, highlighting measurable outcomes.
    • Budget: Clearly outline the budget breakdown, including how the funds will be allocated and how they contribute to the project's success.
    • Sustainability: Describe how the project will be sustained beyond the funding period and the steps you will take to ensure its long-term success.

Step 5

Collecting the relevant supporting material for your application

  • Gather supplementary materials such as past success stories, testimonials, and any data demonstrating your organisation's effectiveness and impact.
  • Many trusts and foundations want to have a greater understanding of your impact economically to secure the funding, consider commissioning an economic impact report which allows you to estimate the economic value of your event or activity within your catchment area.
  • Additionally, more than ever funders want to see that you have carried out robust consultation with your community or target audiences. You can achieve this by utilising the surveys within audience answers or for a deeper understanding consider a community consultation toolkit; this simple, evidence-based toolkit uses real data and insight from your local area to support you and your organisation to develop, manage and deliver your own community consultation, empowering you to gather meaningful results.

Step 6

Refine and review your applications

  • Adapt and refine your proposals to the application formats required by each funding source. Some have specific application forms, while others might ask for documents like a cover letter, project plan, and financials. It is important not to create a one size fits all but ensure that you develop the narrative around the audience segments to suits the funders stipulations and structure.
  • Thoroughly review and proofread your proposals to ensure they are clear, concise, and free of errors. Make sure the information is consistent across all documents.

Step 7

Submit and track your applications

  • Submit your tailored applications within the specified deadlines.
  • Keep track of submission requirements, methods, and any additional supporting documents requested.

Step 8

Follow Up with Funders, keep updated and express thanks

  • After submitting your applications, follow up, as necessary. Some funders may request additional information, clarification, or interviews. Be responsive and professional in your communication. For the most up to date stats access Audience Answers, which can provide real-time insights on your audiences within the framework of Audience Spectrum Segments.

Step 9

Evaluate and Report

  • If you receive funding, carry out the project as planned and monitor its progress. Keep detailed records and prepare impact reports as required by the funders, demonstrating accountability and transparency will enhance your credibility for future funding. Utilise your AS profile in your evaluation reports to quantify who you are reaching, meeting the needs of the audiences and the funders criteria.
  • If you need support in framing your evaluation and measuring impact, consider seeking support from our consultants who can deliver bespoke support to collaboratively build and implement a full evaluation framework and delivery plan. The Audience Agency team can deliver a full scale mixed-methodology evaluation focused on the key outcomes that are important to your funders and embed a process of reflective learning and formative insight. Contact them today.

Step 10

Get to know the Audience Spectrum subsegments

  • For more specific fundraising projects, you might wish to consider delving deeper into the segments by exploring the subsegments, this allows for greater differentiation of groups, particularly useful in places where there are large dominant segments (e.g., Metroculturals, Kaleidoscope Creativity and Experience Seekers in London). Review the impact so far and consider whether further segmentation might allow for a more in-depth outline of need for specific sub-segments within your community.
  • It important you and the team stay updated with Audience Agency's Audience Spectrum updates or changes and align your segmentation accordingly. Book introductory sessions for new team members or refresher sessions with you team to keep this at the forefront of your segmentation approach. You can also keep up to date with new evidence as it evolves in Sector Data.

Step 11

Consult an audience segmentation expert

  • If there is more you want to explore or a specific project that may need more hands-on expert support contact our consultancy team today, they can talk through approaches, point you in the direction of resources and work with you to find solutions to any fundraising challenges.
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Remember to comply with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and data protection regulations and ensure that you handle your CRM and Audience Spectrum data in a secure and responsible manner.

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