Pursuing a dream and changing a life

Pursuing a dream and changing a life

‘Your “student” has done better than she ever imagined possible,’ read the message. ‘We have obtained funding from seven out of 12 applications!’

They are words which blessed Sean Tully, a trusts and foundations specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in grant-making and trust fundraising. Sean now works for CRE exhibitor and sponsor Action Planning, a specialist consultancy for charities and other non-profit organisations.

‘It was a simple piece of work but had a profound personal effect on the volunteer, who prefers to remain anonymous,’ said Sean. ‘It’s always good to hear our support is bearing fruit for an organisation but the message went on to reveal a valuable personal benefit, too.’

The message continued: ‘The whole process caused me stress and angst. As a newbie to the village in which I live, what would it be like if I achieved nothing for the community? I realised there are things I can put my heart and soul into that can turn into something special from a starting point of nothing. In this respect the process has been life changing – thanks to your experienced counselling. So this is a very personal thank you for helping me through the process and for challenging what I was doing, to make it more relevant. We are now obtaining tenders for our project and the whole village is excited about the prospect of a new space for community to flourish.’

Action Planning’s work with churches ranges from very simple challenges like this, to complex challenges such as the successful bid compiled for the Diocese of Oxford in which a £2m grant was won from the Church of England Strategic Development Fund.

‘This client testimony came as a welcome reminder never to underestimate the impact we can have on the people we work with, regardless of the size of the prize,’ reflected Sean.

The thank-you letter concluded: ‘Bid writing is a lonely job and one which I had not tackled before but only by doing the job does one discovers what is involved. I am now thinking about what else I could tackle that I never thought I could do – singing is one of my thoughts!’

Sean commented: ‘Singing tuition in not among the many services we offer at Action Planning, but if our support inspires our clients to sing as well, we’re very happy with that!’

• Action Planning will be on stand B15 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands