Building Fundraising Skills with Sussex Grassroots Charities
After the summer break, The Pearce Foundation reopened its doors with a focus on one of our core priorities: supporting grassroots organisations working at the heart of their communities across Sussex.
Last week, we hosted a peer funding writing room session with skillsharer Caz O’Kane, joined by two brilliant charities we first met through Brighton Soup – Jay from The Village Food Bank and Leah from One for All Forest School.
We have long admired everything Brighton Soup represents, so when the opportunity arose to support their event and the pitching charities in June, we were delighted to make a donation. The stories we heard on the night made such an impression that, staying true to our “more than money” model, we offered these brilliant pitchers additional, bespoke support.
Building Skills, Confidence and Community
The peer-led session gave space for participants to strengthen their fundraising skills while reflecting on the purpose and impact of their work. Together, we explored the value of Theory of Change as a framework, considered approaches to demonstrating impact, and celebrated the many ways small charities enrich their communities.
For us, it was also a reminder of how powerful peer support can be in building long-term sustainability for grassroots organisations.
Voices from the Session
Leah, from One for All Forest School, shared:
“The session helped me break down what I need to do for my next funding application. Putting everything into bite-sized, more manageable pieces felt less overwhelming.”
Jay, from The Village Food Bank, reflected:
“Exploring our purpose and how that translates into funding applications has been really useful. We also looked at ways to build up our evidence base and measure our impact, as well as how we can support our members in other ways.”
Looking Ahead
We are proud to continue standing alongside community-led organisations like these, not only through funding but by providing practical opportunities to share skills, build confidence, and learn from one another.
To learn more about the inspiring work of these charities, follow them on Instagram:
