Volunteer Grant Champions Programme 2025

Activate passionate supporters to supercharge your grant pipeline. This programme blueprint covers recruitment, training, support, and impact tracking for volunteer grant champions.

TL;DR

Define clear volunteer roles supporting prospect research, evidence gathering, and stakeholder engagement.
Onboard champions with a tailored version of the onboarding sprint.
Track contributions in Crafty and recognise champions in your trustee oversight pack.

Role design

Prospect scouts: identify new funds using scoring rubrics.
Evidence stewards: gather stories and data for the evidence bank.
Relationship allies: support funder stewardship alongside the fundraising lead.

Two-week onboarding plan

Day 1: Mission, impact tour, Crafty orientation.
Day 3: Data protection, consent, and storytelling training.
Day 5: Hands-on session using the pipeline board.
Day 8: Shadow pipeline review and change control meetings.
Day 14: Assign first task, set check-in cadence.

Impact tracking & recognition

Log volunteer contributions in your CRM and Crafty’s knowledge base. Report highlights in the trustee pack, and celebrate wins in team stand-ups and newsletters to maintain motivation.

Next steps and downloads

Download role descriptions, onboarding schedule, impact tracker, and recognition toolkit. Keep them in Crafty so expanding the programme is easy.

Action plan

Recruit initial champions through your supporter communications.
Pair volunteers with staff mentors and set expectations.
Track contributions in Crafty to inform pipeline and reporting decisions.

Key takeaways

Volunteer champions expand capacity without expanding payroll.
Structured onboarding and support keeps contributions high-quality.
Integrating the programme with Crafty ensures knowledge stays centralised.

Summary and next steps

Volunteer grant champions become ambassadors for your mission. Launch the programme, measure impact, and let Crafty keep every contribution documented.

Embed the programme in quarterly pipeline reviews.
Update role descriptions as new funding priorities emerge.
Celebrate champions publicly to sustain engagement.