Media Release

In mid-March we are making a big change to the way we deliver grants and fundraising information to not-for-profit organisations.

What's changing?

• New grants & fundraising newsletter - the Funding Centre Scoop (an amalgamation of EasyGrants and Raising Funds) will include fundraising and grants information in one. We've given it a fresh look and improved the quality of information provided for each grant (including some new and refined categories). The Scoop will also include a summary of all the news and tools you need to be aware of as a fundraiser.
• Customisation - your Funding Centre Scoop can be customised so it delivers only the grants information you want to see - for example, you can opt to exclude grants available only to DGRs if you don't have DGR; you can opt to include grants offered in your local government area; etc. Subscribers can specify what grants they want to see by logging in and changing their user profile.
• Alerts - in addition to the Funding Centre Scoop, subscribers can also opt to receive daily or weekly email alerts that will tell them about major changes to a grant that either fits their profile or has been marked as a favourite grant (or you can just wait for your monthly PDF newsletter if you prefer).
• Radically improved and unlimited grant search - subscribers can visit the website at any time and undertake as many grant searches as they wish, as often as they like, and using whatever search terms they fancy.
• Grant favourites - subscribers using the website service can mark a particular grant as a "favourite" to make it easy to return to later and to follow major changes to that grant.
• Access-all-areas - subscribers have access to all areas of the website, including password-protected content such as new fundraising tools and templates.
• Multiple users - depending on their level of subscription, subscribers can allow up to 10 users to access the site. Each has their own customised profile and alert settings. (Your current subscription is for a single user; more information will be provided after the launch of the new site for those wanting to upgrade.)
• SmartyFile [coming soon] - we want to make it easier for you to apply for grants. We want to save you the last-minute scramble to find all the documents and facts you need to complete your grant application. SmartyFile will allow you to securely store what you need so you can gain access to it wherever you are and whenever the need arises.

What do I need to do now?

Nothing. Not a thing.

All not-for-profits who are already Raising Funds and EasyGrants subscribers will automatically become Funding Centre Single User subscribers. There is no additional cost - your current subscription remains valid up until your ordinary renewal date.

Your subscription entitles you to the Funding Centre Scoop newsletter ("the new EasyGrants") and grant alerts, as well as access to all areas of the new Funding Centre website.

You'll receive your first Funding Centre Scoop in the week commencing March 17. We'll also send you some instructions about how to log in to the site and change your profile so you can get customised newsletters and alerts.

Why the change?

When we launched EasyGrants 17 years ago, the world was a very different place. EasyGrants was the only service in existence in Australia that provided a consolidated view of the grants landscape at a price not-for-profit organisations could afford. Few people had an email address, let alone demands for interactive web-based services.

Our grants data has always been (and remains) best-in-show. Throughout all these years we've invested heavily in the staff costs required to ensure the database is kept up to date. EasyGrants remains the best source of information on grants in Australia, and is still the most affordable.

But we realised that we needed to do some work to keep up (and get ahead) on the technical front - thus we've invested heavily to provide better search and monitoring tools for grantseekers, and options for more users.

We also realised (happily) that our key messages about sustainable fundraising (thinking beyond just grants) had really sunk in - almost all of our EasyGrants subscribers were also receiving our Raising Funds newsletter. At the same time, we were aware that people were demanding fewer and better-targeted communications; they didn't want to hear about grants they couldn't apply for and they wanted to cut down on the total number of emails they received.

Thus the new Funding Centre Scoop was born. The Funding Centre Scoop will contain both a comprehensive and customised listing of grants, and a summary of all the fundraising news and tools every not-for-profit fundraising volunteer or professional needs to be on top of.

We are also acutely aware of the need to simplify the way we deliver information on our websites to make it easier to digest and skim. Like you, we're finding ourselves with less and less time available to read - we need devices to help ease our way through the mounds of information. As a result, we've changed our help sheets, providing more graphics, more headings, and more practical tools.

How can I find out more?

All will be revealed in the week commencing March 17 - you're probably best to wait and see it for yourself.

But if you have any pressing queries or concerns in the meantime, you can email us at service@ourcommunity.com.au.

Information about the new subscription options is available at www.fundingcentre.com.au/subscribe

We look forward to working with you as we push ahead in our quest to get more money for not-for-profit groups.

Denis Moriarty
Group Managing Director, Our Community

03 9320 6800 | service@ourcommunity.com.au