What donors look for in European citizens' initiatives and how to secure their support

Having decent financial support backing your European Citizens' Initiative can help your initiative kick-off your campaign to a strong start! Consultations with donors who have financially supported past ECIs provide a wealth of data on what funders prioritise, the issues that resonate most with them, and strategies for effective engagement. Let’s dig in. 

A dive into the funding landscape

To find out what can help organisers get financial support, Democracy International consulted 23 past and potential ECI donors across 13 countries and geographical areas. These included foundations, NGOs, umbrella organisations and research institutions. The aim was to understand the factors influencing funders’ decisions and to identify best practices for approaching them. 

Donors consistently emphasised the importance of the topic and scope of an initiative (with an average importance rating of 4.18 out of 5. Detailed budget plans also played a crucial role, with an importance rating of 4 out of 5, while previous funding was given less weight, suggesting that initiatives without strong existing support can still attract support if they are well prepared. 

What are donors looking for? 

The consultation highlighted that funders are most likely to support initiatives that address issues that serve their own mission and fall into their own areas of activity. They value proposals that clearly demonstrate an understanding of the work that they do and how the initiative is complementary to their mission and values. 

The topics listed as the funders’ main areas of activity include active citizenship, animal welfare, agriculture, democracy, regional development, children’s rights, agriculture, energy, aid and development, environment and climate, culture and media, education, youth, justice and fundamental rights, migration and asylum, transport, employment and social affairs, business and economy, and consumers and health. This demonstrates that there is a potential funding opportunity for a wide diversity of topics. In other words: these topics that donors work on are vast and diverse!

For example, the ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative, supported by, among others, World Animal Protection Denmark, illustrates how initiatives focused on clear, precise and impactful objectives can successfully align with funders’ priorities – in this case, animal welfare.

Essentially, it is important to identify donors whose values and missions align with the aims of your initiative. When approaching a potential donor, demonstrate how your particular ECI can have a meaningful, measurable impact. For bonus points, show up with a detailed budget plan! 

Good communication strategy: one of the keys to success 

A recurring theme in the findings was the importance of a strategic approach to communication. Donors consistently emphasised the need for clear, concise and transparent communication to build trust. Many donors pointed out some common mistakes made by ECI organisers, including overestimating the number of signatures their initiative could attract, failing to involve international/European partners, and the absence of a well-crafted communications plan. Additionally, insufficient details or precision in their initial outreach was mentioned. These missteps can lead to doubts about the viability or professionalism of the initiative, which may ultimately drive away potential support. 

Therefore, for a proposal to stand out, you should include a well-defined outline of the initiative’s objectives, its expected impact, and a detailed communication plan – tailored to that particular donor. We found that personalised outreach strategies were the most effective way to engage with funders. They were more responsive to tailored emails and direct contact through professional networks. General or impersonal approaches, on the other hand, are less likely to lead to positive results. 

Monitoring your progress: a way of building trust with funders 

Another key takeaway from the consultation with ECI donors is the importance of monitoring and evaluating the impact of your ECI in order to maintain relationships with donors. Clearly, donors prioritise initiatives with robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and value transparency in reporting and measurable impact. Tools such as impact assessments, media coverage analysis, and regular updates on milestones help to demonstrate that the initiative is achieving its goal. 

Donors want to know that their investment is making a difference, and transparency in the process is essential. By regularly reporting on results, challenges and how the initiative is evolving, your ECI can build trust with its funders. This regular communication will give donors assurance that their support is being used effectively, which will help you strengthen long-term relationships. 

Moving forward 

Soon, you will be able to find more details about How to Raise Funds in an updated Guidance Note. Until then, ECI organisers can begin to finesse their approach by prioritising alignment with donors’ thematic interests and values, developing detailed and transparent budget plans and strong communication and outreach strategies, and developing mechanisms for tracking progress to demonstrate to donors that the ECI is worth investing in and that the use of funds will be transparent. 

By adopting these insights and strategies directly from funders themselves, ECI organisers can better shape their funding proposals, strengthen their fundraising efforts and build lasting partnerships, ensuring their initiative have the resources to achieve meaningful impact. 

Relevant links: 

• Building momentum: the funding and strategy behind the 'My Voice, My Choice' initiative
• Follow the money: how do European citizens’ initiatives raise funds and what are the rules on financial reporting?
• How to Raise Funds
• Unlocking Engagement: Strategies to Reach and Activate the Unengaged for Your ECI