Using consultation to improve your funding success.

Community consultation can feel daunting – especially when funders ask how you have listened to your community and what difference it has made. For small community groups and medium-sized charities, the challenge is often not a lack of engagement, but a lack of confidence in how to evidence it.

This article is designed to help you:

• Understand why consultation matters (to funders and to your work)

• Choose appropriate consultation methods for your group and community

• Map stakeholders and match them to the right engagement techniques

• Collect evidence in a way that feels manageable and authentic

The good news? Consultation does not have to be complicated, expensive, or time‑consuming. It just needs to be thoughtful and intentional.

Why Consultation Matters

Funders expect consultation because it demonstrates that:

• Your project is rooted in real community need

• You are listening to the people you serve, not making assumptions

• Your organisation is accountable, inclusive, and reflective

• Funding will be used effectively and responsibly, and have the widest impact possible

Beyond funding requirements, consultation brings real benefits in the form of better designed services and activities, stronger relationships with your community, and increased participation and ownership. This is also evidence you can reuse across multiple funding applications.

Importantly, consultation is not a one‑off exercise. Funders increasingly value ongoing dialogue, where learning feeds back into planning and delivery.

What Counts as Consultation?

Consultation is any structured way of listening to people’s views, experiences, and priorities. It can be formal or informal, as long as it is purposeful and recorded.

Below are common consultation methods used successfully by community groups and charities.

Consultation Methods You Can Use

1. Face‑to‑Face Consultation

Examples: - Community meetings or drop‑in sessions - Focus groups - One‑to‑one conversations - Workshops or activity‑based discussions

Strengths: - Builds trust and relationships - Allows deeper discussion and clarification - Particularly effective for sensitive topics or complex needs

Things to evidence: - Attendance numbers - Key themes raised - Quotes (anonymous) - Notes or photographs (with consent)

2. Surveys (Paper and Online)

Examples: - Printed questionnaires at events or venues - Online surveys using tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey

Strengths: - Reaches more people quickly - Easy to summarise data - Good for gathering views from people who cannot attend meetings

Things to evidence: - Number of responses - Demographic information (where appropriate) - Headline statistics (e.g. percentages) - Free‑text comments

Top Tip: Keep surveys short and accessible. A small number of clear questions is better than a long, complex form.

3. Social Media Consultation

Examples: - Polls on Facebook or Instagram - Questions posted in community groups - Comments and message responses.

Strengths: - Informal and accessible - Engages people where they already are - Useful for quick feedback and ideas

Things to evidence: - Screenshots of posts and polls - Engagement numbers (likes, comments, shares) - Summary of responses and themes

Remember: social media should usually complement, not replace, other consultation methods.

4. Visitor Books, QR codes and Comment Cards

Examples: - Comment books in community buildings or nearby local businesses- Feedback cards at events or activities

Strengths: - Simple and low‑cost - Ongoing collection of views - Encourages feedback from people who may not complete surveys or already be engaging with your services.

Things to evidence: - Number of comments - Common themes - Positive and constructive feedback

5. Voting and Prioritisation Activities

Examples: - Sticker voting on ideas - Online polls - Ranking activities in workshops

Strengths: - Quick and engaging - Helps demonstrate clear community preferences - Useful for prioritising limited resources

Things to evidence: - Number of participants - Voting outcomes - How results influenced decisions

Top Tip: Applying for a supermarket community grant that uses token voting from the community to decide on the award given, shows evidence of community support for a project, and could help you evidence need with other funders.

Mapping Stakeholders and Engagement Methods

Not everyone needs to be consulted in the same way. Stakeholder mapping helps you be proportionate and inclusive.

Step 1: Identify Your Stakeholders

Common stakeholder groups include: - Beneficiaries or service users - Volunteers - Local residents - Partner organisations - Local Businesses - Staff or trustees - Under‑represented or marginalised groups

Step 2: Consider Influence and Interest

Ask: - Who is most affected by this project? - Who has valuable insight or lived experience? - Who may influence success or sustainability?

Step 3: Match Engagement Methods

Funders want to see that you have chosen methods deliberately, not that you have consulted everyone in every way, for example, you could use social media polls with the wider public and focus groups with services users and volunteers.

Turning Consultation into Strong Evidence

To strengthen funding applications: - Summarise key findings clearly - Use short quotes to bring voices to life - Explain how feedback shaped your project - Be honest about limitations and learning

Example: > “Through surveys and informal conversations with 42 local residents, we identified transport and cost as key barriers to participation. As a result, we have included travel support and free sessions within the project design.”

This shows listening, learning, and action – exactly what funders are looking for.

Final thoughts

If you are already talking to your community, you are already consulting. The next step is simply to capture, reflect, and explain that engagement in a way funders can understand.

Start small, use methods that suit your group, and build consultation into your everyday activities. Over time, this will not only strengthen your funding applications, but also the impact and resilience of your organisation.

If you would like templates, sample questions, or help evidencing consultation for a specific funder, support is available via the GVS Team. Just email us @ Development@gvs.wales – and you do not have to do this alone.