When Sarah Rigby founded strength2strengthukCIC, she brought with her more than 25 years of experience as a domestic abuse specialist. Throughout her career, she has supported individuals in a wide range of settings and is deeply committed to improving the lives of survivors.
Through her new CIC, Sarah now delivers tailored one‑to‑one support, group programmes, workshops and community‑based interventions for people experiencing domestic abuse.
However, founding an organisation brought new responsibilities that had never been part of her previous work. After receiving a rejection on one of her first applications, Sarah attended a Funding for All conference in her local area – an experience she says “changed her funding life”.
Sarah kindly shares her experience of the support she received:
The first steps to funding
“Throughout my career, managing funding and budgets was never part of my everyday duties. This was a completely new area for me, something I hadn’t previously needed to concentrate on. However, when I became a Founder, I quickly realised how important securing funding is for our company.
Having the necessary resources to sustain our work is essential, though it can sometimes be a daunting task. I’d like to share that one of our grant applications was rejected, so I attended a Funding for All conference in my area that changed my funding life.”
Finding my feet
“The mentoring process turned out to be exactly what I needed. The guidance was clear, and the questions were straightforward, with no complex terminology. After filling out a form outlining our service and goals, I received a prompt response, arranging an initial meeting.
I had a virtual meeting with Kerry, the Funding for All Project Manager, who was incredibly welcoming. At no point did I feel like I was being scrutinized; rather, it felt like Funding for All was genuinely eager to assist. We had an in-depth conversation, during which Kerry mentioned she had a mentor in mind for me.”
Growing stronger
“The support I have received from Funding for All was incredible, helping me secure funding from the Kent Community Foundation.
The mentoring was amazing, and I had a mentor who guided me through each step of the process. I’d like to think we became friends through the process she was able to answer every question and was so knowledgeable about funding. No matter how big or small the question she could answer it amazing!”
Inspired by this story? Your organisation could achieve more with the right support behind you.
Discover how our Mentoring Programme for Kent & Medway’s voluntary sector can help develop your fundraising and make an even bigger.
