Bid Writing, Reimagined
Develop stronger, clearer bids with confidence and structure
Writing funding applications and tenders can feel complex, time-pressured, and at times overwhelming — particularly for VCSE organisations balancing delivery with growth.
This practical 3-hour workshop, delivered by Dynamic Potential Academy, introduces a structured yet engaging approach to bid development. Using Design Thinking methods, reflective LEGO Reflective Tool techniques, and evidence-informed learning approaches, participants will strengthen how they plan, shape, and communicate their proposals.
The session is designed to build both confidence and clarity, helping teams improve the quality of their bids while creating a more collaborative and manageable process.
What makes this different?
This isn’t a lecture or a checklist. It’s a guided, hands-on experience that helps you:
Find the right opportunities that align with your strengths and values
Understand what funders really want, beyond the brief
Use creative tools to unlock clarity and structure
Start writing a bid using a tailored Bid Canvas you’ll leave with
Build confidence in your voice, story, and impact
Who it’s for
VCSE organisations, charities, and social enterprises seeking to strengthen their success in funding and commissioning opportunities
Teams working across creative, education, health, sustainability, and community sectors responding to grants, tenders, or partnership bids
Organisations looking to develop a more structured and collaborative approach to bid writing
Business support providers seeking high-quality, practical training to support client organisations
Available as both a public workshop and tailored in-house delivery.
Why LEGO and neuroscience?
When we engage hands-on and visually, we activate parts of the brain that help us access deeper insight, creativity, and clarity, especially when tackling complex or high-pressure tasks like bid writing.
This workshop uses LEGO Reflective Tools and a neuroscience-informed approach to spark new thinking and more confident communication.
What you’ll leave with
✔️ A live or upcoming bid started using your personalised Bid Canvas
✔️ Clear next steps – not just notes
✔️ Insights into your story, strengths, and value
✔️ A fresh, brain-friendly way of thinking about bids
✔️ Maybe even a LEGO masterpiece or two
Workshop Details
Duration: 3 hours
Format: In-person
Max group size: 12 (custom sessions available for larger teams)
The Facilitators
Donna Jones
Dynamic Potential Academy
The workshop is led by Donna Jones, Creative Leadership and Well-being Specialist and Founder of Dynamic Potential Academy. Donna has extensive experience designing and delivering funded development programmes and training for VCSE organisations, education providers, and professional teams. Her work combines creative leadership approaches, neuroscience-informed learning, and psychologically safe facilitation to support organisations to strengthen collaboration, communication, and strategic thinking when developing funding bids and proposals.
Carole Donnelly
Community Joined-Up Development
Carole Donnelly is an award-winning community business consultant specialising in funding, social investment, and VCSE organisational development. With over 30 years’ experience supporting charities, social enterprises, and community organisations, she has led research and development programmes with the School for Social Entrepreneurs and the West Midlands Combined Authority Social Investment Fund. Carole brings extensive practical insight into securing funding, developing sustainable community assets, and strengthening organisational growth.
Join the Bid Writing, Reimagined Workshop on 14th May 2026, Trinity House, Coventry.
Get ready to strengthen your bids and boost your funding success.
Limited spaces — secure your spot today!
Or you can bring this workshop to your team or network
Offer this session to the organisations you support — or bring it in-house to help your team develop smarter, more compelling bids.