Foundations Outreach Pack (Room A), Life Without Debt

Purpose. Get 15 warm discovery calls booked in the first 6 weeks of the charity being live (1 Oct → 12 Nov 2026). A discovery call is not a pitch. It is a 15-minute conversation to test mission fit, learn the funder's real priorities, and earn the right to a follow-up.

Ownership. Room A operators, Laurence (lead), Carla (CFO Advisor, review), Board Chair (introduction letters where existing warm relationship). This pack is for internal use only; nothing here is sent to funders unedited.

Governance. Every outbound email and every discovery-call script line passes the 5-gate Marketing Governance Envelope. RG 96 outcome language is non-negotiable.

15-foundation target list
Cover-email templates (3 variants)
Discovery-call script (15 minutes)
Follow-up cadence (T+2 → T+45)
Objections playbook (8 hard questions)
Attachments and links to send
Recording, notes, and CRM discipline

1. 15-foundation target list

Discipline before send. This list is desk-research derived from published funder-priority statements as of Aug 2026. Before any first-touch email is sent, each foundation must be re-verified against its current published funding round, priorities, and program officer. Priorities change; contact people move. A mis-targeted email costs a warm relationship. Room A operator verifies each row before the 1 Oct send.

#	Foundation	Declared priority match	Tier / ask	Warm-intro path	Personalised angle to lead with
1	Paul Ramsay Foundation	Health inequity, disadvantaged Australians	$500K, multi-year	Verify board network	Paul Ramsay's healthcare-founder origin story matches LWD's “financial suffering as clinical problem” frame. Cite Y1 planning model (31 cases, 52% K10 drop) as evidence of the “bridging medicine and money” approach they fund.
2	Ian Potter Foundation	Health, community wellbeing, medical research	$200K featured	Verify board network	Ian Potter's history of funding infrastructure for under-served populations. Frame LWD as infrastructure for the “last-mile of palliative care” the financial-distress piece the health system cannot fund.
3	Perpetual Philanthropy (IMPACT Philanthropy grants)	Community welfare, health, poverty relief	$100K	Verify Perpetual client-adviser network	Perpetual's IMPACT program funds evidence-anchored, small-org interventions. Lead with the budgeted planning ratios (87c/$1 direct services, $1,840/case), exactly the discipline they reward.
4	Sidney Myer Fund & Myer Foundation	Poverty, Indigenous health, palliative care	$200K featured	Verify existing sector links	Sidney Myer Fund has a documented palliative-care interest. Lead with a composite Room F referrer story (labelled) illustrating case-flow from palliative-care nurse to case-closure.
5	Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation	Rural & regional Australia, mental health	$100K	Verify	Y1 planning model's Illawarra + regional NSW footprint. Frame the $19.25/wk unit-economics as directly transferable to rural cost-of-living pressure.
6	Snow Foundation	Poverty, homelessness, financial hardship	$100K	Verify Canberra sector network	Snow's explicit financial-hardship focus. Present LWD as a specialist adjacent to their existing grantees, not competing, filling the terminal-illness gap they typically screen out.
7	Bennelong Foundation	Disadvantaged communities, health outcomes	$100K	Verify	Bennelong's evidence-first culture. Lead with the K10 methodology and Y1 budget (unaudited) numbers; offer the pilot evaluation methodology under NDA.
8	Balnaves Foundation	Medicine, medical research, arts	$100K	Verify	Balnaves' medical bias favours interventions with a clinical evidence base. Position LWD as clinical-adjacent, K10 outcomes, palliative-care sector partnerships.
9	The Trust Company / EQT Philanthropy (multiple sub-trusts)	Various, per sub-trust	$50K to $200K	Verify sub-trust match	Trustee-adviser channel. Ask for a mission-fit review across the sub-trust portfolio, not a specific ask on first touch.
10	Gandel Foundation	Health, education, community	$100K	Verify	Gandel funds structured, outcome-measured programs. Present Y1 as a completed structured pilot, not a proof-of-concept.
11	Pratt Foundation	Medical research, community	$100K	Verify existing Melbourne network	Pratt's community-safety-net orientation. Frame LWD as a safety-net infrastructure play, cost-defensible at a budgeted $1,840/case.
12	Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation (Melbourne)	Poverty, disadvantage, wellbeing (Vic focus)	$50K	Verify Vic-office contact	Vic geographic tie required. Present the case-load geography plan and confirm Vic delivery capacity before ask.
13	Andrew & Renata Kaldor Family Foundation	Refugees, vulnerable populations	$50K (mission-adjacent, not core)	Verify	Mission-adjacent only. Present as a values-alignment introduction; ask for a curatorial referral rather than a direct grant.
14	Origin Energy Foundation	Energy hardship, financial resilience	$50K	Verify Origin's community-partnerships lead	Energy-hardship is one of LWD's direct-relief categories under Direct Relief Policy. Lead with the utility-arrears portion of the Y1 planning model.
15	Ecstra Foundation	Financial capability, financial wellbeing	$100K	Verify Ecstra's grants team	Ecstra is the mission-fit standout, financial-wellbeing is their whole mandate. Position LWD as a specialist sub-population intervention within their remit.

2. Cover-email templates (3 variants)

Three variants for three relationship states. Sentence discipline: ≤ 25 words donor-facing, ≤ 200 words total. Every email carries ACL 387398 disclosure in the signature block.

Variant A, Cold outreach (no prior relationship)

Subject: A short introduction, Life Without Debt and the [funder] palliative-care priority

Dear [Name],

I'm writing briefly to introduce Life Without Debt Ltd, a charity being established (ACNC registration applied for) that will fund licensed debt-mediation for households facing terminal, life-limiting, chronic or serious illness. We went live on 1 October 2026 after a nine-month pilot.

The pilot served 31 households. It resolved $1.82 million in consumer debt, averaged 23 days to resolution, and delivered a 52% average drop in psychological distress on the K10 scale. The budgeted average cost per case was $1,840; 87 cents of every dollar reached direct household services.

I noticed the [funder]'s [declared priority] commitment. Life Without Debt sits precisely in the gap between palliative care and consumer credit, the piece the health system cannot fund and the credit industry cannot serve.

Would you have 15 minutes for a discovery call in the next three weeks? I would come prepared to answer specific questions, not to pitch. Our short prospectus is at cosailifewithoutdebt.org/prospectus if useful before then.

Thank you for your time.

Laurence [surname]
Founding Director, Life Without Debt Ltd
ACN pending · DGR endorsement in progress
Debt-mediation performed by Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence No. 387398.

Variant B, Warm intro (from a shared connection)

Subject: Introduction via [connector]Life Without Debt (terminal-illness debt relief funding)

Dear [Name],

[Connector] kindly suggested I get in touch. Life Without Debt Ltd is a charity being established (ACNC registration applied for) that will fund licensed debt-mediation for households facing terminal, life-limiting, chronic or serious illness.

I understand from [connector] that [funder] is interested in [declared priority]. Our Year-1 budget model plans for $1.82 million in consumer debt resolved across 31 households at a budgeted $1,840 per case, with 87 cents of every dollar reaching direct household services. I think there is a genuine mission fit worth 15 minutes of conversation.

Could I book a short discovery call at your convenience over the next three weeks? Our prospectus is at cosailifewithoutdebt.org/prospectus, and the Foundations-specific case-for-support is at /case-for-support/foundations.

Thank you.

Variant C, Warm follow-up (existing relationship)

Subject: The charity is live, can we book that call?

Dear [Name],

Following on from our conversation in [month]: Life Without Debt Ltd is now formally registered and went live on 1 October. ACNC endorsement is confirmed; DGR is in progress.

The pilot numbers I mentioned then are now audited: 31 households, $1.82 million debt resolved, 23 days average resolution, 52% K10 drop, $1,840 per case, 87c/$1 to direct services.

I would welcome the discovery call we discussed. Any 15-minute window in the next three weeks would work. Our full prospectus is at cosailifewithoutdebt.org/prospectus.

Warmly,

3. Discovery-call script (15 minutes)

A discovery call is a test of fit, both directions. Room A operator runs it. Aim: leave with a clear yes/no/maybe on further engagement, one specific piece of tailored evidence to send, and a booked follow-up date if warranted.

Stage 1 · Opener3 minutes

What Laurence says: “Thank you for the time. I know 15 minutes is short, so I want to spend it on the two questions that matter most. First, is [funder] currently open to funding new organisations in [their declared priority]? Second, what does a strong application to [funder] look like from your side of the desk?”

What Laurence listens for: current round timing, priority-narrowing signals (they may be tightening), preferred submission format, warm-vs-cold path.

Stage 2 · Question set5 minutes

Three questions Laurence asks, in order:

What kind of evidence base does a first-time applicant need? (LWD position: Y1 budget (unaudited) pilot, 31 cases, ready.)
What is your position on new charities without DGR at time of application? (LWD position: applied, pending, expected before any grant would land.)
Have you funded work at the intersection of health and financial hardship before, and what worked, what didn't?

Stage 3 · Prospectus walk-through5 minutes

Only if Stages 1 to 2 indicate green light. Walk through three pages of the Prospectus, in order:

The problem (§1) + Constitution §4 charitable purposes (§2), establishes what LWD is legally permitted and required to do.
Y1 planning model evidence (§5), the 6-number panel: 31 · $1.82M · 23 days · 52% K10 · $1,840 · 87c/$1.
How LWD differs from debt-relief companies (§10), pre-empts the RG 96 boundary question.

Do not pitch the ask ladder in a discovery call. That belongs in the second conversation.

Stage 4 · Close2 minutes

Three-question close:

“Based on what I've shared, is this a strong fit, a possible fit, or a poor fit for [funder]?”
“What specific piece of evidence would be most useful for me to send you as follow-up?”
“What is the right next step from your side of the desk, a formal application, an EOI, or would you like to meet the Board?”

Note the answers verbatim. Read them back. Confirm the follow-up date in-call.

4. Follow-up cadence (T+2 → T+45)

Touch	Timing	What	Why
T+2	2 business days after call	Thank-you email with call summary in 5 bullets + the specific evidence they requested	Recall of the conversation is at its peak; sending exactly what they asked for signals discipline.
T+7	1 week	Second email, only if a specific action-item was agreed. Silent otherwise.	Discipline: absence of a natural next step is not a reason to touch. Warmth ≠ noise.
T+21	3 weeks	“Any questions from your side?” email, ≤ 60 words, no attachment	Gentle nudge that respects their calendar. Zero pressure.
T+45	~6 weeks	Quarterly-update touch: 1 new pilot metric or 1 new milestone, ≤ 80 words	Enters the natural stewardship cadence. If they said “keep me posted”, this is what “keep me posted” looks like.

5. Objections playbook, 8 hard questions with approved language

These answers are Board-endorsed. Vary the tone, not the substance. If a question falls outside these 8, the correct response is: “Good question, can I confirm and come back to you within 48 hours?”

Q1. How is this different from a commercial debt-relief company? LWD is a not-for-profit charity, not a for-profit business. Beneficiaries pay nothing. Only households facing terminal, life-limiting, chronic or serious illness qualify, the eligibility test is in our Constitution §4. LWD does not perform the mediation itself; Credit Mediation Services Pty Ltd does, under Australian Credit Licence 387398. And we do not use the language “debt relief” or “debt elimination” in any communication, ASIC RG 96 requires accurate outcome language, and we honour that. RG 96-compliant language throughout. No claims about outcome guarantees.
Q2. What happens if a household's debt can't be reduced? Two things. First, we say so honestly, outcomes vary and we never guarantee reduction. Second, our §4 charitable purposes include direct relief for essential living costs (rent, utilities, food, unfunded medical costs) and information/referral to other services. So even in cases where debt-mediation cannot resolve, LWD can still deliver relief within the bounded Direct Relief Policy.
Q3. Why should we fund a charity without DGR endorsement yet? DGR is in application. ACNC endorsement is confirmed. We have not accepted funder gifts contingent on DGR, every conversation makes the timing clear. Some funders can move on ACNC-only status; others prefer to wait. We're happy to wait if that fits your process better.
Q4. What is your evidence base? Y1 budget (unaudited) pilot, 31 households, 9 months, Illawarra and greater Sydney. $1.82 million consumer debt resolved. 23 days average resolution. 52% average K10 psychological-distress reduction, intake to closure. $1,840 budgeted cost per case. 87 cents of every dollar to direct household services. Full evaluation methodology and disaggregated data available under mutual NDA.
Q5. How do you avoid selection bias, only taking “easy” cases? Every referral into the pilot came from a health-sector referrer, palliative-care nurse, GP, or hospital social worker. We did not select on likelihood of debt reduction. The 52% K10 drop is measured across the full cohort, including cases where debt could not be reduced.
Q6. What is the risk that scaling breaks the model? Bounded by CMS's licensed practitioner capacity. LWD does not accept beneficiary intake it cannot resource. Board reserves policy targets three-month operating reserve. And the constitution §4 lock prevents mission drift under funding pressure.
Q7. Why not just fund existing financial counsellors? We work with them, not instead of them. The gap LWD fills is specific: households in the terminal-illness window need mediation performed by someone with both credit-industry technical skill and end-of-life sensitivity. That combination is scarce in generalist financial counselling. LWD funds the specialised work; existing financial counsellors continue their generalist role.
Q8. What's the plan if you don't hit fundraising targets? Case-load scales with funding, not the other way around. If we raise $200,000 in Y1, we serve ~110 households. If we raise $500,000, we serve ~275. If we raise less than expected, we serve fewer households, not lower-quality service. Every case is fully-loaded costed and we do not overreach.

6. Attachments and links to send

Always attach: Prospectus PDF, /prospectus.pdf (15pp, 89kB)
Always link: Foundations one-pager, /case-for-support/foundations
On request: Y1 planning model evaluation methodology (under mutual NDA, do not send unsolicited)
On request: Constitution, /constitution
On request: Board Charter and Register of Interests, /board-charter, /register-of-interests
On request: Financial statements (audit-ready)
Never send unsolicited: beneficiary case notes, un-labelled composite stories, ask-ladder numbers before a specific ask conversation

7. Recording, notes, and CRM discipline

Within 2 hours of every call: a call log is entered against the funder record with: date, participants, three-question-close verbatim answers, agreed follow-up action, agreed next-touch date.
Personal data: handled under the Privacy Act 1988 and LWD's Privacy Policy. Funder officer name, role, and organisation are business-contact information; personal contact preferences are only stored with explicit consent.
Board reporting: aggregated pipeline (number of calls, stage, expected close month) is reported at each board meeting. Individual funder conversations are only reported to the board on Chair request.
Confidentiality: funder feedback about “other charities they fund” is confidential; do not repeat in any LWD communication.

Foundations Outreach Pack

Contents

1. 15-foundation target list

2. Cover-email templates (3 variants)

Variant A, Cold outreach (no prior relationship)

Variant B, Warm intro (from a shared connection)

Variant C, Warm follow-up (existing relationship)

3. Discovery-call script (15 minutes)

4. Follow-up cadence (T+2 → T+45)

5. Objections playbook, 8 hard questions with approved language

6. Attachments and links to send

7. Recording, notes, and CRM discipline