by Doris Feinberg, CFRE There’s a saying in the world of philanthropy: “If you ask for money, you’ll get advice. But if you ask for advice, you’ll get money.” It sounds clever, but what does it really mean? And how can we use its good sense in our work supporting non-profit organizations? The key is in developing meaningful relationships with donors who become invested in the mission of the organization. Imagine the following scenarios: In the first, a solicitor visits a major donor prospect and shares with her the organization’s plans for a new center for abused children (or cardiac center, or independent school - you get the idea). The solicitor then asks for a gift. In the second, the solicitor is a trustee who knows the prospect personally. The trustee shares the … Continue Reading
Boards in Transition
Taking Stock of Accomplishments and Identifying Challenges Several weeks ago I received a request to meet with the executive director and the staff person who works with their donors and potential donors of a mid-size multi-service organization. The agency was in a period of transition, and according to the by-laws, they would be electing a new board of directors in the early part of the 2010. Many of the board members would be continuing to sit on the soon to be elected board and a number would be completing their volunteer service to the organization. They posed a series of questions focusing on building a sense of continuity into the board’s functioning and on not losing the momentum of the present board. How could the new members of the board be brought “up to speed” and quickly … Continue Reading
Placing The Cart Before The Horse
The Non-Profit Providing Services Prior to the Board of Directors is Functioning Many non-profit organizations are established to meet social, educational, health, or social welfare needs, among others, that are not being presently met by the public or private sectors. An individual or a group of people will get together to establish and implement the needed services. Often their commitment is based on their passion and they want very much to meet the pressing needs they have identified. In many cases, the establishment of a non-profit is tied to the actual needs of the founders and their families. People who deal with issues in their personal lives are closest to the challenges they are experiencing and many times they have been frustrated by the lack of responsiveness of the existing … Continue Reading
9 Ways To Make Sure You Match Grant Criteria
Although grants can appear to be a limitless source of funding just waiting to be tapped, the reality is that grantmaking organizations receive huge numbers of requests and need to make tough decisions about where to distribute their help. In her book “How to Say It: Grantwriting,” Deborah S. Koch recommends finding a grantmaker that is a good match for the project or organization requesting support. In fact, Koch reports that grantmakers consistently report that their rejection of a proposal comes because it is not a good match with their goals, preferences and limitations. Koch further suggests conducting research on a grantmaker to learn about its preferences. Look at: Does a grantmaker fund what it says it does? Does it fund organizations or projects like ours? For small and … Continue Reading
5 Ways to Establish Unquestionable Need
As anyone who has applied for or received grant funding can attest, there is no one magic formula to securing financial support, but there are certain methods that have proven to be successful. In the book “How to Say It: Grantwriting,” Deborah S. Koch offers certain guidelines that have stood up as basics in the quest for funding. For one thing, Koch argues, if you cannot establish that there is an unquestionable need for the work you propose to do, then the proposal ought to stop right there. Further: Clarify your issue. Your organization’s purpose is associated with an issue; it is the reason your organization exists. There is a substantial issue that you think needs extra attention. Demonstrate knowledge of the field. A reviewer must trust that your expression of need is … Continue Reading
Strategic Thinking: Do You or Don’t You
Natasha Dresner writing in/on GIJP Blog: To Think or Not to Think Strategically: Is that even a Question?! Strategic thinking is different from strategic planning, but they’re interrelated and complementary. Some people think that it’s a “chicken and egg” thing - in other words, that you can start with either and it’ll promote the other. I believe that strategic thinking comes first - you focus on what matters most (e.g. performance, revenue sources, outside perception of the organization) and, via a meaningful dialogue among everyone in your organization, you then produce a high-level, bird’s-eye view of your situation. This, in turn, logically leads you into the more nitty-gritty strategic planning process to figure out the details, sequences, measurable outcomes, etc. Good … Continue Reading
Is Your Non-Profit In Compliance?
by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin We have frequently addressed the importance of being transparent to donors and making sure that each non-profit organization raising funds in the United States is prepared to start 2010 strong. One important topic we feel compelled to raise (again) in greater detail is compliance. As you strive to strategically plan for the coming year, it is important to make sure that your organization is in full compliance with a number of governing bodies and local, state, and national laws and therefore meet important standards designed to protect donors as well as non-profits. Being in cooperation with appropriate statutes will position each non-profit to experience continued growth. Is your IRS 990 form filed correctly? Are you meeting the set of expectations of … Continue Reading
8 Ideas for Making Your Program Fundable
No grantmaking organization will bestow money on a project that is worthless. There are so many that are worthwhile, however, that funders can have difficulty selecting those that have real merit. One way of getting attention is to prove to supporters the value of your project. In her book, “How to Say It: Grantwriting,” Deborah S. Koch suggests striving for not just a fundable project, but also a highly fundable one. She suggests the following elements to elevate a project’s appeal to grantmakers: Funding your project will benefit many people who are in need. Funders want to change the world for the better. Your work will be done collaboratively with other parts of your organization or with community partners such a schools, local government, nonprofit and community groups or … Continue Reading
Developing a Board of Directors: How Many People Do I Need and Who Should The People Be?
The process of forming or redeveloping a non-profit organization always involves thinking about the board of directors. The two key questions, among others, that I have been asked over the years are, “How many people should we have on the board? and “Who should we approach to join the board of directors?” Depending on how the leadership envisions the role and function of the board will determine how the board should be constituted both in terms of the types of people who will be approached to serve on the board as well as the number of positions that will be filled during the process of constituting a new board or reconstituting an existing board of directors. The main purpose of the board of directors is being accountable for the functions of the organization and being responsible for is … Continue Reading
Where is The Open Source Organization?
Almost a year ago, I wrote a blog post entitled “The Non-Profit Quarterly Report.” In this post, I argued that nonprofit organizations should offer online quarterly reports, and mimic the transparency exemplified by Jonathan Schwartz’ online quarterly reports. (Jonathan is the CEO of Sun Microsystems.) John Maeda, President of the Rhode Island School of Design and social media advocate, argues that “in many cases complete clarity should be a leader’s goal rather than complete transparency.” If you combine the concepts of organizational clarity with transparency and inclusionary decision making, then you create a new type of organization: The Open Source Organization One organization has stepped up to the plate to show us how it’s done: PresenTense Group. The PresenTense Group … Continue Reading
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