Four Keys For Successful Foundation and Corporate Fundraising
Earlier in my career, I worked for a training and technical assistance service provider with significant revenue from foundations and corporations. What was the key to success? It was targeted fundraising based on the needs of the donors.
Unfortunately, many organizations take another approach. They send a shower of requests hoping one might land in the right spot. As a board member of a grantmaking organization with no paid staff, I review requests that are based on this "shower" approach. They have little chance of being funded. Why? In most cases, the requests either do not relate to our grantmaking initiatives or the amount of money requested is well above our capabilities.
In the current fundraising environment of fewer dollars and more nonprofits, you can't afford to waste your time and resources. There are four keys to more successful fundraising.
Be clear about who you are
You must be clear about:
The community need you are addressing
How your mission addresses that need
The precise activities or services for which you are seeking support
Who will benefit from these activities or services
Your expected outcomes
Your measures of success
The type and amount of resources you need to achieve your desired results
Invest in prospect research
Once you are clear about your needs, shift your focus to the needs of your potential donors. Learn their history and their unique interests. Learn their guidelines, policies and grantmaking procedures. Learn their funding patterns, including the specific types of grants and the dollar amounts. The more information you gather the more likely it is that you will be able to find a realistic match.
Create value
All nonprofits exist to make a difference. But in order to attract funding, you must be able to answer two key questions: Will your request help the donor meet their philanthropic goals? In what specific ways will the donor benefit from contributing to your organization?
If you can develop a compelling statement describing "what's in it for them", you have probably found a good match.
In addition, you must demonstrate that you are a mission-focused, results-oriented organization by:
Presenting a well-developed plan for implementing and evaluating your activities Providing evidence of your competence and capacity to deliver Documenting that you will be able to sustain your proposed activities.
Build community partnerships
Foundation and corporate funders receive many more requests than they are able to fund. They are keenly aware of the duplication that is prevalent in the nonprofit sector and the large number of nonprofits requesting funds to address related issues.
Corporations and foundations are more likely to fund requests (and to give higher amounts) if the work plan demonstrates a true partnership among several organizations. Working through turf and other issues is difficult, but it is worth the effort.
All of us spend a great deal of time raising money from corporations and foundations. Investing time and resources in researching the most likely prospects increases your chances for success. Focusing on the benefits prospects will gain from supporting you will increase your chances even more.
Judith Rothbaum helps talented nonprofit professionals and volunteers grown their business and think more boldly about who they are and the changes they create in their communities. Visit http://www.datafordecisionmaking.com to learn more.
She has worked with, and in, nonprofits for over 20 years. She is a foundation trustee and is a resource development instructor for the APHA Maternal and Child Health Institute. She publishes a monthly e-newsletter which is available at no cost.
 Google News Updated : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:48:34 GMT For Some Animals, There's No Place at Home - U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report - By Amanda Gardner MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposing your children to the joys of pet ownership may, in some cases, also mean exposing them to infections and injuries. Keep Kids From Exotic Animals, Docs Say Doctors: No hamsters or exotic pets for young kids Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:06:44 GMT Angelina Jolie Debuts New Movie and New Ink - Actress Archives
Actress Archives - Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt recently attended the movie premiere for Jolie’s new film “The Changeling” directed by Clint Eastwood, and the film wasn’t the only thing on display. Video: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Premiere Angelina Jolie’s New Tattoo Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:09:31 GMT Mammals facing extinction threat - BBC News
BBC News - By Richard Black At least 25% of the world's mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to the first assessment of their status for a decade. Many, many mammals face extinction One Quarter of World's Mammals Face Extinction Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:37:47 GMT PGA -- 2008 Turning Point Championship Recap - Pro Fantasy Sports
Pro Fantasy Sports - Hello in the second of the “Fall Finish” series, a unknown rookie birdied the 72 nd hole to earn a hefty paycheck and a spot on the PGA tour for the next two years. Johnson earns first win at Turning Stone Rookie posts first victory Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:07:14 GMT Obama accuses McCain of looking for distractions - CNN
CNN - (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday charged that Sen. John McCain's campaign is launching "Swift boat-style attacks" on him instead of addressing the country's problems. Health Care: Coverage -- But at What Price? Health Care Destruction Publ.Date : Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:30:50 GMT Ask.com Sails into Semantic Search to Differentiate from Google - eWeek
eWeek - By Clint Boulton Ask.com's search engine market share is minimal at best, but the company keeps on plugging away in application development to keep from being extinguished by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft. Ask.com Amps Up Search Again Ask.com, now with more answers Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:04:07 GMT Postseason ace Beckett shelled as Angels win 5-4 - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - BOSTON (AP) - Josh Beckett waited four extra days for a chance to show his postseason brilliance. That shine wore off with his very first pitch. Video: Angels, White Sox Each Force a Game 4 Red Sox's injuries could prove costly vs. Angels Publ.Date : Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:11:21 GMT Increase Web Traffic |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... With promotional items there are standards: t-shirts, mugs, note cubes,... Read More I don't mean you, I mean the YOU that is... Read More Even if you never place a cold call, you still... Read More At first glance, nothing seems more chaotic than a trade... Read More You probably read my headline and thought, wait a minute,... Read More Use a business card as a note pad for recording... Read More Here's a simple way you can generate lots of sales... Read More Too often we small business owners get caught up in... Read More Have you ever gone to a networking function and seen... Read More People attend trade shows because they are in a specific... Read More Celebrities are the tastemakers that drive brand awareness and usage.... Read More One of the hardest things for you to do as... Read More After a friend was bitten by a spider, I decided... Read More Think you can't afford to hire a copywriter? Think again.... Read More How many times have you heard the same sound bites... Read More If you are not using flyers in your business you... Read More On a copywriting board I frequent, someone expressed bafflement that... Read More Marketing expert and author, Geoffrey Moore, has a useful fill-in-the-blank... Read More You are an expert. You have lots of content -... Read More It seems nowadays every marketing guru and their brother-in-law has... Read More 1. Know your purpose: What do you want your direct... Read More What's a small business owner to do if they have... Read More Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily... Read More Whether you are already running your own business, or still... Read More Your business depends on the success of your marketing efforts.... Read More
Adsense
websites
Unique Gift Items ? 3 Creative Ideas
The YOU Factor
Breaking The Voice Mail Barrier
Tradeshow Booth Cures - Ancient Cures for Modern Day Problems
Ready, Fire, Aim!
The Art of the Business Card
Low-Cost Marketing With Postcards
A Perfect Partnership for Business
How Can I Break Into Cliques?
Be a Smarter Marketer - Learn the L-A-W for Trade Shows
Top 7 Ways to Get Your Products in the Hands of Celebrities
Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears
Flesh Eating Spiders And Other Marketing Horrors
7 Ways a Copywriter Can Help Your Business Succeed
10 Steps To Getting Paid For Your Marketing Materials
Using Flyers In Your Business
The Anatomy of Hype
A Business In One Sentence
Behold the Power of the Tip
Four Super-Deadly Marketing Sins - And How To Fix Them
Direct Mail Strategy - Brand Identity Guru
Marketing Effectively to More Than One Audience
Avoid the Duds: 10 Strategies for Selecting The Perfect Speaker
Attracting Clients With Ease
Mortgage Marketing - What Your Client Wants
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Defining Moment
Do you know your audiences? I mean really know... Read More
How to Size an Emerging Market
In developing their business plans, companies of all sizes face... Read More
Create Free Internet Buzz with Your Workforce
There are many different ways to increase your traffic on... Read More
3 Ways to Gain and KEEP Customers Using Postcards
In today's competitive (sometimes cutthroat) marketplace, savvy business owners need... Read More
How to Successfully Promote your Business to an International Audience
Breaking into the international marketplace can catapult a company into... Read More
Knowing When To Charge More and To Charge Less
More And MoreIt was notable that when I started my... Read More
3 High-Impact Fixes For Your Marketing Woes
How many times has your competitor gotten one over on... Read More
Viral Marketing
Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you... Read More
Top 5 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads for Your Small Business
Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a... Read More
Increase Sales With Travel Incentives
Today's business environment has changed dramatically over the past 10... Read More
Top 3 Reasons Why Your Headlines Fail
Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80%... Read More
Where to Find Cheap Brochure Printing
Whether it is for is a real estate listing, a... Read More
What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business
Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who... Read More
In Sickness And In Health
I recently drove by a business that had a sign... Read More
How to Turn Your Promotional Products Expense Into a Profit Center
If you use promotional products you probably already know the... Read More
5 Ways to Market for Immediate Results
Sales are down, and I need more customers now! Sound... Read More
The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart
You want your prospect to make the decision to buy... Read More
Is Most Marketing by Small Businesses KILLING THEM?
I just collected my mail. As usual, more than 80%... Read More
Testimonials - FREE Quality Advertising FOR YOU!
Every business person who has any kind of product or... Read More
Contrarian Marketing at Benettons
Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this... Read More
Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value
I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back... Read More
Business Promotional Items ? How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising
If the promotional items you give out end up in... Read More
Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You
Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your... Read More
Marketing Discipline and the Joy of Success
Discipline Is Important.I recently read an article about why discipline... Read More
2 Step Marketing
Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. The other... Read More
Marketing |