Fundraising Breakthroughs

Your Organization's Donation Page

2009-06-30T08:00:00.004-04:00

How are you inviting people to invest? Offering opportunities for your group's fans to engage? Creating a chance for individuals to connect to the work. Fans are the ones who can give donations and create buzz and push a movement.

Does your donations page read something like this?

Grassroots Gifts
Participation is powerful. $10 each from 1,000 individuals becomes $10,000. Contribute what you can. Invite your family and friends to participate in Our Organization's Important Activity Fund.

Lead Gifts
Your Lead Gift of $5,000 or more will build the foundation for the Important Activity Fund. Be a Leader and please give generously to the Important Activity Fund. A Lead Gift donation will be acknowledged with a one-of-a-kind premium.

The above examples explain that donations will add up and be valuable to the organization. OK, but not exactly inspiring. Your page needs to tell us how our donations will make a difference to the problem you are working to fix!

Donors/Fans want to help fix what's not right in the world. We appreciate nonprofits because their leaders have a strategy and plan (and presumably, partners and networks and programs) to do this. Nonprofit leaders have done the hard work and all they need now is money, volunteer time, and help spreading the word. Ask us for that and show us how our contributions will make a real difference in the world.

Reflection: National Conference on Service & Volunteering

2009-06-26T15:44:00.010-04:00

Let me just say: Chaka Khan.

Really the conference was extraordinary. The opening session, stunning. The sessions, strong. The networking, friendly. The colleagues, creative and sharp. The closing panel discussion, important, and Paul Hawken's closing comments, inspirational. Much of the action was covered live by the folks at MediaGuns.

Somehow, the planners were able to create a conference appropriate for nearly 5000 VISTA leaders, AmeriCorps members, SeniorCorps directors, nonprofit execs, foundation program officers, "capacity-builders" like me, and corporate executives. Anyone in this field for more than 2 hours could imagine how tough that would be.

What ChangeMatters will be doing a lot more of, as a result of our participation:

Looking for more ways to connect community-based arts organizations with community service action groups;
Collaborating with colleagues to help service organizations raise more resources, improve governance, and plan for growth;
Adding more tools to enable us to work more effectively as a growing "new economy consulting firm" (thanks to Laura Gassner Ottin g for this conceptual framework);
Developing a board orientation program for arts organizations;
Finding fresh venues and creating new ways to just do what we do.

In addition, I'm working on the ChangeMatters soundtrack. Suggestions welcome.

Advice on How NOT to Hire Development Help

2009-06-06T11:36:00.002-04:00

Consultant Janet Levine blogs about how __not__ to hire development staff for a nonprofit organization. She identifies real and common issues around making a good hire for these challenging roles.

Here’s are her ideas:
1. DON’T “spend a lot of time thinking about what I really wanted this person to do.”

2. DON’t expect that person to “log in the gifts, send out thank you letters, manage the annual gala and the golf tournament, make nice to board members (but don’t for pity’s sake ask them for anything), keep the files up to date, get out a newsletter, arrange for the bus to pick up….and oh yeah, in your spare time, could you make sure you close the financial gap between our revenue and expenses.”

3. DON’T develop interview “questions that will truly dig into a person’s style and beliefs. “

4. DON’T give candidates “a transparent picture of the situation.”

5. DO create a job description and DO develop “screening questions that have no connection to reality. “

Ten Survival Strategies for Arts Organizations

2009-05-20T09:38:00.006-04:00

John R. Killacky writes the most excellent article I've seen on what to __do__ about the economic crisis in the arts. He offers ten survival --or I would say, and Thrive-al-- strategies for arts organizations. Thanks to the newsletter Blue Avocado for highlighting this.

Each strategy is so thoughtful and practical, I had a hard time deciding what to highlight. I'm going with this:

"Capitalize to mission delivery, not sustainability. Michael Kaiser from the Kennedy Center is adamant: 'We mustn't be scared into thinking smaller. Small thinking begets smaller revenue that begets smaller institutions and reduces excitement and involvement.'"

But be sure to read the whole piece.

Resource Roundup: Extreme Fundraising, Pro Bono Help, Facebook Fail?, and More.

2009-04-30T22:46:00.003-04:00

Stepping up: Nonprofits cutting costs and raising revenue creatively.

Are your ears burning?: Charities need to track what is said about them online.

Pro Bono: How to overcome a lack of volunteer consultants.

Perspectives: 20 nonprofit & philanthropy blogs written by people of color.

What donors want: Does your website offer it? (via About.com)

Stay exempt: IRS provides online mini-course on the new 990 form for charities.

America’s next top funding models?

It takes money to make money: Nonprofits increase 'gift tax' on donors.

Say “cheese”: Free stock photos online .

Going down: Direct-response appeals suffer in the recession.

Lost “Causes”?: Is Facebook fundraising faltering?

Response from Beth’s Blog
Response from A. Fine Blog

Extreme fundraising: Endurance, blogging, and charity.

Merger Madness

2009-04-27T10:31:00.008-04:00

Philanthropy News reports on the merger trend.

This can be an energizing idea--and right on strategy--for organizations that have been stuck or stagnating for the last few years...but are now confronting the economic crisis today. The idea is energizing because it's an interesting but tough idea: challenge + opportunity + strategic thinking + openness + hard work=excitement.

Because it's energizing, it is also a strategy that may be really attractive to funders (drama! innovation! cutting edge! Though of course the foundations themselves would never do it, you know, in the interest of efficiency and there being simply too many foundations! LOL).

Anyway, when funders really like an approach, they (bless their hearts) tend to recommend it to everyone. And that means, we (non-profit board members, executives, advisors) must be open, thoughtful, reasonable, "energized," but most of all both strategic and cautious. And while we should be open, we must not be overly influenced by the funding community to jump into a merger process without fully considering and then actively embracing the real cost of restructuring (in resources, time, emotion, culture, distraction).

Mission and money, together, must drive decisions about best opportunities impact (note: I did not say "survival," I said "impact").

Who is considering restructuring now, in this economic climate. What are funders saying?

Here are some excellent resources on nonprofit mergers.

And definitely, read the article by Priscilla Hung, "Time to Merge," which ran in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Grassroots Fundraising Journal (scroll down and click on the article to get the free download). She describes in practical terms, some of the issues and challenges, opportunities and successes of their recent merger.

Social Media for Charity? Or for Social Change?

2009-03-24T10:57:00.004-04:00

Just posted a comment in response to Beth Kanter's provocative post on whether social media fundraising for good should actually be characterized as social media fundraising for charity, which I've edited and amended below:

So, the charity vs. social change is not a new debate. The tools have changed, and that's what opens up possibilities for doing more, better of each. Where I've always come down is the world needs both front line responsive charity and systemic solutions to tough root problems. As a good friend and trusted colleague says (about the old saying "teach a man to fish..."), "sometimes, in some communities, there is no river."

A lot of the social media fundraising has what feels like "dance for cancer" lite liveliness about it that appeals to the masses. Even when it is addressing tough and deadly serious issues. It gives me a nagging worry that some of these techniques water down the public understanding of the issues.

But I do see promise for using these new techniques and technologies to broaden (albeit shallow) participation __as well as__ deepen the relationships, connections, authentic engagement in __both__ charitable work and social change efforts.

Interesting to note: the blogging and social media folks are focused on (yes, I'll say it) social media fundraising for charity by individuals, not on fundraising/organizing/fan building for social change by nonprofit organizations.

The former is flash. The latter is potential power.

Previous posts on the subject: ROI for Social Media Fundraising and Study Misses Some Points.

We Want Serve America Act, but Without Ridiculous, Irritating, and Unnecessary Lobbying Restrictions

2009-03-23T17:12:00.003-04:00

Letter just sent to my Maryland members of Congress (thanks to prompting by Maryland Nonprofits):

Nonprofit organizations in Maryland and across the broadly support the Serve America Act - S 277. However the House-passed "Give Act" (HR 1388)includes an amendment with problem language that would ban legislative lobbying by these public service organizations--a right that should continue to be protected.

Some of the language added by Rep. Foxx of NC, the amendment may include legitimate concerns. But significant pieces are a serious problem for service organizations:

• lobbying, even with private funds and even outside the context of National Service programs;
• participation in national service programs for organizations "co-located" on the same premises as an organization that lobbies for charitable purposes
• "Participating in, or endorsing, events or activities that are likely to include advocacy for or against ... proposed legislation."

Honestly! Charities have been through this fight before. It is not charities who are the lobbying fiends! Charitable organizations cannot do a lot of lobbying (no more than 20% of their activity, and most actually do almost none). The lobbying they do do can only be legislative (not electoral), __by existing law__.

Please oppose this language. Narrow the amendment or prevent it from being added to the Senate Bill or in any conference committee.

Thank you for your support. Amy Kincaid

Ten Nonprofit Funding Models for Giants

2009-03-21T13:55:00.008-04:00

Stanford Social Innovation Review includes a brilliant paper that is very useful for the social enterprise/nonprofit leadership field, Ten Nonprofit Funding Models. But as usual, the Bridgespan Group researchers are looking only at the largest nonprofits. Their models were created by looking only at the relatively small group of huge nonprofit orgs (The NonProﬁt Times’ “Top 100” list (from 2006) and the researchers' list of 144 nonproﬁts founded since 1970 that have reached $50 million or greater in size).

For the vast majority of the sector's organizations, these models fit sort of, but not perfectly. The Big Bettor, for example, on a smaller scale, ofter can have a quality of, um, Vanity Project and over time doesn't tend to be sustainable without a transformation. And yet, it is a very common, and sometimes for a while quite successful model, financially. Board members and execs of the "regular-sized" organizations could use a framework of their own.

Also missing from this study (I think....and surprisingly...) are arts organizations, even major arts presenters. Wonder what Reynold Levy or Michael Kaiser have to say. And I wonder what leaders of the many local arts (and other) organizations have to say.

How do your the nonprofits you work or volunteer with fit these models?

Study Shows No Surprises, And Misses Some Points

2009-03-19T17:47:00.009-04:00

Those of us following online fundraising (even those of us who don't specialize in it) already know that online donors give more per gift, that those first time gifts, when made online are much higher than by mail. I'm not the only person who didn't find surprising the key findings from the just-released study by Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company. Still, it's good to have these points in one place, and it could be a decent discussion topic for the next board meeting.

Allison Fine raises an interesting point that she says the study missed: online giving works differently from direct mail giving because online donors are younger and tech savvy. She questions whether they will become "lifelong members and givers to specific nonprofits" and that they are "going to come and go based on how strongly they feel about an event (e.g. a natural disaster) or a cause (e.g. hunger) at that particular moment in time."

I agree with her, about the aggregate. But in the particular? I'm not so sure. For many of us, admittedly, attention span is now measured in 140 characters. But for the few causes we really care about, I believe we have the capacity for fuller, sustainable attention. Just like in the old days. Before The Facebook.

Fundraising (or rather, movement-building and fan-building) is all about relationship (and organizing). The new tools and techniques do enable __much__ wider outreach, and quite possibly wider and higher initial gifts and more exciting contact. But the harder thing still is how to develop real, authentic, responsive relationships with a smaller group of those initial donors. That wasn't easy with direct mail. It may not be easy to do __well__ with social media.

The real promise in fundraising is that the new tools and techniques (and approaches! like "handing the megaphone to the fans," with a nod to Seth Godin) will enable nonprofits and social enterprises to develop more meaningful relationships with more (but still a select) group of (potentially long-term) fans.

I really hope (want, need) to believe that the world will continue to produce some people who will invest their hearts, minds, and money in improving the world. And I really hope (want, need) to believe that those of us who still do will learn to respond and embrace and engage in both new (technology) and old (relationship) ways. Really, I hope that the new methods enable us to better build relationships, and therefore, more effectively move forward good causes, which will seriously, finally enable us to change things on this planet for us all.

Wish I'd Written This About The Future & Business of Arts Organizations

2009-03-19T12:36:00.010-04:00

Brilliant and important and fascinating and powerful discussion started by Allison Fine.

Her post and all the comments are worth reading and considering carefully, but the most powerful words (IMHO) are contributed by Brian Reich:

"To be successful today, you must focus on the content - the substance of what you do, and whether that provides something to the community, or audience, that is valued. Many of the arts organizations (and nonprofits) who I work with seem to believe that their offering is unique and that the audience thirsts for what they offer. But they don’t ask the audience what they want, or try to understand how to fit their work into the busy lives of the people who they seek attention from. They measure success by the amount of money raised or open rates on their email and not the inspiration they offer, people they feed, or happiness they bring. That simply won’t work. The audience is in charge (always has been, they just know it even more now). Arts groups don’t want to adapt to what the audience wants, they want the audience to come to them. And when that doesn’t happen, the arts groups often blame the media for not covering the arts or the economy for failing and leaving people without extra income to spend on things other than basics. Its not the audience’s fault. It’s not the media’s fault. It’s not the economy’s fault. Its your fault (arts groups, and everyone else). Its our fault (audience) for not demonstrating even more clearly what we want and expect from the arts and how we are willing to support it.

The reality is, people will spend time and money on things they find valuable and useful in their lives — arts organizations who are struggling to gain audience are not demonstrating their value (and I would argue in many cases are not in fact offering something all that valuable, when you consider how many other groups are doing the same thing, or something very similar). Its pretty straightforward as I see it.

How do you fix it? There is no silver bullet, no one answer. There are hundreds of ways to add value, some involving technology and some not. Launching a blog or opening a Twitter account doesn’t make what you do any more valuable — accessible maybe, but that’s it. Everything is changing - about how people get and share information, about what we see as valuable and how we spend our time. And as a result, how arts organizations (and newspapers, and everyone else) must change as well. This is not a marketing challenge. This is a structural issue. Deliver value and you will be in a position to make money. Offer people something they need, find interesting, or get a lift from and you will have ample opportunity to grow and have an impact.

Change is tough, and it will take time. You will have to experiment, and fail, and learn, and keep trying. But if you focus on the goal of delivering value to the audience (as they define it), it will seem much easier, and it will work out better for everyone."

OK, nonprofit leaders, managers, fundraisers, social entrepreneurs, capacity builders, funders, enthusiastic art appreciators, community culture leaders, artists, donors, sponsors, teaching artists: so what shall we do to enliven, enrich, engage and work these arts and info cultural assets in __all__ our communities??

Here's one modest thing. What else?

The Joe's Movement Emporium Step Team in Mt. Rainier, Maryland

Resource Roundup: Feline Fundraiser, Nonprofit Survivors, Ticked-off Donors, and More

2009-03-15T17:09:00.003-04:00

Survivors: Characteristics of nonprofits that are staying afloat despite the recession.

Hired help: Should you hire a professional grant writer?

Can you say “thank you”?: Only 33% of nonprofits acknowledge gift in online giving experiment.

When it comes to direct mail letters, longer is better.

Beyond direct mail: Reaching Baby Boomers. (via Joanne’s Nonprofits Blog)

Not-so-great expectations: Foundation giving in 2009.

Your donor is ticked off: Now what?

It pays off: Corporate social responsibility is vital for business survival.

Drive time: The cunning genius of the public radio fundraising drive.

Prediction: One in 13 nonprofits could fold this year.

Taxing: Recession, tax plans worry donors and nonprofits.

The giver: Strengthening the legacy of black philanthropy (part 2 of 4).

Out of reach: Endowment laws mean some nonprofits can't touch their money.

Feline fundraiser: Cat raises over $3.500 for animal rescues on Twitter. Seriously.

Rules for Direct Mail

2009-03-11T10:40:00.002-04:00

There were some questions about direct mail solicitations in the startup fundraising class last night. Here is more info, from previous Fundraising Breakthroughs posts that describe the tested "rules" and provide tips for direct mail

Improving Your Annual Appeal Letter

Fix Your Annual Appeal

Advice for Reply Slip Amounts, quotes from Fundraising for Social Change chapter on direct mail (by Kim Klein)

Stupid Direct Mail, in which I plead, "Don’t do either of these things!
• The Plain, Cheap, and Ugly Appeal
• The Embarrased and Insulting Message Appeal

Writing a Letter that Asks for Help, Honorably

One of the standby rules in invitations (or other types of) direct mail: Whenever possible, use handwritten addresses.

Aspiring Social Entrepreneurs

2009-03-11T10:16:00.003-04:00

The class on Raising Seed Money for Nonprofit Startups last night included aspiring social entrepreneurs working on these issues:

• Income security
• Uniting schools, kids, farmers, and parents
• Cultural diplomacy, reaching youth through hip hop
• People to people exchanges in emerging democracies
• International training for professionals
• Changing the way the health system serves communities

A couple of previous posts occur to me this morning:
• The unbelievable but true things in fundraising that I find myself saying over and over again, and
• Dangerous, but all too common, ideas for people starting nonprofits.

For them and others with big ideas for impact and social change:

• You aren't alone. Here's some context describing a movement and global tribe, of sorts, and its long-standing leaders: Skoll Foundation video re social entrepreneurship.
• Ashoka
• Echoing Green
• Skoll Foundation
• Social Edge (project of Skoll Foundation)
• Change.org
• TED
• Pop! Tech

The Three Amigos on Being Stunned by Success

2009-03-05T12:01:00.003-05:00

Another quote from that crazy movie for nonprofit-capacity builders, business advisors, and strategic planning consultants of all types. This time, a scene from what can happen after a huge success.

Subject: Plan B

Dusty Bottoms: Time for plan B. Plan A was to break into El Guapo's fortress.
Carmen: And that you have done, now what?
Dusty Bottoms: Well we really don't have a plan B. We didn't expect for the first plan to work. Sometimes you can overplan these things.

Look Up Here, Look Up Here

2009-03-02T13:42:00.002-05:00

Recently for a modern music and dance nonprofit, ChangeMatters researched business and funding models of peer and more established (and famous) organizations in that particular genre. As part of that, I fiddled with one of the tools from David LaPiana's new book, so we could compare and contrast structure. It helped the co-founder make some straightforward choices about immediate strategy.

That experience and some other work we've done with client-partners about strategy and strategic planning remind me of key "quick strategy" principles (leadership by sticky note):

1. What is the critical issue (or opportunity)?
2. What is your competitive advantage (most powerful strength)?
Lean on 2 to address 1. That's your strategy.

Now, this afternoon, I was telling my mother, who directs a midwest regional organization of churchlady volunteers, about LaPiana's idea. And she said, "Oh, like in The Three Amigos." Immediately, I understood her point (because we like that movie). And I quote (from the excerpt as it appears on The Internet):

Ned Nederlander: This is not a town of weaklings! You can use your strengths against El Guapo. Now, what is it that this town really does well?
Townspeople: Hmmm. Hmmm? Ummm.
[long pause]
Mama Sanchez: We can sew!

I wrote last summer about having heard LaPiana speak (at a conference just for capacity-building consultants, convened by Fieldstone Alliance's Kellogg Action Lab).

P.S. Here's the clip of how the town of Santa Poco carried out their strategy. And the results.

Resource Roundup: Useless E-newsletters, No-frills Events, Facebook Causes, and More

2009-03-01T13:42:00.004-05:00

We're Broke. Want to Sponsor Us?: 5 Steps to Sponsorship Success.

Just cause: How to setup a Facebook "Causes" page for your nonprofit.

E-mail newsletters: A waste of time? (via Joanne’s Nonprofit Blog)

Goal: Persuading sports fans to give to charity.

What next?: Emerging trends on the philanthropy beat.

Sam Price offers good advice on how to solicit gifts from individuals.

Getting a piece of the pie: Special reports on economic stimulus & nonprofits.

Toning down the glitz: The no-frills charity benefit.

Do you rate?: Informing donors about nonprofit performance.

Tweet your way to funding: Advice for charities on making the most of Twitter.

Insolvent: Charities now seek bankruptcy protection.

Merge ahead: Charities merge at almost the same rate as businesses.

blackgivesback: Strengthening the legacy of black philanthropy.

Greening up with the Joneses: Conformity and marketing.

Spay Day: The Humane Society’s online pet photo contest.

Nonprofits Need Multiple Growth Strategies

2009-02-28T12:26:00.005-05:00

It's a new day and I'm still musing about Cohen Report's piece on America Forward.

America Forward members' growth strategy to build national, multi-site, major government agreements has proven to be major social innovation. Seriously. It really changed things in the nonprofit sector, which as a result gained (for the first time in decades) new organizations, fresh approaches, a more contemporary style of leadership.

But it's not the only funding and growth strategy! And it's not feasible or even right for every nonprofit. Who's with me?

Anyone out there also concerned, as I am, about smart funding strategies and sustainable business models for

• the small-and-perfectly-so groups,
• the grassroots community progressive advocacy groups,
• the cutting edge social media-movement building groups,
• the new giving marketplace groups (Kiva, Global giving, Universal Giving),
• these evolving B Corps,
• groups with other-than-cause-related marketing partnerships w/ tech sector for social impact, • the agencies running businesses (Zen Bakery, landscaping businesses of addiction recovery agencies, etc.),
• the arts groups (large __and__ small),
• the stand alone local social service and community work orgs that just get one crucial VISTA or AmeriCorps per year to round out their little staffs?

The America Forward groups are comparatively few in number to the vast majority of nonprofit sector organizations. Funny thing. These groups have become so successful that __they__ now can be considered more "establishment" than entrepreneurial. Again, that's ok. But please, I hope they won't make the mistake of seeing their tested model as the best and brightest, and therefore only.

Organizations and funders in the nonprofit sector have a freakin' lot of work to do, with, alongside, and separate from the Obama Administration in about a zillion important areas. As leaders, we have to appreciate the context in which our peers operate. The street-level capacity of the multiplicity of groups doing the do in our sector. The funding and growth strategies lifted up as models by funders (foundations and the Feds) just have to reflect and support these differences.

Who else thinks these issues are worth musing about together?

Remember the Small, Local, and Unflashy

2009-02-26T13:34:00.008-05:00

In a recent post of The Cohen Report, Social Entrepreneurism at the Public Trough, Rick Cohen shines a flashlight on the primary form of entrepreneurism of many of the leading national community service groups: Federal government funding. I don't think it'snecessarily a bad thing, but I do I agree that it is important to be out and honest about this.

He calls Vanessa Kirsch of New Profit, Inc. (and Public Allies and more), and the leaders of the group of extraordinary national service organizations created mostly during the 90's (Teach for America, City Year, etc.) to a leadership voice that also embraces the many grassroots organizations working on issues.

The final paragraph in his analysis, I think, is the most powerful:
"Now that these organizations and the America Forward coalition are on the inside of the Obama Administration’s discussions of nonprofit policy, they should remember that 99 percent of the nonprofit sector isn’t national, multi-site, and large. Most are small, local, and need as big shares of the upcoming nonprofit largesse of the new occupant in the White House. Their charge is not to double and triple their grantsmanship and earmarking success at the public trough, but to open public funding to the grassroots nonprofits whose daily work defines and implements nonprofit social entrepreneurialism for most of America."

The Arts Administrator Song

2009-02-21T17:11:00.004-05:00

Thanks from all of us in the field to His Funky Majesty Andrew Taylor (The Artful Manager).

Finding Federal Funding: A Beginner’s Guide in 8 Steps

2009-02-20T13:21:00.007-05:00

Knowing that I’ve worked on US government-funded grants for over 15 years, a friend recently asked me for advice on how nonprofits can secure federal funding. The first step is, as in many things, knowing what to look for and where. Below is my advice on how to get started in identifying federal grant opportunities.

1) Go to Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov), a clearinghouse for federal grant opportunities, where you can do individual searches or subscribe and have notifications e-mailed you. Check out their instructions for more details.

2) Develop appropriate search terms for use in the above. Different federal agencies may describe the same type of work in different ways. Create a list of as many possible—yet still relevant—search terms and circulate them within your organization for review. Err on the side of including more terms rather than fewer. It’s better to have to filter out “false positives” from your results than to miss an opportunity. Every few days or so, do a very general search sorted by release date and scan it for possibilities. That way you’ll know you aren't letting anything slip by. As you research and learn more, update your search terms as needed.

3) If you find a solicitation you're interested in, sign up to receive updates on it. That way, if the deadline or requirements change, you’ll receive a notice in your inbox.

4) As you become familiar with the various government agencies that fund the type of work you do, visit their websites regularly. While Grants.gov should show all solicitations for grant proposals, this type of research will help familiarize you with that specific agency’s approaches, priorities, and preferred terminology. Be sure to review their lists of previous grant awards, if available. This can be a rich source of information and will help you determine if they fund the type of work you do in reality or only in theory.

5) Perform a competitor analysis. Which organizations are similar to yours? What groups do you admire in your industry? Review their funder lists (most will show these on their websites or annual reports or both). This will help broaden your understanding of which federal agencies (or specific offices within the agencies) fund your type of work.

6) Some agencies offer a period of time to ask questions about specific grant opportunities. Some also hold pre-proposal or pre-bid conferences, where the agency will explain what they are looking for, and you and other prospective applicants can ask for clarification. Take advantage of these but read the agency’s official guidance materials thoroughly before you do.

7) If you’re new to the federal grant game, partner with another organization. If you have a specific niche that you provide, your work and reputation may help round out the capacity of a larger more generalist group. While you will receive a smaller amount of the work and funding—assuming you both win—you can learn a lot from your partner and get valuable federal program experience.

8) Hire an experienced consultant. There can be a big learning curve in pursuing USG funding. A skilled consultant can help your team learn the ropes, translating “government speak” and assisting in complex federal budget preparations.

Applying for US government grants takes a lot of work. Do your homework and beware of wishful thinking!

UPDATE: Stimulus applications could overwhelm Grants.gov.

Make the Banks Do Fund Accounting Like Nonprofits

2009-02-19T15:20:00.005-05:00

Hey, I like this idea. This seems fair. The banks are getting public money, so they should account for how they use it, as we do in the non-profit sector.

Give the contract to Tom Raffa, Raffa & Associates, to figure out how to do it and to advise all those banks.

Renata Did it Again (Wish I'd Written This)

2009-02-18T10:04:00.007-05:00

The honest task for vibrant philanthropy, now and in the future: embracing both the plan and the cool. Thanks to Sean Stannard-Stockton of Tactical Philanthropy for highlighting Renata Rafferty's excellent, heartfelt post. Go to my "radio station" at blip.fm (akdj) and click the first song (the message will say something about dinosaur), and you'll have a soundtrack by which to read Renata's post.

Resource Roundup: Taser Fundraiser, Philanthropy’s Second Wind, Funding Diversity, and More

2009-02-17T16:05:00.002-05:00

Danger ahead?: Avoiding the sirens song of social media fundraising.

Diversify, diversify, diversify: Increasing nonprofits’ ability to find new funding sources.

Follow the money: Raising money for nonprofits in terrible times.

Up close and personal: How to engage your base behind the scenes.

Primetime: Can your nonprofit board face the "60 Minutes" test?

Healthy boundaries: The nonprofit board's role in HR.

Philanthropic comeback: The second wave of giving will roll on.

New 990s: Dramatic IRS shift for nonprofits.

Tech savvy: The new giving channels.

Write and wrong: Nonprofits should stop using the word ‘minorities’.

Fundraising gets personal: Dinner with a stranger.

Please tase me, bro: Shocking fundraiser draws fire from the ACLU.

Calling Social Entrepreneurs Over 60

2009-02-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

In its fourth year, The Prize provides ten awards of up to $100,000 to social entrepreneurs, 60 years and older, who are creating new ways to solve our most pressing social issues - from health care to the environment, poverty to education.

Nominations, including self-nominations are due March 5, 2009 and can be submitted at www.encore.org/prize