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Donor relationships are like gardens…

June 22, 2010 By Sandy

This was the topic of one of my presentations at the AFP Northern Arizona Education Day last week.  Here are some key points from this session:

Donor relationships are like gardens.  They bear the most fruit when they are properly tended to.  Keep them weeded, watered, and fertilized, and you’ll be delighted with the results.

1. Good donor relationships are the key to successful fundraising. Relationships build loyalty.  Loyal donors give again and again, keeping you from always searching for new donors.

2. Two-way communication is critical to building relationships.  We can’t just speak AT our donors.  We must speak WITH them.  Always be on the lookout for ways to give your donors to communicate with you.

3. Good donor relationships are built on purpose.  We’re so used to relationships growing naturally that it feels a bit uncomfortable to do it on purpose.  But it’s really no different.  Be truly interested in your donor as a person and you can avoid feeling manipulative.

Thanks to the AFP Northern Arizona Chapter for inviting me to spend the day with them!  It was great fun!  See the pictures at the chapter’s Facebook page.

Filed Under: Donor Relations, General Fundraising Tagged With: ,

Unlock Your Grant Writing Talent

June 4, 2010 By Sandy

Today’s blog post is provided by my dear friend and grant writer extraordinaire, Charlaine Hood.

The biggest tip about writing a grant is to get over your fear: of failure, of not getting it right, of not including enough…what ever your mind is telling you to hold you back from ever trying to write that B-I-G grant.   However, the focus of this article isn’t about fear holding you back.  It’s about what could possibly be created if you unlocked your potential in spite of the fear.

Sandy has said many times:  ‘Reach into your heart and unlock your passion around fundraising.’  This is great advice for writing grants.  Close your eyes, (Yes, right now.) and think about what it is that you LOVE about your organization.  What just grounds you down to your toes in the work you do each day?  Now hold that image, breathe it in, experience it and let your potential flow.

From here, what would you write?  How would you speak about your clients, staff, organization, national focus and mission?  From this space of OMG I LOVE WHAT WE DO, take a sheet of paper and write:

Funding my project is important because:

We will accomplish ___ with the funds so generously given.

_#_ lives will be changed in ______ ways.

Evidence to support this is ____ (any empirical + all the years of success from past projects as well as lessons learned).

KEEP THIS TEMPLATE! Revise it, reuse it, replace components as your organization grows.  Stay away from the ‘I don’t know how’ mentality and go for writing at least one grant in this manner.

The grant request usually makes this even easier by specifying either a page or ½ a page for just this content.  And if it doesn’t, always remember that there is a committee who will be reviewing the grant requests.  Be sharp, focused and direct in what you are requesting and what your organization will be giving for those funds.

Using just this method over the last few years, I have written and received over 1.3 million dollars in grants.  Let your love of your organization inform what you do.

Charlaine Hood, LMSW is the owner of Vibrantly Alive Consulting & Nonprofit Mentoring.  She works with small to medium sized nonprofits to create strategic solutions for nonprofit issues.  She gained practical experience the last four years as a management executive at a large, faith based nonprofit managing a multi-million dollar budget with diverse programs around the East Tennessee region.  Visit her website:  www.charlainehood.com for more information of what she has to offer your organization.

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6 Simple Rules for Winning Big Grants

June 2, 2010 By Sandy

Today’s blog post comes from my friend Betsy Baker, a grant-writing consultant and teacher.

As a grant writing consultant for the past 8 years for a variety of nonprofit clients, I often run into the eager beaver convinced that I can find them the “magic” grant that will alleviate all their financial woes.  Do grant monies exist that will help support present and future activities of the organization?  Certainly.  Do organizations win such grants through magical powers?  Certainly not.  (Forgive me of my overuse of “magical.”  In planning a Disney trip for my 3 year old I keep hearing “Have a magical day” at the end of every phone conversation.)

You see, nonprofits that win big grants to help sustain their activities on a more long-term basis have implemented a strategy that makes them grant ready.  It’s not about finding the grant – it’s about being ready to receive the grant.  Today, you, lucky reader, will learn what makes an organization “grant ready.”  Get ready by following The 6 Simple Rules for Winning Big Grants:

Simple Rule #1 – Demonstrate your importance – what would happen to the community you serve if you suddenly were unable to deliver service?  Don’t be gloomy but do paint an accurate picture of what your community would be missing without your services.

Simple Rule #2 – Talk about the lives you touch – Can you easily identify your target audience?  With their permission, tell their stories to back up your statistics.  The trend in fund raising is compelling story telling – not a “just the facts, ma’am” presentation.

Simple Rule #3 – Explain how your program makes a difference – Potential funders are interested in the benefits of your program, not your program’s features.

Simple Rule #4 – Be an example of best practice – are you as an organizational staff constantly working to improve your own performance?

Simple Rule #5 – Be a sound investment – keep your organization in check with “housekeeping” such as an appropriate governing body, updated personnel policies, up to date bylaws, etc.

Simple Rule #6 – Be  gracious funding partner – for example, ALWAYS thank grant partners, submit required reports on time, live up to any advertising you have promised a grantor.

For more grant writing strategies designed to help you win big grant money visit my blog at http://www.yourgrantauthority.com/Blog.aspx.  And, as always, Have a Magical Day!

Betsy Baker is dedicated to helping the small nonprofit.  Whatever your grant writing goals, trust The Grant Authority to help you realize them! Sometimes it’s possible to get more than what you pay for. See what a difference The Grant Authority can make for you! Visit Betsy at www.yourgrantauthority.com.

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