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Fundraising Fundamentals for Non-Profit Organization s. Intel ISEF Educator Academy Pittsburgh – May 2012 Robert Glidden, President Emeritus Ohio University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Outline. Building the Case Preparation The Written Proposal - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Fundraising Fundamentals for
Non-Profit Organizations
Intel ISEF Educator AcademyPittsburgh – May 2012
Robert Glidden, President EmeritusOhio University
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Building the Case
Preparation
The Written Proposal
The Visit/Interview
Follow-Up
Other Questions
Outline
The “case” is your rationale for funding: why do
you need funds and why is your project worthy for this prospective donor?
A good case includes…
the objectives of the project,
a timeline,
a budget that shows the need for funding, and
any other support that you anticipate for the project.
Building the Case
If your project is singular, i.e., a one-time event,
when will it be completed and how will you measure whether it is successful?
Is this a multiple-year project?
If so, are you requesting help to initiate the project only, or to carry it through to completion?
If your request is for funds to initiate only, what is your plan for sustaining the project to completion?
Building the Case (2)
Is your request for endowment—funds that will
be invested and held in perpetuity? If so, how will the funds be invested and for what purpose will the earnings be used?
Or is your request for general, ongoing operating costs?
Most foundations and many corporations will have specific guidelines that inform whether or not they will fund ongoing operational costs or endowments
Building the Case (3)
Whether Foundation, Corporation, or Individual…
What do we know about the prospective donor’s interests?
Why should this prospective donor fund our project?
Has the donor made any contribution to our particular cause in the past?
Has the donor shown interest or made contributions to science projects in the past?
Preparation
And further…
Is the donor interested in education, in young people?
What other causes has the prospective donor funded?
If the prospective donor is local, is there a preference for local projects?
Do we have a personal contact who can help us “enter the door”?
Preparation (2)
The Foundation Center
New York City, with field offices in…
Atlanta
Cleveland
San Francisco
Washington
The Online Foundation Directory <http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/
fdo.html>
Finding Foundations
Check the funder’s guidelines – follow them!
Briefly describe your organization, including its history
Give a broad overview of the project for which you seek funding
Follow with details, especially about the element(s) within the total project for which you seek funding
Define how you will measure success and how you will report the project to the funder
The Written Proposal
Explain why your project may be of benefit to society
or to a larger audience beyond your organization
Look professional in format and appearance, as well as in content
Be attentive to format, spacing, overall appearance—leave ample white space…at the borders, between paragraphs, between sections
Have the proposal read and reviewed by someone in your organization who is particularly “fussy” about such matters
The Written Proposal (2)
Again, check the funder’s guidelines, but
make every effort to arrange a personal visit to present your proposal
Who should participate in the interview?
Someone who is thoroughly knowledgeable (and passionate) about the project
Preferably two people or at most three
Each person on the interview team should have a specific purpose or reason for being there
The Visit or Interview
Have a plan for the conversation—know the most
important points you want to make and in what order
Remember that a good fundraiser is a good listener! Don’t try to do all the talking
Success sometimes depends on the donor’s opportunity to be involved in the project
Practice what you will say, how you will behave, if the donor indicates little or no interest in your project
The Visit or Interview (2)
Timing and degree of subtlety will depend on the
type of donor A corporation or foundation knows exactly why you
are there—timing is still important but subtlety is not An individual donor should have been informed about
the purpose of your visit in advance, but still may not perceive that you are expecting an answer on the first meeting
Individual donors may not be experienced givers—they may require more time to think about the proposal
The Ask
If the prospective donor is a corporation or
foundation, the requested funding will have been specified in the proposal…but you may still need to justify the amount and be prepared to answer questions about what a lesser amount would accomplish
For an individual donor, it is often best not to put the requested funding in writing in advance In that case, the “ask” might be posed as, “Would
you consider funding this project in the amount of $XXX?”
Never “undersell”—don’t ask for too little
The Ask (2)
Be gracious, no matter the donor’s response
Leave something behind for the donor’s file—an amendment to the proposal, a one-page summary of the project, a brochure about your organization, even just a business card
Announce how you will follow up, which will depend on the donor’s response
Concluding the Interview
A follow-up letter, thanking the prospective
donor for time and attention, is a must!
Depending on the donor’s response, a follow-up call, 10 days to two weeks following the visit, is important
If you have promised anything to the donor, or if the donor has requested any additional information, be sure to make note of that and follow up accordingly
Follow-Up
Following a visit or interview, ASAP, always make a
report for your file, indicating any new information learned, any nuances about the donor’s response, any suggestions for future approaches to this donor
Be judicious about what you put in a written report—stick to the important points or to details that will help this relationship in the future
If you were accompanied by others, discuss reactions, responses with them and combine all comments in one report
Keeping Track
Be an ambassador for your organization—
make friends both for yourself and for your organization
Be prepared to sell your idea—sincere passion for a project is noticed and appreciated!
During the visit, listen…and focus on the donor—make notes later
Be attentive to your dress and appearance—better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed
Your Attitude/Approach
Honor every gift and every intent to give—a
$1,000 gift from one donor may be more of a commitment than $1,000,000 from another
Never be embarrassed or shy about asking for money for a worthy project in which you believe passionately…and for which you would give yourself
Your Attitude/Approach (2)
Depends on guidelines for corporations or
foundations—some have a policy against multiple-year funding
Others may fund for three or five years maximum
Multiple-year funding is often requested for operating costs, and some foundations or corporations will give to specific projects, but not general operating costs
Multiple-Year Funding
Science equipment is perhaps one of the easiest gifts-
in-kind to procure Companies can realize a tax advantage for making gifts
of equipment that has been replaced and that they no longer use
Someone in a school or organization has to make the need known and be in contact with people in a corporation who know what the possibilities might be
Once the need or interest in such equipment is known, or once a relationship with a company has been established, the realization of such gifts is more likely
Gifts-in-Kind
Organizations sometimes need smaller goods or
services, e.g., printing or prizes, that local businesses can provide if approached properly
The business person needs to know what difference the item(s) will make in the success of your project
Decide how the business will be recognized for such gifts, but ask the business person before assuming
Personal contact—a personal “ask” is essential
Other “Non-Cash” Gifts
Funders will remain more committed to a project
or organization if they get personally involved—personal involvement leads to greater knowledge about the organization or project
Make it easy for people to help—don’t waste their time—be sensitive about their schedules
Most volunteers will have no idea what kind of help you need, so you will need a plan for how they can help
Involving Funders
If approaching colleges or universities for Science
Fair volunteers…
Define the need in writing so that it can be distributed in science departments—some faculty members may not volunteer because they think the time commitment is greater than it is
Make contact with the appropriate level, depending on the size and type of institution
Follow up with a brief letter of recognition/thanks to the department chair or dean of the faculty members who volunteer
Getting Science Fair Volunteers
Social Media – how to use it
Get your students involved—ask them for ideas More likely to help with fundraising events than individual
proposals
Recognizing and thanking investors in creative ways The recognition has to fit the investor—some like
recognition, others don’t Some say that in fundraising, seven expressions of thank
you are not too many Letters from students who have benefited is always
effective, particularly if they sound spontaneous and not coached
Other Questions…
Thank YouQuestions? Comments? Ideas?