RAISING FUNDS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY · Rsch and Policy Analysis: Outcome indicators •Ability to develop policy and set the political agenda •Issues and policies are widely

RAISING FUNDS FOR

CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADVOCACY

PRESENTED BY THE SENTENCING PROJECT

DECEMBER 11, 2012

AGENDA

1. LOCATING FOUNDATION FUNDERS

2. WHAT FOUNDATIONS WILL – AND WON’T – FUND

3. CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS

4. BEFORE YOU WRITE

5. PROPOSAL NARRATIVE, BUDGET, ATTACHMENTS

6. FOLLOW UP and RESOURCES

I. Locating funders

• Foundation Center Search tools

• Criminal Justice Funders Network and

other affinity groups

• Regional grantmaker associations

• Local community foundations

• Local family foundations and donor

advised funds

Locating funders (2)

• Read their websites carefully—especially

their funding guidelines

• What is the application process?

• Who are they funding now?- 990s and

Annual Reports

• Who does your Board know?

II. FOUNDATIONS WILL/WON’T FUND

CANNOT FUND

•Advocacy for or against a specific piece of

legislation, not even in a draft stage or

“model”– but “how to” assistance is OK

•Encouraging members of the public to

contact legislators and express a viewpoint

on specific legislation; budgets and

allocations; and executive or judicial

appointments

II. FDNS WILL/WON’T FUND (2)

Foundations can fund:

• Advocacy related to administrative

rulemaking

• Non-lobbying activities that are part of a

larger project that includes lobbying

• Non-partisan analyses, studies or research

on a pending policy that is disseminated

widely and does not reference a piece of

legislation

II. FDNS WILL/WON’T FUND (3)

Foundations can fund:

• Technical assistance- upon a written

request of a public official or legislative

committee. Can include an opinion on

pending legislation, so long as it is in

writing and is widely disseminated

• Litigation

• General Operating (Unrestricted) Support

III. Cultivating Relationships

• Arranging a meeting

• Introduce your agency’s work

• Bring materials

• Discuss your capabilities

• Hang out where they hang out

• Invite them to your events

III. Cultivating Relationships (2)

• Visit local funders annually

• Send them your publications

• Give them a chance to talk to the people

you serve.

• Keep them up to date on accomplishments


• Use Your Website - Funders will go there

• Does not have to be fancy

• Make it easy to navigate

• Showcase successes

• Use audio and video

• Provide key staff and board bios


• Upload testimonials (including media

coverage)

• No spelling or grammar errors

• Some financial information—simple

revenue and expenditure pie charts—link

to your IRS 990

• Charity Navigator rating, etc.*

IV. Before You Write

• Understand your limitations and strengths

• Fully research the problem and attempted

solutions

• Decide if you can afford to win

• Don’t Innovate for innovation’s sake

• Stay within mission and strategic plan

IV. Before You Write (2)

Pull together a work group to think about:

•Feasibility and realistic timeframes

•What counts as “success” and what the

project will “look like” on a daily basis

•Resources you need to operate the project

Sketch budget scenarios

What about partners?

V. Writing the Proposal

Typical outline:

I. Executive Summary

II. Problem Statement

III. Goals and Objectives

IV. Methods, Activities and Staffing

V. Monitoring and Evaluation

VI. Sustainability

VII. Budget

VIII. Attachments

Writing the Proposal (2)

I. Executive Summary

Do it last (discussed in later slide)


II. The Problem you will address

• Establishes that you understand the issues.

• Educates the funder

• Present accurate data and cite the sources.

• Use the right tone: passion + evidence

Writing the proposal (4)

III. Goal and Objectives

Goals are usually utopian but objectives

should be:

• Measurable

• Specific and concrete

• Achievable during grant period

Writing the proposal (4a)

• Goal #1: To develop a Behavioral Health Treatment

Collaborative that improves public health and safety

• Objective 1: To improve the coordination of judicial activities

with respect to defendants with SMI, SA, and histories of

trauma

• Objective 2: To unify and streamline the screening, referral,

treatment, monitoring and adjudication, of persons with

behavioral health conditions.

• Objective 3: To ensure broad stakeholder participation in

planning and evaluating the service delivery system for

criminal court defendants with behavior health difficulties

• Objective 4 To reduce case processing time


IV. Methods/Activities/Staffing

Relate them to the objectives

•What: what strategies will you employ over the course of the project and why?

•When: order/timing of activities: chart

•Where: project sites (if any)

•Who: staff, consultants and partner roles


(more on staffing)

•number of staff and their titles

•key staff and consultant positions:

qualifications, FTEs

•specific assignments and responsibilities

•Include CVs or bios as an appendix


V. Monitoring & Evaluation

•defining success

•did you do what you said you would

•what were the results

•the challenge of measuring impact

•qualitative or quantitative ?


• Outputs: These are the activities done by

the nonprofit.

• Outcomes: These are the observed effects

of the outputs.


Community Organizing output measures

•Number of outreach and recruitment

activities (door knocking, house meetings,

phone calls)

•Size and composition of membership base

(dues paying, diversity, percent coverage)

•Core group of leaders identified and

remain engaged

•Rates of participation, turnover


Community organizing: Outcome indicators

• Increased engagement and ownership of

the organization and its work

• Increased sense of belonging, community,

trust, and healing

• Increased willingness of members to take

action

• Power recognized by elected officials and

others


Alliance Building: Output Indicators

•Number and diversity of partnering groups

•Commitments, contributions, and shared

resources by allied organizations

•Scale of reach – regional, state, national

•Active participation, turnover, and

retention


Alliance Building: Outcome Indicators

• Shared analysis, aligned vision, and

purpose that is crafted collectively

• Trust and alignment built that carries over

to new issues and shared work

• Transcending organizational interests for

long-term collective interests

• Ongoing, permanent alignment

collaboration


Campaigns: Output Indicators

• # of activities to involve members and

allies in planning and implementation

• # of members and allies present at actions

and activities (delegations, public

hearings, mobilizations)

• Value of services gained

• Number of demands met and policies won

(or successfully defeated)


Campaigns: Outcome indicators

• Increased accountability by decision-

makers to affected groups

• Readiness and ability to act quickly and

take up issues when conditions change

• Ability to put forth and win larger

demands and campaigns

• Infrastructure in place for future

organizing and campaigns


Org. Development: Output indicators

• Number and diversity of staff and board

• Leadership growth (turnover and

retention)

• Areas of expertise and capacities

developed

• Sustainability of funding


Org. Development: Outcome indicators

• Ability to form strategic relationships that

build capacity

• Capacity to evaluate and adjust goals and

plans in a timely manner

• Ability to innovate and experiment with

new models and strategies

• Ability to be responsive and nimble


Rsch. and Policy Analysis: Output indicators

• Appropriate research tools developed and

implemented

• # of members and allies involved in the

research design and analysis

• # of reports and briefs written and

distributed

• Internal capacities developed (statistical

analyses; surveys; experimental designs)


Rsch and Policy Analysis: Outcome

indicators

•Ability to develop policy and set the

political agenda

•Issues and policies are widely accepted and

respected and used in public discourse

•Ability to refresh the movement’s analyses


VI. Sustainability Plan

•The program has reached its objectives

•Target group has developed necessary

capacity

•Will generate future revenue

•Ongoing funding has been secured

•Political will exists to carry the program

forward


VII. Project Budgets

•Statement of revenue and expenses.

•Simple vs. detailed

•Restricted or unrestricted funds

•Templates


Project Budgets (continued): categories

• Personnel

• Fringe Benefits

• Consulting Services

• Travel

• Occupancy

• Office and Operational Expenses

• Overhead **


• Budget narratives

• Overhead costs

• Cost share and matching funds

• Revenues: in-hand and projected


The Executive Summary

•Most important part of the

proposal

•Do it last

•Summarizes key information in 1-

2 pages


Executive Summary (continued)

•Problem you plan to address

•Solution—what , when, where, how, by and for whom

•Funding needed and requested

•Sustaining the program after the grant ends

•Your expertise: history, purpose, primary activities and capacity


Common Attachments

• 501c3 designation

• Financial Data (ex. Audit)

• Board List

• Key Staff CVs

• References


Common Attachments (continued)

• Policies on

• Diversity

• Disability

• Governance/Whistleblower


Before you push the button!

•Did you follow all the of the funder’s

proposal requirements?

•Are all the attachments there?

•No spelling, grammar or math mistakes

•Did you check the scoring system?

•Where is it going- how will it get there?

VI. Follow-up and Resources

• We will send

• The Powerpoint presentation

• Links to search tools

• Sample proposal budget

• Sample monitoring and evaluation plan

VI. Follow-up and Resources

• Guidelines for the proposal review:

• One per organization

• Maximum of 10 pages + budget

• Enclose the funder’s RFP and guidelines

• TSP will comment on responsiveness to

RFP, clarity and feasibility

Submit to [email protected]

VI. Follow-up and Resources (2)

1. Funder search tool: http://foundationcenter.org-

recommend that you consider subscribing to the

Professional level tool for one month/year.

2. Information on laws and regulations on funding for

advocacy:

http://www.cof.org/files/Documents/Legal/Sample-Ways-

to-Engage-in-Advocacy.pdf

http://www.cof.org/programsandservices/legal/grantmaking.cf

m?navItemNumber=17597

3. Fundraiser affinity groups:

www.cof.org/about.affinitygroups.org

VI. Follow-up and Resources (3)

4. Directory of criminal justice funders (compiled by the

Criminal Justice Funders Network): PDF file is attached to

the email of this Powerpoint presentation

5. Foundation Tax returns: available at www.guidestar.org

6. Evaluation Tools: see

http://dornsife.usc.edu/pere/documents/transactions_trans

formations_translations_web.pdf

7. Sample foundation budget templates:

http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/prop_budg

t/index.html and

http://www.clevelandfoundation.org/Grantmaking/Grantee

ToolKit.html