July 2010 Entries
When we talk about websites for fundraising, you probably are thinking of your ministry's website. However, let's flip things around and talk about setting up websites for your donors and volunteers. A recent online giving trend has people using sites such as CrowdRise, Convio, or First Giving to let their donors build their own fundraising pages to support their ministry.
Picture this: You are doing a 5K run as a fundraiser for your ministry. You have 500 people signed up, and some of them have people also sponsoring them to run. This is a decent amount of people, clearly, but let's think...
posted @ Friday, July 30, 2010 3:19 PM |
How to reply to emails is an overlooked topic, because it seems basic. However, that second contact can be critical. You have just invested a lot of time in sending out a great email campaign, so make your response equal in quality. Having received and responded to many emails from ministries, I want to share some of my insight and perhaps a few humorous examples.
1) Do write in a black standard font, size 12pt or 11pt—
I will never forget an email that I received once: Most of it was written in CAPS LOCK, each paragraph’s font color alternated between pink,...
posted @ Wednesday, July 28, 2010 10:42 AM |
After building your email database, it is time to prepare your first campaign. Here are some basic rules:
1) In the time leading up to the campaign, especially invest in relationships—be sensitive to needs and larger situations occurring during that time of the year etc.
2) Determine your objective, and let this drive your entire campaign—Remember, if you are sending multiple versions of the campaign, the objective may vary slightly. Nevertheless, keep a clear focus so that people know your purpose in writing.
3) Make the desired action clear—People need to know what to do with your message. If you are wanting them...
posted @ Monday, July 26, 2010 9:55 AM |
The best online fundraising practices and plans of action will be included in this next series of posts. With experts’ advice in a simplified format, this guide will help you easily start or grow your online giving.
Part 1: Email Campaigns
Some people suggest that email will soon be yet another dying form of communication. However, trends do not show this at all. Rather, it is a fundamental tool to communicate with an ever on the move society. This does not mean it is the only tool, but it still is a valuable one, so let’s get started.
Step 1) Choose...
posted @ Friday, July 23, 2010 9:34 AM |
In serving as a grant reviewer for the past two weeks, I have had the chance to reflect on what makes ministries stand out. In that time, I found a very powerful lesson for ministries that applies not just to fundraising but also even to simply daily operations.
This is the lesson of “living it out.” What does “living it out” mean? It means this:
Your ministry is at its most beautiful when you put into motion everyday what you value and you do it with great joy and love. The spotlight moments or times of trial that you make it through...
posted @ Wednesday, July 21, 2010 10:26 AM |
Christian Foundation Grants is thrilled to announce the release of their first book:
"Grants for Christian Ministries and More!"
This is not just another book on fundraising…
It’s about how your ministry or church can receive grants and More.
We obtained some of the best at their craft and had each contribute a chapter.This book contains chapters on the grant process, writing a grant, preparing a budget, and more, such as beginning a planned giving program, demographics affecting the charity crisis, and new alternatives to foundation giving. All the chapters are designed to help your ministry advance to the next level of your funding.
“Do...
posted @ Monday, July 19, 2010 9:32 AM |
Finding the right foundation can be a challenge, but with careful research, you can learn to identify foundations that would be potential matches. Consider these tips:
1) Look closely at their giving patterns:
A foundation’s 990s are an important way to find this information. Take note of the types of organizations they support and the amounts & frequency of giving to each of these types. This will help you understand if you fit into one of the categories, and if so, what would be a reasonable amount to request for a grant.
2) Cultivate relationships:
All levels and forms of relationships...
posted @ Friday, July 16, 2010 9:43 AM |
Your proposal has been reviewed, and the letter from the foundation has arrived. What do you do? This final post will inform you of an important tip for responding to acceptance and rejection letters.
This often overlooked rule is the “Thank You” Letter. To express gratitude, regardless of acceptance or rejection, is a way of giving honor to a foundation. It also establishes your authenticity which can be important because you might apply to that foundation later on. The statistics are alarming at how few organizations actually do send personal thank-yous in response to a foundation. That being said, here are...
posted @ Wednesday, July 14, 2010 10:07 AM |
Today, you will learn how to evaluate your proposal. Having reviewed grants for several years now, I will walk through basic guidelines. Note, not all foundations will require each of these elements, but still read through the suggestions because often the larger concept will still have application to your proposal.
1) Cover Letter—Using your organization’s letterhead, follow a business letter format. Use your first paragraph to establish your relationship—mention your connection to the organization, include a name of reference if you can, etc. Use the second and third paragraphs to grab and then keep their attention as you address the purpose...
posted @ Monday, July 12, 2010 11:48 AM |
The majority of grant proposals are rejected for one reason, but this one problem can be easily avoided. The reason? Most applicants fail to do their research thoroughly.
Debbie Rey, who supervises the central proposals-processing office for the Kellogg’s foundation, says “[Applicants] may have glanced at the grant maker’s website, but they didn’t dig deeper to learn Kellogg’s specific grant-making priorities. A lot of people when they’re doing research, read the philosophy statement, but they didn’t go into the detail, into the different departments to see what initiatives we have going on.”
Here some of the common research errors applicants make, from...
posted @ Friday, July 09, 2010 10:20 AM |
Do you want to get a head start on your year-end fundraising? A webinar is being held on July 22nd that will help you be successful in your online donations.
Care2 is hosting this webinar. They have posted the below information on the webinar:
"You might know that 40 percent of all online donations come in during December. But did you also know that year-end fundraising doesn’t just happen in December? It takes months of list building, inspiring donors, cultivating them, testing, and analyzing metrics to make the absolute most of year-end opportunities.
Join Alia McKee Scott of Sea Change Strategies, Milo Sybrant of...
posted @ Wednesday, July 07, 2010 9:04 AM |
1+1 Does Not Equal Two. Before you critique my arithmetic, allow me to explain what this phrase means. This is the scenario I often see occur: A Christian ministry finds a great foundation who has a strong history of faith-based giving. It seems like a perfect fit, because “1 Christian ministry” plus “1 Christian foundation” should equal the final solution of a check. The ministry sends in a grant proposal, but they are surprised to receive notification that their proposal has been declined.
So what can you do to avoid this situation and have grant-writing success? Consider these ideas:
Maybe 1+1+1+1+1=10.
Especially for those just...
posted @ Tuesday, July 06, 2010 10:13 AM |
Having finished my series of articles on fundraising, I want to go more specific and start a series on grant writing. This is a complex subject, especially for organizations just beginning the process, so feel free to comment with questions or send an email.
I want to begin by first talking about the attitude with which an organization should approach grant writing. In my five years at Christian Foundation Grants, I have had the opportunity to observe how these Christian organizations interact with foundations that have a history of faith-based giving. One of the most basic but critical mistakes...
posted @ Friday, July 02, 2010 9:30 AM |