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Funding innovative projects that foster connections between individuals, communities, the environment and the world at large

Category: Children | Community | Disability | Education | Enviromen | Health | Social & Human Services
Available from: Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation
Deadline: 31st March 2012

The mission of the Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation is to fund innovative projects that foster connections between individuals, communities, the environment and the world at large. The foundation funds in a broad range of focus areas and is most interested in projects that require and/or inspire those directly benefiting from the project to give back to their communities both during the project and into the future. The Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation was founded in 1996. In its first ten years the foundation has distributed approximately $1.1M in grant awards. When considering a project for funding IAP looks for: innovation; inspiration; effectiveness; heart; programs that foster connections between communities and individuals; organizations willing to form partnerships with others to accomplish their goals; and programs and projects that inspire, require, and enable people to give back to their communities as much, or more, than they have received from the project. International grants are not geographically restricted. 

Read more | Irwin Andrew Porter Foundation

 

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Strengthening institutional capacities in higher education

Category: Education | Environment | Health | Human Rights | Social and
Human Services |Tech Dev & Science
Available from: OEAD - Austrian Development Corporation
Deadline: 31st December 2011

The objective of Appear is to strengthen institutional capacities in higher education, 
research and management in the key regions of the Austrian Development Cooperation 
(ADC) through academic partnerships with Austrian academic institutions and Master's and PhD Programmes as a contribution to sustainable reduction of poverty. Appear wants to encourage researchers, professionals and academic institutions in the addressed countries and in Austria to share their knowledge and experiences, to design innovative projects targeting the general objective described above and to improve the overall standards in higher education, research and management. All proposed activities are expected to be related to the thematic focus of Appear: higher education and research for development; water supply and sanitation, rural development, energy, private sector development, governance and human rights; poverty reduction, environment and natural resources, peace building and conflct prevention, gender equality; Strengthening of skills in social sciences as an instrument to systematically analyze the reasons of poverty and to empower capacities in social science research. Eligible countries are: Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Palestinian Territories.

Read more | OEAD

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Serving the implementation of women's and children's rights

Category: Children & Young People | Community | Human Rights | Social & Human Services
Available from: Women's World Summit Foundation
Deadline: 31st March 2012

Awarded since 1994 by WWSF Women's World Summit Foundation - an international, non-profit, humanitarian NGO, serving the implementation of women's and children's rights and the UN development agenda - the Prize ($ 1000 per laureate and $ 3000 for specific African women's organisations), honors women and women's groups around the world exhibiting exceptional creativity, courage and commitment for the improvement of the quality of life in rural communities (375 prizes awarded so far). The Prize aims to draw international attention to laureates' contributions to sustainable development, household food security and peace, thus generating recognition and support for their projects. While rural women are vital in providing examples of sound practice in their communities, they still do not have full access to tools needed for development, such as education, credit, land rights and participation in decision making. By highlighting and awarding creative development models, innovations and experiences enhancing the quality of rural life, WWSF participates in addressing the eradication of rural poverty, gender mainstreaming and women's empowerment.

Read more | Women's World Summit Foundation

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Protecting children from all kinds of abuse

Category: Children & Young People
Available from: UBS Optimus Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The UBS Optimus Foundation is committed to the welfare of children around the world. Their overall goal is to protect them from abuse of all kinds. In the area of education and child protection, they require all their partners to fully comply with a zero tolerance policy for child abuse, exploitation and child pornography. They promote and respect the standards set out by the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which outlines the fundamental rights of children within its sphere of influence. Projects are primarily identified through periodic calls for proposals, which typically occur in the fourth quarter of every year.
Exceptional funding is available outside the regular calls, however these applicants have a considerably lower chance of receiving funding. Projects funded in this phase are meant to demonstrate proof of concept: the unconventional, even risky approaches that have a promising potential for realization.

Read more | UBS Optimus Foundation

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Fostering community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes

Category: Community | Education | Environment | Media & Arts | Social & Human Services
Available from: New England Biolabs Foundation
Deadline: 15th February 2012

The New England Biolabs Foundation (NEBF) is a private, independent foundation whose mission is to foster community-based conservation of landscapes and seascapes and the bio-cultural diversity found in these places. Working internationally in selected countries of Central America, South America and West Africa, as well as locally (the north shore of Massachusetts), the Foundation supports primarily grassroots organizations with an emphasis on the following priorities: Conservation of biological diversity; Sustaining cultural diversity (linguistic diversity, as well as traditional knowledge systems and practices); Maintaining ecosystem services (water, soil, carbon sequestration); Supporting food security and economic vitality of local communities; and In the marine environment –sustaining healthy reefs and support of sustainable fisheries. 

Read more | NEBF

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The Tech Awards

Category: Children | Community | Education | Environment | Health | Social & Human Services | Tech & Science
Available from: The Tech Awards
Deadline: 6th April 2012

The Tech Awards program aims to inspire global engagement in applying technology to humanity's most pressing problems by recognizing individuals, organizations, and companies that use innovative technology solutions. Nominations and applications are evaluated according to the following criteria: the technology application significantly improves the human condition in one of the five award areas: environment, economic development, education, equality, or health; a serious problem or challenge with global significance is addressed by this use of technology; the application of this technology, which may be either a new invention or an innovative use of an existing technology, makes a noteworthy contribution that surpasses previous or current solutions; the technology application has the potential to serve as an inspiration or model for
further innovation; and the technology application is in the field and has demonstrated a measurable benefit. Nominations and Applications can be made in only one category of award which are: the Intel Environment Award which includes the challenges of balancing population growth with available resources, protecting animal and plant life, as well as addressing the escalating demands for safe and efficient energy; the Flextronics Economic Development Award which focus on the
use of technology in creating jobs and providing people with livlihoods; the Microsoft Education Award which focuses on the use of technology in education; the Swanson Young Innovator Awards which is open to young people under the age of 26; the
Nokia Health Award which focuses on technology in area of health care and the biotechology field; and the Sustainable Energy Award which focuses on the more efficent use of energy resources.  

Read more | The Tech Awards

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Building the scientific capacity of developing countries

Category: Environment and Tech Dev. | Science
Available from: International Foundation for Science
Deadline: 29th January 2012

IFS is a research council with international operations and the mission to build the scientific capacity of developing countries in sciences related to the sustainable management of biological and water resources. To be eligible for an IFS Research grant, a candidated must be a citizen of a developing country; a scientist with at least a Master's or equivalent degree/research experience; under 40 years of age and at the beginning of research career; and attached to a univeristy, national research institution or a research-orientated NGO in a developing country. (There are some exceptions to these general criteria, see the website for further information).. 

Read More | IFS

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Provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives

Category: Environment
Available from:The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
Deadline: 29th February 2012

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is a significant philanthropic endowment established to do the following: provide targeted grants to individual species conservation initiatives; recognize leaders in the field of species conservation; and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. The Fund's reach is truly global, and its species interest is non-discriminatory. It is open to applications for funding support from conservationists based in all parts of the world, and will potentially support projects focused on any and all kinds of plant, animal and fungus species, subject to the approval of an independent evaluation committee. In addition, the Fund will recognize leaders in the field of species conservation and scientific research to ensure their important work is given the attention it deserves and to elevate the importance of species in global conservation discourse. 

Read More | The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund

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Enhancing the quality of life of people all over the world through activities that promote education

Category: Children | Community | Education | Health
Available from: Flahive Family Foundaton
Deadline: Rolling

The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance the quality of life of people all over the world through activities that promote education, self-sufficiency, health and wellness.The emphasis is on international projects and third world countries, especially Africa.The areas of interest to the Foundation are: reducing poverty by educating children;establishing safe and healthy systems for impoverished areas; support programs fordisease prevention, health and wellness; and improving educational opportunities forchildren in third world countries.

Read more | Flahive Family Foundation

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Supporting some of the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the world

Category: Children | Community | Disability | Education | Environment | Health | Human Services
Available from: Comic Relief
Deadline: Rolling

Comic Relief supports some of the most disadvantaged and poorest people in the world. Africa is the focus for most of our international work as the continent has the highest levels of poverty and injustice in the world. At the same time we support work in a limited number of countries in Asia and Latin America. Comic Relief grants to UK-registered charities only (including charities registered in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) whose main aim is development and who work closely with identified local organisations. They believe lasting change requires investing in work that addresses people’s immediate needs as well as tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. To do this effectively they’ve developed a set of principles which guide the way they work and the expectations they have of the organisations they fund. Organisations applying will need to demonstrate how their work addresses the following: understanding the context; consulting with key players; building on good practice; involving local people; investing in local organizations; working with others; implementing learning strategies and applying learning.

Read more | Comic Relief

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Improving the well-being of children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS

Category: Children & Young People | Health
Available from: Firelight Foundation
Deadline: See Website

The mission of Firelight Foundation is to improve the well-being of children made vulnerable by HIV, AIDS and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Firelight supports grassroots organizations that help families and communities meet the needs of their children.

Read more | Firelight Foundation

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Opportunities for children who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances

Category: Children
Available from: Bernard van Leer Foundation
Deadline: Contact the Foundation

The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international grantmaking foundation based in The Hague. Their  mission is to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. They see this both as a valuable end in itself and as a long-term means to promoting more cohesive, considerate and creative societies with equal opportunities and rights for all. Their have three program goals for 2010 to 2015 - taking quality early learning to scale, reducing violence in young children's lives, and improving young children's physical environments. Support is focused on the following countries: Brazil, India, Israel, Netherlands, Peru, Tanzania, Turkey, and Uganda. Until 2012, they will continue to work in the Caribbean, Mexico and South Africa on the issue areas defined by the previous period: Strengthening the care environment, Successful transitions from home to school, and Social inclusion and respect for diversity.

Read more | Bernard van Leer Foundation

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Introduction for International Development

2 Day Course. 11th - 12th January 2012, Time: 9:30am - 5:00pm GMT
Venue: Central London, England | Hosted By: BOND

Who's it for

People new to international development or wanting the ‘bigger picture’.

Why choose this course

This vital introduction to the key issues and emerging debates in international development combines participative training with interactive learning online. You will gain a broad overview of the latest thinking, a deeper understanding of the concept and practice of ‘development’, and a sharper focus on some of its complexities. Included are free online activities to develop your learning after the course.

What you will learn

Take this course to learn • the historical context to development work • the global balance of power and the big players • progress that’s being made on the Millennium Development Goals • the key issues around aid, debt and trade • the challenges of HIV/AIDS and climate change • current approaches to development • what makes for successful development, using real-life examples

[More information / Book a place]

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'How to' Raise Money from Trusts

Date: 18 th January 2012 | Time: See Website
Venue: Charity Centre, Directory of Social Change, 24 Stephenson Way, London, NW1 2DP
Hosted by: The Directory of Social Change

There are some 9,000 grant-making trusts in the UK. Making the right approach at the right time to the right trust is what matters – get the lowdown from the UK Trust experts, DSC. For those new to trust fundraising.

Book Included: The Guide to the Major Trusts 2010/11 Volume 1

Aims

This introductory course aims to enable participants to identify suitable grant-making trusts to approach for funding, understand what they are looking for and write appropriate applications.

For

Those who have very little or no experience whatsoever of raising money from Trusts.

Learning Outcomes

- Know where and how to research and find trusts
- Write effective trust applications to improve your funding opportunities

Content

- Understanding what trusts are and how they work
- How to research trusts
- Matching suitable projects to appropriate trusts
- Interpreting trust guidelines and criteria
- How to structure an application to a trust
- Budgets, monitoring and evaluation
- The trust’s perspective
- How to maintain and forge long term relationships with trusts

Costs start at £230.00

[More information / Book a place]

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Accredited Creative Bid Writing E-learning Course

Dates: 23/01/2012 - 07:00 - 10/02/2012 - 07:00
Venue: Online
Hosted by: Fundraising Skills

3-Week E-Learning Courses Covering All Major Fundraising Techniques
We offer a range of three-week accredited courses focusing on specific techniques. This option enables you to learn valuable new techniques, top up your training and start raising funds from a wider range of sources. So if you need to brush up your writing skills, put together a funding strategy, or increase sponsorship, active e-learning offers you the knowledge, tutor expertise, flexibility and value for money.

Who are Bite-Size Courses for?
Our bite-size courses are designed for advisors, volunteers and staff from charities, schools, clubs, social enterprises and support agencies with no or limited experience of fundraising techniques.

E-learning
Each three week course is accredited and leads to a Level 3 Open College Award (1 Unit).

The courses take 9-10 hours of your time and are delivered in our e-learning internet based classroom. Discussion boards and case studies are used to bring materials to life, and you’ll join a class with between 6 and 20 other learners, studying at a time that suits you!

Creative Bid Writing
This will take you 2-3 hours a week studying online, leading to an NCFE Level 3 award. By the end you will be able to:

Adapt your writing style according to requirements of donors, trusts, foundations & business
Convey the right balance of emotion and reason within a draft application
Describe your project using active language and good visual presentation
Assignment: Produce 3 key written sections of a funding proposal

Course Programme
Week 1: Module 1
Bid Writing Tips, Common Pitfalls

Week 2: Module 2
Advanced Bid Writing exercise: How to Persuade & Engage the Funder

Week 3: Assignment
Produce 3 key written sections of a funding proposal
You will receive detailed feedback on your writing style and draft proposal

£195.00

[More information / Book a place]

 

The Philanthropy Of Africa's 40 Richest

Africa’s 40 richest people have yet to make a mark in global philanthropy, but some of them are making notable efforts in their home countries.

While conducting intensive research for Forbes’ inaugural list of Africa’s 40 Richest, we also probed the philanthropic donations of the continent’s wealthiest people.

While Africans in general are an extremely charitable lot, only a small fraction of its 40 richest people are noteworthy givers- like Zimbabwean telecoms tycoon Strive Masiyiwa. Masiyiwa, founder of Econet Wireless, is also the founder of the Capernaum Trust, a Zimbabwean charity that provides bursaries and scholarships to over 28,000 orphaned children.

Then there is Theophilus Danjuma. A former Nigerian defense minister, he is one of the continent’s most recognizable givers. Last year he bestowed a $100 million endowment on his TY Danjuma Foundation, which provides grants to non-governmental organizations that champion free healthcare, education and poverty alleviation.

Through The Oppenheimer Memorial Trust, Africa’s second richest man, Nicky Oppenheimer, gives away millions of dollars annually to South African college students, providing bursaries and scholarships from undergraduate to postgraduate level.  Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is also one of the continent’s biggest givers, even though he just recently embraced philanthropy. Over the last year he has given away more than $25 million to causes as varied as microfinance for small and medium businesses to a mentorship program for young African leaders and Nigerian communities struck by natural disasters.

[Read more] Source: Forbes

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Soros to Increase Support for Human Rights Groups in Europe

As the European Union scrambles to avoid financial catastrophe, Open Society Foundations chairman and founder George Soros is focusing his attention on threats to the EU's political cohesion, the Financial Times reports.

Soros, 82, told the FT that as a result of the region's debt crisis, social tensions among members of the Euro zone are on the rise. "When people are frustrated and angry, then minority rights and more vulnerable populations take the brunt of that," said Soros. "The problems of the euro have endangered the political cohesion of the EU."

With that in mind, the billionaire investor plans to step up his philanthropic support for human rights groups working to combat xenophobia and defuse tensions resulting from migration. He also said he will boost his commitments in Africa, "where we have been rather successful in issues [related to] the resource curse," and to his Open Society Foundations, which recently announced the selection of Christopher Stone, a criminal justice professor at Harvard, as its new president.

 

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Five Fascinating Philanthropists

When Brooke Astor dressed up in a fur coat and jewels to drive around town in a chauffeured limo, making personal visits to every charity that asked her for money, she was considered the epitome of a proactive philanthropist.

The definition has changed. Last year, Americans donated $291 billion to charity. But the most creative givers, a new generation of 21st-century philanthropists, do far more than write checks to the causes they support. They donate their time and expertise, working as many as 80 hours a week, to try to fix the world.

Barron's is profiling five of these innovative philanthropists, looking at the entrepreneurial spirit that propelled them to think of new solutions for social problems. None of our picks are headline-grabbing billionaires using $100 million grants to wipe out a disease, but each is deploying grants and sweat equity in such an original way that it changes the world.

It starts with caring. Maybe the thing they care about is animals -- so they sponsor a competition to get top architects to design bridges for wild animals to safely cross highways. Or they care about people -- so they create a company to help low-income students get high-paying jobs. Or they care about America's future -- so they build a Museum of Math to persuade schoolchildren to like a critically important subject.

What philanthropists like these have in common is that "they're driven in a truly personal way," says Glen Macdonald, president of the Wealth & Giving Forum. "They're really no different from someone like Steve Jobs -- absolutely, single-mindedly committed to innovation -- except that the thing they're passionate about is helping other people."

It requires focus and real expertise. Today's most creative philanthropists aren't just rolling up their shirt sleeves for the cameras. Mindful that the best intentions can go wrong if you pose like Madonna for a photo op in front of a faraway orphanage, they take the opposite approach. They immerse themselves in the minutiae of their causes. They understand where a system's flaws are. Then they fix it with creative approaches.

[Click] For profiles on Five Fascinating Philanthropists

Evolution of Online Donors

Technology is evolving every day, but no one really stops to think about how far it has actually come--particularly in the form of online donations. Network for Good turned ten a couple of weeks ago and to celebrate, they've created an infographic that shows how the online donor has evolved over the decade. 

And there is much to celebrate. More people than ever are donating money online and through mobile. Some key signs that online donations have gone mainstream are the prevalence of disaster relief gifts. Despite that the average donation decreased from $226 in 2001 to $73 in 2011, a lot more people are giving today.

Check out these stats!

• - There has been a 61% increase in people who have given online between 2001 and 2011.
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  - Only 1 in 10 gifts were given to the 9/11 disaster online vs. 1 in 3 gifts were given online/mobile to the Japan earthquake disaster.
• 
  - In the 10 years of doing good online, people have gone from asking, "what's social media?" to believe that they can help promote a social issue or cause using platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

[Read more] Source: FrogLoop

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Financing Not Fundraising: 5 Lies to Stop Telling Donors

In part 11 of our ongoing blog series, Financing Not Fundraising, we are talking about being brutally honest with your donors. If nonprofits are going to truly break free from the vicious fundraising cycle, they must find the courage to tell funders how it really is. And since board members are a nonprofit’s closest supporters and (I hope) donors, you need to stop telling them these lies as well.

If you are new to our Financing Not Fundraising blog series, the series is about how nonprofits must break out of the narrow view that traditional FUNDRAISING (individual donor appeals, events, foundation grants) will completely fund all of their activities.  Instead, they must create a broader, more strategic approach to securing the overall FINANCING necessary to create social change. You can read the entire series here.

And, if you want to learn more about how to apply the concepts of Financing Not Fundraising to your nonprofit, join us for our Financing Not Fundraising webinar on November 9th, 2011.

If you want to break free of the exhausting cycle of fundraising, a key step is to start being brutally honest with funders. Here are the top 5 lies you have to stop telling donors:

1. 1. X% of your donation goes to the program
   The distinction between “program expenses” and “overhead” is, at best, meaningless and, at worst, destructive. You cannot have a program without staff, technology, space, systems, evaluation, research and development. It is magical thinking to say that you can separate money spent on programs from money spent on the support of programs. Donors need to understand, and you need to explain to them, that “overhead” is not a dirty word. A nonprofit exists to deliver programs. And everything the organization does helps to make those programs better, stronger, bigger, more effective.
   
   
2. 2. We can do the same program with less money
   No you can’t. You know you can’t. You are already scraping by. Don’t accept a check from a donor who wants all the bells and whistles you explained in your pitch, but at a lower cost. Explain the true costs, including administrative costs, of getting results. Politely, but firmly, explain to them that an inferior investment will yield an inferior result. If they simply can’t afford the price tag, then encourage them to find fellow funders to co-invest with.
   
   
3. 3. We can start a new program that doesn’t fit with our mission or strategy
   Yes that big, fat check a donor is holding in front of you looks very appealing. But if it takes your organization in a different direction than your strategy or your core competencies require, accepting it is a huge mistake. Nonprofits must constantly ensure that money and mission are aligned. Otherwise the organization will be scattered in countless directions with an exhausted staff and confused donor base. Don’t let a donor take you down that road.

[Read more] Source: Social Velocity Blog

 

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Social Media for Social Good: 3 Secrets to Raising Money Online

Despite the lack of wide spread fundraising success, social media is clearly a hot topic in the nonprofit space.  Conferences dedicated to helping nonprofits learn how to leverage social media for social good are popping up. Big social fundraising days coupled with workshops and other training events are taking advantage of the groundswell of social fundraising activity.  And large online publications like Mashable are even covering social media for social good.

Every person I talk to seems to have social media on the brain.

This week I want to focus on what’s holding nonprofit organizations back and how are the top 1% succeeding? It’s clear from the data below that three big things contribute to the lack of fundraising success:

1) Lack of budget

2) Lack of staffing

3) Lack of focus

Let’s take a closer look …

Social media adoption by platform

Heading in to 2011 most nonprofits (92%), regardless of organization size are using at least one commercial social network (CSN) like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

The industry giant, with 89% adoption among nonprofits is Facebook. Twitter is the second most popular, used by 57% of organizations, with YouTube, LinkedIn and Flickr rounding out the top five.

[Read more] Source: Frank Barry @ FrogLoop

 

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7 Tips for Better Fundraising Emails

Email marketing represents a critical component of online fundraising. In fact, in spite of the social era or perhaps because of it, more email is being generated. A growing minority of emails are read and responded to on mobile devices now. Contacting friends and supporters who may back your fundraiser via email cannot be overlooked.

For most nonprofits, email has been and remains the heart and soul of their online strategies. Even social media-heavy programs seek to engage more loyal supporters through email programs like newsletter, petitions, pledges, advocacy and more. The purpose is to build a house file.

So how can you make email work best for your campaign? Here are seven tips to consider.

1) Vet your list

Carpet bombing your entire rolodex and house file is not a great way to make potential investors feel good about receiving your email. If you are looking for support from friends, focus on creating a small list of people who will likely care about the effort. The email itself is an ask. If at all possible, a personal email to each fundraiser makes a big difference.

If you are a nonprofit, you will want a list that is opt-in, and not purchased wholesale. There are great solutions from companies like Care2 to develop email lists of customized, qualified parties who will opt-in to information from you. Spend the money to build a list, but don’t buy an existing one that is not directly associated with your cause.

2) Write a fantastic headline

There are many elements to consider in writing a great headline, but make no bones about it, this is essential. Only 15% of emails are even opened, according to Blackbaud. Creating pithy headlines that are active in tense, short in length, and clear in purpose are critical to success.

[Read more] Source: Inspiring Generosity via razoo

 

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Future trends: Predictions for charity IT

We asked charities and IT suppliers alike for their predictions on IT trends in the charity sector over the next year, and received a huge response. Of course, cloud computing and mobile technology were frequently cited – so to avoid repetition just a few of the comments on these topics were included, with preference given to predictions addressing other interesting areas.

In our case it is improving our remote access capabilities to allow more efficient and more integrated work to be done by staff who are away from - or not based in - head office. In general I think that the maturing (finally) nature of the "cloud" and SaaS will (eventually) have an impact in how charity IT operates (assuming we all decide the security implications of having your data somewhere else are ok). In particular the scalability of this approach should mean that small charities can effectively operate
on the same type of systems as large charities.
Adrian Mitchell, IT manager, Variety Club

Complete pull to web-based apps (internal and external) paving the way for staff to use their own equipment within corporate networks (if all they need is a browser....not much for IT departments to support). This will be the norm in less than 10 years.
Paul Hughes, head of IT, the Stroke Association

[Read more] Source: Civil Society.co.uk

 

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November '11 - Grant Opportunities & Grant Activity items from all over the world helping you find possible sources of funding covering a vast array of giving interest areas | Expert's View: A manifesto for smarter fundraising | How to ask for money | Fortune 500 Adoption of Social Media Slowing View G&R November

The 7 deadly sins of fundraising appeals – and how to avoid them

These points and tips are mainly written in the context of individual giving, although many are also just as relevant to events, community and legacy fundraising, membership marketing, volunteer recruitment or anywhere direct marketing techniques are used.  They represent the most common issues in fundraising appeals that I have come across and include suggestions to help you avoid the same pitfalls.

I hope that some of these insights and suggestions are useful to you and that you will test to prove or disprove them for yourself!

1. Beating around the bush
Many people seem to feel slightly embarrassed about asking for donations.  I only say this because there have been numerous occasions where I’ve been asked to remove most of the asks for a donation from appeal copy; once to the point that the first mention was almost at the bottom of the last page of the letter, almost as though it was an afterthought.

This is a fundraising appeal, not a magazine article or a short story, so get to the point and do it quickly.  You’ve heard of the saying, ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’, and never has this been more true than in this context.  Experience and testing tells me that the earlier you include an ask, and the more direct you are about it, the better the response will be.

Tips to uplift response & income:

• -Include your ask early – the earlier the better
• 
  -Repeat the ask several times throughout your copy
• 
  -Be direct – phrases like, ‘will you donate today?’, will be more effective than, ‘your support would be appreciated’

[Read in full, Tips 2-7] Source: Beautiful World

Learn from rejected grant applications

The Art of Refusal: Promising Practice for Grant Makers and Grant Seekers

The full report of this research project, “The art of refusal: experiences of grant makers and grant seekers”, provides the findings of a study of communication experiences and practices, at the point of grant refusal, among selected grant making and grant seeking organisations. Its context was the frustration and disappointment being experienced by many grant seekers in a period of enhanced competition for funding, alongside the multiple pressures facing grant makers, in responding to grant seekers’ needs and in meeting their own range of obligations. The overall purpose of the research was to support learning and improvement in policy and practice among grant makers and grant seekers. A summary of the findings from the qualitative research undertaken for the project is provided at the end of this paper.

[View Report] Source: Cass Business School / Charities Aid Foundation (PDF)

10 things to do before writing a fundraising strategy

Having a shared purpose and a common fundraising goal is essential to any  successful nonprofit campaign or program.  This is why it is important for charities to work hard in order to develop their fundraising strategy prior to setting out with their asks or before beginning work on a fundraising project.

Developing a strong and coherent fundraising strategy helps cut down on wasting time and resources and gives a common purpose to the organization’s staff, including any volunteers.

Having a fundraising strategy with built-in timelines and targets also manages expectations amongst senior staff and board members and provides an effective manner in which to verbalize desired outcomes.

Before you start writing your strategy, here are 10 things your organization should be doing:

1. 1. Review your charity’s current status.  What are your present resources?  What went well in the past and what needs improvement?  Consider a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats)
3. 
   2. Ask yourself, what kind of funding do  you need? Unrestricted income? Gifts in kind? Major donations for specific projects?

[Read more] Source: adviceforgood

Compelling tool to identify potential US foundation funders

Multi-million dollar funding opportunities at your fingertips

Updated daily, FoundationSearch, an American Foundation Research database,includes more than 120,000 US grant making foundations, representing billions of dollars in annual granting and includes tools to locate grants by type, value, year, recipient, donor and historical giving trends, and much, much more.

FoundationSearch is in our opinion the best database of its kind in the world. It provides more accurate, accessible information than any other comparable database and its unique features enable you to appreciably reduce expensive research time, make your choices significantly better informed, and considerably improve your chances of success.

If you would like to learn more about FoundationSearch or are interested in a free online demonstration please contact research@chapel-york.com for details and costs or visit Chapel-york online

[More information]

How to ask for money

Use the right words, in the right order, at the right time to get the cash coming in

No one likes writing about or talking about money, but for most charities the effective ‘ask’ is the lifeblood of their organisation.

Here are a few tips to help with your fundraising writing.

Start with outcomes
Your donors want to know the impact that their money will have, so always start any writing about money with outcomes and achievements. Psychologists have shown people are much more likely to do what you want them to do if you give them a reason to do it. So never just ask for money without demonstrating – and proving – that their donation is an investment in the impact your organisation has.

Keep it simple
Your organisation may do 50 different things, but when writing about money concentrate on one area only. Too many options and ideas can breed procrastination. If you ask for this money, for this project, by this date, you present the reader with a simple yes or no decision to make right now.

Be honest about core costs
We all know asking for money to pay postage, lighting bills and transport isn’t a great sell. While you shouldn’t try to hide the fact you need to pay for core costs, you can weave them creatively into your fundraising asks.

Write the truth – that these costs are core to making projects successful – rather than an optional add-on you’d rather not talk about:

[Read more] Source: Gideon Burrows @ ngo.media

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