The Casebook Blog

So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical. So far, we’ve reviewed watchdog sites’ standards, detailing indicators for a nonprofit’s success, and articulating metrics. What do all of these have in common? DATA! Ratings, program development, case-making…all are driven by a drumbeat of qualitative and quantitative data. How the public views your nonprofit matters. How you view your nonprofit matters.Just like in preschool, gold-stars matter. But what matters more is understanding what makes your program and operations better, and thus, what translates into heightened grant competitiveness. For example, you may have a program that reaches 100 young adults a year through life skills workshops, individual/family counseling, and resource fairs. The blend of in-depth support and one-off moments ultimately builds to a holistic solution for each participant. Some participants may grasp concepts and move towards independence through economic support and character building more quickly than other participants, however, on average you find that if an individual attends at least 5 counseling sessions, 2 resource fairs, and 3 life-skills workshops they have a higher rate of job attainment. As you evaluate, test, and grow your model, you identify that certain participants (let’s say under the age of 20) are more receptive to certain workshops and you adjust the curriculum to support achievement. Now, you’re in a better position to support these young adults sustain their livelihoods. Data drives your program’s growth. Data is key to your participant’s success. This is similar to how foundations view the world. How does a nonprofit know what is working? How are they using data to drive their program? How does data inform how they utilize resources? What does the external data (like watchdog sites) say about the nonprofit’s success and impact? Being able to articulate the evidence-based backing of your strategy supports your ratings on evaluation sites and ultimately translates into higher competitiveness for grants. But what tools are you using? How is your organization tracking efficacy? Keeping track of participant files? Managing the evaluation of your efforts? Tools like Casebook, are amazing because they allow for “dynamic fields” which enable you to track engagement and personalize reporting requirements. Dynamic Fields allow you to enter and compare unique data sets that may be specific to your organization, and the configurability is important because it allows users to really understand and tell a data-driven, responsive story beyond just a suite of generic data sets. Learn more about cb Engage, offered as part of Casebook—a key case management application that integrates data collection and distribution all via a remote platform. Think about how to pull, and display meaningful data. How many clients are applying to your program? How are you determining and adjusting eligibility? What are the key demographics in each household, beyond standard gender, race, and age? Think about what makes your population unique. What are your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT tool here) in supporting this community? Utilize the data garnered from an effective platform tool to understand the main areas for support needed, and then convey these metrics to funders, to your community, to the world! Whatever platform you utilize, know that as you prioritize your organization’s resource growth and competitiveness in the eyes of funders they will begin to prioritize you. Data isn’t really magic. It’s a critical tool that you can leverage to build your resources and transform your nonprofit. The power of that change, that’s what’s truly magical.

Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large. Intro Okay so you really want funders to love you, right? That makes sense! Getting funder buy-in often equates to higher levels of investments. So what drives a program officer (or other donor!) to rally behind your organization? Well, it all boils down to trust. And in order for a funder to trust you, they have to know you. Relationship-building efforts such as consistent communication and frequent outreach do help strengthen trust. But it takes more than just an emotional connection—you need data-driven proof points that ensure your organization’s ability to carry out the work that aligns with the funder’s driving mission. A solid way to verify your organization’s trustworthiness is through third-party validation sites. Simply put, third-party validation sites—also known as charity watchdog sites—develop public reviews of nonprofits. Compiled into a report, these websites allow both individual donors and grant program officers to better understand a nonprofit’s position; focusing on the following areas: Financials: everything from 990s, fundraising percentage expenses versus program expenses, audit filings, and the way your organization tracks spending/income Governance: this often focuses on information regarding the board, executive leadership, the organization’s structure and decision-making process including public policies, privacy, donor data, etc. Program/Impact: the way you implement programs, how you communicate your effectiveness (such as through annual reports), the footprint of your organization’s results Culture & Community: your reputation/what others say about you, your expertise, your diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Focus areas and the weighted value of the categories above vary validator to validator. However, all of these reports come with specialized ratings (such as numerical, letter grades, or titles). Many of the watchdog sites pull from public data, such as your organization’s website, or IRS 990 form. This means that transparency is key. In fact, Candid (who recently merged with GuideStar) distributes Seals of Transparency. According to Guidestar/Candid the type of information a nonprofit provides determines which Seal it earns. The levels are: Bronze—basic information so your organization can be found Silver—program information and brand details Gold—financials and people information Platinum—goals and the difference you’re making However, Charity Navigator, the largest largest and most-utilized independent nonprofit evaluator, deeply focuses on the accessibility and type of data. This major player in the watch-dog field rates charities using over 27 metrics to evaluate them on a scale of one to four stars. Compiling everything from whistleblower policies to staff lists, and program financial expenses to performance metrics, Charity Navigator creates a complex grid of accountability weighing the organization’s transparency and capacity to maintain clear records of their impact. Many of these third-party sites typically auto-generate and pull baseline information from public records, and then allow you to submit documentation to correct or update the information. Other evaluation sites such as Give.org (affiliated with the Better Business Bureau) and GreatNonprofits operate active search engines that sync local charities right into potential donors based on their rankings and geographic locations. Regardless of whether you submit directly to these sites, knowing that baseline information will be pulled and categorized, your organization really has to prioritize public information. Financials should be on your website and easily accessible. Audits should be listed annually. Board members clearly posted and updated. Further, program impact such as reach and progress towards fulfilling your organization’s mission and purpose need to be clearly demonstrated through both qualitative and quantitative means. So what does this mean for you? The majority of US-based nonprofits go unrated or maintain low grades. If you can secure Platinum levels and 4 star ratings across the board, then that places you within an extremely competitive place for securing support. This means get your house in order! Invest in resources that ensure that you are tracking your data, understanding your program effectiveness, and measuring how your finances align with program impact. Having ratings, such as the Seal from Guidestar, often equate to a 53% increase in contributions. It’s time to get watch-dog ready! In the next two posts, we’ll review other standardized metrics and prepare your nonprofit to secure high ratings, which ultimately means you’re more competitive for grant awards and donations at large.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the great resignation, businesses across many industries have experienced an uptick in employee turnover. This trend has been especially prominent in the nonprofit sector, where limited budgets and resources often make it difficult for organizations to retain their top talent. Previously we reviewed standardized metrics from third-party validator sites that funders and donors often use to determine a nonprofit’s viability for funding. However, it’s not just third-party sites that maintain metric benchmarks for nonprofits. Institutional funders often have their own internal evaluation sites and standardized metrics. In addition to sharing the core points that watchdog sites review (such as financials and governance), major institutions like the government’s Children’s Bureau and affluent foundations like the Ford Foundation also maintain their own evaluation system. These metrics serve as indicators of a nonprofit’s likelihood to be successful with their grant allocation and produce impact aligned with the institution’s mandate. For Ford, and many foundation funders, an organization’s “readiness” is indicative of their ability to have a few core organizational strengths. They believe in assessments so much, that they have a public open-source tool to support nonprofits identify and prioritize their organizational strengthening needs. Within this Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT), they focus on 14 categories. We won’t dive into each one, but to illustrate a few top lines consider the focus areas as follows: Mission & Strategy - do you have clear, inspiring and compelling public commitments with formal goals, outcomes and a strategic plan? Field Engagement - is there a strong sense of mutual power and collaboration within your organization? Is your organization considered an active leader in networks, has a strong voice in the community and has a visibly strong reputation in the field? Administration - outside of maintaining legal obligations and an effective organizational leadership structure, what do your administrative policies look like? How do you leverage technology and information systems to ensure that the organization functions optimally? This last one is so important. Is your organization tracking your data? What do your participant files include? Are you simply collecting demographics or measuring outputs against long-term impacts? Systems are so vital to your success as a nonprofit. And for many funders, it’s 50% of their considerations. For example, major government institution distributed grants (like NY state’s Block Grant) also have their version of self-assessment tools. Their tools focus almost entirely on the data. They are focused on not just what information your organization is capable of tracking, but the use of that information to inform programming & services. There are also capacity-building programs that some funders operate to support nonprofits as they work towards securing grants from high-level funders. Robin Hood operates a workshop series entitled GRIT (Grant-Ready Insights and Training) project. Again, the bulk of the focus is on evaluation models and data tracking. What tools and software are you using to bolster your readiness? In addition to the tools, program officers each often have their own way of identifying an organizations’ readiness. Much of their determining factors are a cross between relationship-building, visibility of the organization (how well you’re known within the community), and the data-driven proof points that underline your organization’s efficacy. These readiness tools and self-evaluations can support your prioritization as you work towards becoming ready for that break-through grant your organization needs to thrive. In the next section we’ll discuss how technology tools and softwares like Casebook serve as a viable solution for metric traction and grant competitiveness.

Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs. Let’s face it, the world of grant writing can be daunting. With RFPs, FOAs, RFAs, LOIs, EDs, PDs...it feels like alphabet soup! However, all you need is a solid strategy and a clear voice—which really entails having a strong understanding of how to navigate the world of grantmaking and how your organization can best position itself for funding. First, let’s start with the basics - What is Grantmaking? Grantmaking, simply put, is when an institution distributes funds (an award - usually a check) to an organization. There are so many resources out there to tell you how to write a grant (...like this awesome one). What’s key -- is that you’re aware of the differences in these grantmaking institutions and how they fund/distribute awards. This way, you can decide on what institution might be the best to approach depending on the strength of your organization. Grant Institutions typically fall into 3 categories: Governments - Federal, state, or local (municipalities, school districts, counties) will often post calls for nonprofit/social good organizations to complete their desired work (such as community development projects, foster care coordination, in-school or out-of-school programs/implementation, human services, etc). These grants are sourced from public funds (through the government’s budget) and are highly competitive (but often have a high award amount ~500K+ depending on the project). Government grant-opportunities typically require extensive attachments, stakeholder letters of support, evidence-based data, and proof of prior success prior to applying. Think civic good and social impact, with data-heavy, evidence-based solutions. Foundations - Private foundations are institutions that aren’t funded with public dollars (like taxes), but more so single sources (such as wealthier individuals or affluent families). Their giving programs typically require far fewer attachments and have a simpler process, but on average, distribute far fewer funds than their government counterparts. Focus areas are wide and far-reaching (from funding programmatic support, capacity-development needs, and even technology supplies). Think impact and depth, long-term solutions; foundations are most likely to fund scaling and pilot initiatives. Corporations - Corporations (like Coca-Cola, State Farm, etc.) are also private institutions, that have set up philanthropic-arms that distribute grants from a percentage of their company’s earnings. Sometimes called “corporate responsibility giving” these grant making focus areas typically are concentrated in communities where the company’s employees work, and often prefer organization’s that have employee engagement (such as volunteering, or sitting on the org board). Think scope and reach, corporate funders are most likely to fund local and employee-engagement programs.

During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together. During Nonprofit Giving Season, we’ll review the impact the pandemic has had on philanthropy and how support put in place by CARES Act could impact your nonprofit. CARES (which stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), passed in early Spring and has six key areas that support nonprofits during the economic crisis caused by COVID-19. Employee Retention Tax Credit: Provides a refundable payroll tax credit up to $5,000 per employee; your nonprofit is eligible for this if you can show your profits/income declined by at least 50% (compared to the previous year). Unemployment Benefit Reimbursement: Consult with your accountant regarding your organization’s unique eligibility, however, at large the CARES act allows nonprofits to be reimbursed for half of any unemployment benefits costs. (Read about why nonprofits, even small and/or developing ones, need accountants here). Paycheck Protection Program: Likely the most talked-about aspect of CARES for nonprofits is the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) managed by the US Small Business Administration (SBA). Nonprofits, with less than 500 employees, can borrow 2.5 times their monthly payroll expenses (up to $10 million). While PPP is technically a loan (since most small businesses are eligible to apply) as a 501c3 nonprofit, you're eligible for forgiveness of the loan, as long as you can show a record of continued employment of the staff covered during the loan period (24-weeks). You must apply through an SBA 7(a) lender. Funds can be used to offset payroll costs, rent, and utility expenses and (if applicable) any interest on a mortgage or outstanding debt. There are limits, such as a cap at $100,000 for an individual's salary, and the funds must be justifiable/vital to support the organization's livelihood. Read in-depth on PPP here. Economic Stabilization Fund: Less often spoken about is this aspect of CARES. Nonprofits that do not qualify for PPP coverage, or those who don’t need salaries covered, can apply for a low-interest loan (2.75% for approved nonprofits) with a $2 million loan maximum. Unlike PPP, the Economic Stabilization Fund does not have a limit on the number of employees and has a slightly broader definition for use of funds. The funds must be used to retain employees as well as to support compensation and benefits. However, a nonprofit cannot receive both PPP and Economic Stabilization Fund loans. Emergency Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) Grants: These grants (provided by the SBA) are dispensed from the same funding streams as the previously mentioned Economic Stabilization Fund and PPP, however, they are micro ($10,000) Advances distributed within 3 days of an approved application. Currently, funds are depleted, but EIDL loan applications (from the Economic Stabilization Fund) will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. Charitable Giving Incentives: Prior to the pandemic, deductions for individual charitable contributions were limited to no more than 60% of your adjusted gross income. Now, there is no 2020 limit on charitable contributions, for individuals and corporate giving limitations have been raised from 10% to 25%. This essentially means there is no cap on what an individual can give (all donations are fully tax-deductible) and corporations can now deduct 2.5 times more than they would have normally been allowed by IRS regulations. Although the SBA has distributed the micro-grant programs, there are many cities and counties across the US that have just recently received state allocated CARES Act funding. Many of these municipalities are still distributing funds coordinated by major foundations and city-driven funds in their area (for example Alabama CARES, California Community Foundation & Bayou Recovery Fund.) Many nonprofits worried that philanthropy would dwindle during the 2020 economic crisis. History has shown us, and these past few months have underlined, that available funding priorities shift more so than fully deplete. The CARES tax and loan programs, combined with grant-making institutions rising to support their communities, have created a window for nonprofits across sectors. While recessions typically trigger a drop in individual giving, public charities that focus on direct support (in particular for food and housing security, and disaster relief) saw an increase in giving. With the giving season rapidly approaching, keep in mind that over 30% of nonprofit contributions are received towards the end of the year. In fact, nearly 12% of all giving happens during the last few days of the year. Keep in mind the CARES Act supports, but also ensure that your organization pursues a strong strategy for end of year giving. Appeal to your network, your community, and to institutional funders (quick guide to end of year giving here). Nonprofits are essential to the public good sector, and we can get through this—together.