The Casebook Blog

Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide Explore the key challenges that funding for human services can raise, and discover strategic solutions to overcome them with our comprehensive guide

The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting. The previous post outlined the primary types of capacity-building projects and reviewed how transformational successful capacity-building implementation have been, for example, nonprofits. In this post, we’ll delve into reporting as well as the need for positive and open lines of communication with funders. Nonprofits, as public charities, are subject to investment from both public and private sources. Institutions (such as foundations and corporations) are examples of private sources of support necessary to nonprofits sustainable funding.Let’s say your organization has done a large amount of the work, and you just received your grant award! Beyond implementing the program, communicating with funders is key to ensuring you maintain good standing with their organization. Much of institutional giving is based on the promises you are making to these sources (your proposed programming/services, deliverables, etc.) however, equally important, is how you communicate with founders on your progress. There are the two main types of open communication with funders: formal reporting and relationship-building moments. Formal Reporting are updates given through either Interim Reporting or Impact Reports. They are often requested by each funder and have guidelines on what they should entail (typically sent in the same packet with the award letter/agreement). Interim Reports are updates that support the promised deliverables made to funders (how you’d use the funds). Even for general operating grants, updates to funders—or interim reports—are a necessary part of stewardship (aka maintaining positive relationships with funders which furthers ensure they continue to give/renew). Funding/Impact Reports are distributed to funders at the close of the grant period (typically 1-2 years, however, longer grant periods exist). They are a report back to funders on the full scope of work you’ve accomplished with their funding and a direct assessment of deliverables and key outcomes that were promised. Both of these reporting styles should have qualitative and quantitative examples that compare the progress you’re making to the deliverables you stated you would achieve. Things to detail in the more formal report include indicators of learnings, ways you improved the program, successes, and even challenges that explain where deficits occurred, and solutions you created to offset the barriers to success/implementation. This communication method leans more data driven, leveraging the quantitative efforts of your organization against the key outputs you stated that you would achieve within the initial proposal. Relationship-Building Moments are more informal updates within the stewardship process. This can take place in the form of phone calls to funders, emails, newsletter shares, and sometimes invitations to visit your program (when applicable/safe). One thing I must stress is that you can’t steward an ‘institution.’ You can only really form a bond and reputation with an individual (or group of individuals) at the foundation/corporation. These individuals, through updates, and phone calls, and ‘face- time’ begin to transition from funders to champions of your work. By communicating small victories throughout your grant period, you are showing an institution’s representative that your organization was a worthy investment, and that your impact is rippling beyond their initial grant distribution. This allows a program officer/funder to get to know you (and the organization you represent). Through your touchpoints they learn what your organization stands for at it’s core, beyond the outputs and outcomes outlined in the formal grant and impact reporting.

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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization. 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. High turnover can have serious consequences for nonprofits, including reduced productivity, decreased morale, and increased costs — all of which directly affect the quality of services these organizations provide to their constituents. Finding and receiving just the right grants for your growing nonprofit can be a crucial step in securing the funding you need to move forward with projects that will make a difference, and leveraging nonprofit case management database software when creating your applications can be an important step in keeping everything you need in one place and writing strong applications that showcase everything your organization has to offer. Here is an overview of how to write a grant using nonprofit software and why nonprofit grant writing case management systems play an important role in creating successful modern grant proposals! Keep Past Information Organized to Choose the Best Possible Donors Even the most charitable donors are often unable to contribute to every grant request that comes their way, and keeping track of a wide range of data about each donor you have worked with or requested funds from in the past can help you begin your search with the specific donors that are the most likely to be willing and able to support your project. Many donors prefer to work with the same grant recipients over time to build a strong professional relationship with promising newcomers to their field, while others prioritize spreading their funds out among more people to help them get their foot in the door. If you are requesting a second or third grant from a donor you have had success with in the past, it can be helpful to remind them of the results of projects you have previously applied their funding to and how much that work benefited you or the organization you represent. Nonprofit software provides an easy and streamlined option for keeping this information and details about past communication with potential donors in one convenient place, and reviewing this information before deciding who to reach out to first can increase your chances of finding early success and minimizing the time it will take to secure the funds you need. Quickly Find the Best Grants for Your Organization Many grants have very specific guidelines for the types of projects they are to be used for, and reading through dozens or even hundreds of grant descriptions to find options that may be appropriate for your nonprofit can be quite time-consuming and reduce the amount of time your team can spend on other aspects of running your organization. Many grant management software programs come with a built-in, searchable database of common grants, and these programs can quickly compile a list of grants that most closely match your criteria. With this option, you can be intentional about putting the majority of your time and other resources toward creating the best possible applications for the specific grants that are most likely to be a good fit for your nonprofit. Establish Your Credibility If you are new to your field or representing a new nonprofit organization that has applied for few or no grants in the past, it can be difficult to create a concise and accurate picture of what your organization stands for and how the project you are seeking a grant for will ultimately benefit your community or your field. A strong grant management software program can be a valuable tool for compiling background information about your nonprofit to share with potential donors to show them why you are representing a credible and reliable organization that will use their money wisely. Although it can be easy to assume the reader of your grant application knows something about a cause that is important to you, it is generally best to write your application as though they have never heard of it to provide the most well-rounded explanation for why they should consider supporting your organization.

Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include: Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions.Donors are individuals who give funds to help your organization achieve its mission! Program/Grant Administrators/Officers are employees of institutions and represent the foundations’ interest. Typically, they are individuals who have extensive knowledge in the field of interest and carry a portfolio of grantees of which they advise and advocate for within their greater institutions. So now that we understand the difference between the two, what’s the magic secret to receiving sustainable funding from program officers? It boils down to two things: trust and engagement. There’s no real sorcery involved, but there are a few ‘magic’ truths in fundraising. Some include: those who don’t ask don’t receive (a squeaky wheel gets the oil sort of ideology); and if a program officer wouldn’t trust you with their own money, they’re probably not going to trust you with their foundation’s money either. Fundraising success is usually strengthened by two things: strong data and strong relationships. Relationship building in particular is fundamental. Yes, the collateral you provide to funders matter. The strength of your proposal, and the alignment of your work as it relates to the funder’s vision, matters. Your reputation in the community matters. AND one big indicator of long-term sustainable funding is the relationship you build with your program officer as an extension of the foundation. Relationships matter. And all of this brings us back to understanding how to build trust and drive engagement. Let’s start with engagement. There’s a working theory in fundraising called the ‘rule of 7’. Simple put, expert fundraisers (yours included) believe that you need seven quality touch points between requesting gifts. The majority of these engagement touch points should be thank yours and updates. This practice doesn’t just go for individual donors, it also is helpful for foundation program officers as well. An example of engagement timeline which may work for you could include:

So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en So, how do we build trust? You build trust by ensuring that you’re following through on your commitments and promises to funders. This is partly why the engagement phase is so important, each follow-up, touch point engagement moment underline commitments and builds trust. As you’re moving through the initial cultivation process or renewal phase, funders will often be interested in your current accomplishments and what you intend to do if awarded funding. This is where deliverables come in as central to communicating and building to trust with donors. Simply put, deliverables are goods or services produced as a result of a project that is intended to be delivered. These goals need to be concrete but they almost must be within the organizations field of interest and realistic to their giving patterns. Field of Interest is what it sounds like! —the scopes of work funders are interested in funding, usually defined in categories like Health Care, Technology Innovation, Youth, Families, etc. Sometimes these fields of interest have sub-categories and fancy titles such as Equity in Hospitals or Future of Work(ers). However, an institution’s giving pattern shows how large, frequent, and the scale of the investment funders make within those sections. A funder can distribute funds across multiple fields of interest, but how deeply (such as 85% of their giving going towards Healthy Children & Family v. Research) and how much (1M average grants v. 10K) is the structure of their giving pattern. Keep this in mind as you think about your engagement and trust-building with funder—the field of interest and potential giving request should all be aligned with the scope of work you’re proposing. Best practices teach us that deliverables need to follow a specific format —SMARTIE—to articulate that they are equitable, tangible, and actionable actions. SMARTIE goals often resonate best with program officers as you work to convey your organization’s trustworthiness. When creating outcomes for your work, use the below prompts to determine if the deliverable is a SMARTIE goal? Strategic - Is the deliverable consistent with our priorities? Measurable - Can you quantitatively or qualitatively measure it? Ambitious - Does the deliverable meaningfully progress our work? Realistic - Can the deliverable be achieved with a set amount of resources and time? Time-bound - Is it tied to a specific date/time? Inclusive - Does the deliverable afford power to those who are marginalized? Equitable - Does the deliverable address systemic injustice? Of special note, it is easier to write a grant proposal when you have deliverables to frame it around. Having clear deliverables ahead of moving into the cultivation phase also makes it easier to answer funders’ questions during meetings. Deliverables are a roadmap for not just the funder but also for you. When executive leadership, development teams and program staff are co-developing deliverables it helps improve collaboration and productivity. Key to the success of grant programs and deliverables development is maintaining a solid database. Because you’re reading this, your organization is likely at a stage where it has (or desires to have) multiple on-going grants and cultivation opportunities. Customer relationship management (CRM) tools are also key to keeping track of all the touch points needed to stay the course on the pathway to funding success. CRMs are cloud-based platforms that support data management. Without an effective platform, it can be difficult to remember which deliverables are for which projects -- as well as when they are due. Effectively tracking en

As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language. As an organization, you have to be able to pivot between funders to position yourselves for grants for which you’re eligible. The adaptability needed to convey different tones and key points in your work will ensure your longevity. In this post, you’ll learn more about how to build your institutional strategy to ensure sustainability. Nonprofits need to communicate effectively to multiple types of institutions. In order to successfully pivot, you must be able to speak their language without losing your own voice. The best way to ensure that you’re able to appeal to multiple audiences without losing your vision and mission is to start from a strong proposal template (more on that here). After you have your template, be sure to adjust, and add/remove based on the key factors that each institution outlines in their application guidelines (usually on the RFP or institution’s website). Government funders are interested in your stats—they want to know what you’ve done, why you’re the best person/organization for the job, who you have behind you supporting you (elected officials, other community-based-agencies, etc.) and all of the indicators that you will be successful. With public funds, they are looking for an analytical and very formal tone that convinces them you’ll succeed.. They're aware of the need—that’s why they’ve issued an RFP, to address their current issue. Relevant citations, Specific Measurable Realistic and Timebound (SMART) objectives, and a comprehensive program design and evaluation method will help set you up for success. Foundations are moved by a blend of the heart-mind narrative with analytics sprinkled in. Since they have larger scopes than government funders (meaning they can support anything from environmental causes to youth development) your tone should be compelling, outline the evidence-based need, but also really highlight the significance their partnership will bring to your community/target population. Foundations want to see your track record, yes, but they also want to know what your plan is to achieve the change you wish to make in the world. SMART objectives, with an educational tone that balances the engrossing need, with you uniquely positioned to utilize their funds in order to make a difference. Corporate funders are far more interested in the work you’re doing on the ground, ie. the collective action you’re currently taking. Less focused on SMART deliverables, they’re more interested in the scope of your programming: how many people you’re reaching, how many of their employees will have the opportunity to volunteer, how long it will take you to achieve your goals? Corporate funders on average are less interested in long-term projects, they will fund a year-long program, but corporate sponsorships for events make up the large sum of corporate responsibility grantmaking. Your tone should be lively, excited, and heart-mind reaching. At the end of the day, a strong strategy is one that incorporates all of these factors into your overarching proposal narrative. Center yourself in your work, be sure you have the clear narrative of why you’re doing this work (your need) what it will do for your community (the impact) what the solution is (program/project design & use of funds) and of course how you will report back and grow (evaluation framework.) Best of luck! And remember, be confident in the work your organization is doing; don’t change your entire program design just to fit into a guideline. Just speak true words, aligned with your mission, in the funders’ language.

Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder. Building a legacy that stands the test of time is difficult. On average, US-based nonprofits have expenses of less than $1 million; and the majority of those focus on youth, education, community development, or human services at large. For every ‘powerhouse’ nonprofit (with budgets in the billions) there are thousands of grassroots organizations with expenses under that $1M mark. It is a tough market out there; institutional support is competitive and setting your organization up for success is key. The previous posts touched on the types of institutional support available, and how to best communicate your mission and solutions to funders based on their preferred tones. Now, let’s dive deeper into how to further position your organization for capacity-building success so that your organization can grow effectively and sustainably. One cornerstone of strong organizational growth is strategically increasing capacity. Successful programmatic implementation is the vehicle that drives your mission and vision, but the institutional support of an organization is equally as important. In addition to program support funding opportunities, there are funders such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation (who work primarily to strengthen organizations that support children and families) or The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (which focuses on nonprofit leadership & governance at large) that directly support the capacity-building efforts of nonprofits or general funds. Capacity Development grants in a nutshell are funds used specifically to build resources and tools that help your organization strengthen its infrastructure; whereas general operating funds can be used for anything your organization needs (programmatic, capital, or capacity-development). Learn a little more about why capacity-building grants are game-changing opportunities here. Three Tips to Keep in Mind when Applying for Capacity-building Grants: Develop a Framework: Create a Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) analysis of your nonprofit systems and structures before looking for funding. This is important for two reasons: Prioritization of Requests. You need to have a comprehensive understanding of your immediate growth needs, and what could wait for later. For example, is it more important that you build out a finance department to better track expenses and reporting; or is a software or database that helps you streamline your communication with community stakeholders and track data the top priority? Don’t Set Yourself Up to Chase Funding: Without a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your organization, you may be inclined to pursue funding based regardless of what your key needs are. By applying for open opportunities that do not necessarily align with your priorities, you end up chasing funding without responding to your organization’s needs. Often developing nonprofits will try and apply for any and everything, but what happens when you get a grant that focuses on building out your marketing team, but you really need a comprehensive database that tracks client success before implementing additional outreach? All of this is to say -- create a framework and game plan before you even begin to look for funding. Do a SWOT analysis, it will help you frame your priorities. Build your Appeal Network Out: Once you have your framework and have conceptualized priorities, appeal to funders that are already in your network. Get referrals from current foundation funders, let them know your capacity-building needs. Even if they only fund program-specific projects, funders have a network; they talk to each other. Leverage your connections to gain additional leads on potential partners and funding sources. Prospecting tools like Instrumentl or Candid help, but nothing is as good as a recommendation from someone who already believes in your work. Scaffold Funding Phases: Think in long-term solutions once you have your priorities, create a timeline that allows for continuous growth. You’ve prioritized your capacity-development focus areas for the next 6 months, what are your plans and needs to accomplish those goals in the next 18 months or the next 3 years? Think about your grant writing needs, there are funds for that; leadership and management trainings, there are funds for that; growing your board….there are funds for that! Separate your strategic growth points into milestones and fundraise around those buckets of work— this goes not only for programmatic goals but also for your institutional structure and scaling efforts. Managing finances, updated website design, evaluation strategy, and data collection are all examples of building blocks that are critical to programmatic growth because they amplify the might of your organization. Without people power, and solid tools, nonprofits can face barriers to growing beyond the shoestring budget. Funders that distribute capacity-building grants recognize that organizations need to develop competent management systems in addition to programming and services. Ensure that your organization is researching general operating and capacity-development funding opportunities concurrently with program-specific support. Remember, every nonprofit with a $50 million budget, used to be a much smaller one. Every grant is an opportunity for your organization to expand its network and scale one more ring of growth. Clear direction, well-equipped staff with effective tools, and pursuit of strategic funding will help you climb that ladder.