The Casebook Blog

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.

In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making. In the previous post, we touched on how capacity-building grants are identified and developed in an effort to better position organizations for growth. Now, we’ll review the power of capacity-building grants and the impact they can have on an organization’s development.There are three main types of capacity-building efforts: People-Power Building: the implementation of training and development programming which strengthens the knowledge and skill of an organization’s staff and the recruitment of people (volunteers, staff, and board members) that can further an organization's capacity. Organizational & Structural: the approach of blending supporting the overall organization’s communication and inter-departmental collaboration with systems and best-practice procedures. Equipment & Materials: gaining the tools, and physical resources necessary (anywhere from databases to smart devices) to ensure the efficacy of the organizations’ programming and services. To better illustrate how capacity-building grants can support an organization’s strengthening and scale, let's look at two example organizations whose capacity-building process touches on core aspects of the three main categories of capacity-building. ABC Youth Network ABC Youth Network is a west-coast based nonprofit that formed in 2003. For the past 5 years, they maintained an average annual budget of $3 million, relying heavily on board-driven individual contributions--with less than 10% of the budget coming from institutional funds. Community-focused, it has historically had an active board representative of its focus population. However, the board, the majority of whom have been with the organization for over 15 years, are transitioning out due to retirement, relocation, etc. Additionally, senior leadership has decided to launch a new program, which will require increased funds (30% over their budget), far beyond the current individual donor-driven network they maintain. Senior Leadership knows something has to change. They begin with an analysis of their current assets and the highest needs. Individual fundraising has always worked for them, but they need to grow and scale—they apply to several foundations outlining their need for a fundraising specialist who can develop their institutional giving program and support their board development. ABC Youth Network is awarded two grants—one takes the form of a $300,000 two-year grant restricted to their development needs. With these funds, they are able to hire a Development Director and Grant Writer, who are able to secure additional funds in an effort to launch the expansion project from other institutional donors. The second capacity-grant they were awarded is an in-kind grant, which provides the nonprofit with a consultant, free of charge, who builds a board-member recruitment and retention program. This board advancement opportunity acts with dual purpose, raising the organization's profile, and generating a new, stronger network, for the organization to leverage for additional resources. In less than 9 months, they have grown their budget over 35% through institutional support alone. Overall, these capacity-building grants catalyzed ABC Youth Network’s ability to diversify its funding streams, scale its organization’s programming, and build a pathway to sustainable funding. Veterans Today Org Veterans Today Org started in 2015 in the founders’ home. They used whatever resources available (from borrowed clipboards to found pens)—operating with a barebones budget and scarce materials. As they grew out of the home and into an office, and eventually into a multi-suite space to support the scale of supportive programming, they continued to use the same paper filing, excel sheets, and materials. Despite growing from a budget of $100,000 to over 1 million, Veterans Today Org was not prioritizing their data collection and evaluation methods. Client tracking was done with historical data often secured through informal conversations, and there was no comprehensive system for tracking the progress the clients and the organization was making.

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

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

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

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

Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find. Maryellen Hess Cameron spent over 25 years as the Executive Director of non-profit agencies in the social.... It’s difficult for some charities to ask for donations. They don’t have a history of it, they are shy about asking for money or maybe they don’t have the staff or board members with the right skills. Take heart! If your agency needs a strategy to build a donor base online, then donor education sites can be valuable partners. “Too often, we give not to the causes that are most effective, but rather to those that are best at asking for it.” Nicholas Kristoff, Year of Living Better Donor education sites give you a place to build donor trust in your organization as an effective, financially healthy nonprofit. After all, there is a high correlation between trust and financial support. A 2019 Give.org survey found that 70% of survey respondents believe that trust is the most important consideration when they are considering charitable donations, ranking trust a 9 on a 10 point scale. Articulating successful outcomes is the foundation of strong appeals for donations. Proof of impact and effective solicitation for resources is a powerful combination. The donor education platforms share your success to a broad audience. You can use them as tools to solidify your position with existing donors and introduce you to others that care about your mission. These sites have missions to provide donors with accurate information they can use for wise giving. They have established benchmarks that they use to assess agencies objectively. Most of them welcome input from individual nonprofits. You can provide the information to demonstrate you meet those standards. This article provides an understanding of donor education sites and how you can optimize their value to you. A follow-up article will build on that knowledge with more in-depth descriptions of five sites: Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch and Great Nonprofits. What is a donor education service? It is an established resource donors can use to evaluate charities. There is a wealth of advice for donors – and educating them on making an informed choice is at the top of the list. This is true for donors already familiar with a particular agency. It is also true that donors use them to search for charities addressing an issue important to them, where they may give an unsolicited contribution. They also serve to prevent a misuse of scarce resources. Dishonest nonprofits target donors with emotional appeals that vacuum up donations that won’t be used as intended. Some are outright scams, using names that mislead donors into thinking their donations are going to organizations with good reputations. Other nonprofits seek donations for legitimate reasons but they do not achieve much for each dollar they receive. Given the need charities have for money, compared to resources available to them, donors need information about where their contributions will be used most effectively. There are multiple donor education sites with similar missions: to provide objective and detailed information about agencies that donors can use to evaluate their investments before making them. Remember, donations are investments. Donors care about causes and outcomes. They look for the organizations that will pay a good dividend, measured as an improved quality of life for its constituents. To be more explicit, the sites word their objectives a bit differently but each one strives to serve as a reliable source of information. Donors should be able to trust that an agency achieves the most impact per dollar possible and uses its funding with integrity. This information is clearly in demand. Donors make millions of visits to information sources about charities every year. The sites have another goal - to inspire people and organizations to begin making charitable contributions, if they have not done so in the past, or to increase their gifts if they have a history of giving. The sites bring together information in one place for ease of donor use. Not only does that reduce research time for donors, but it can also provide information they may not know how to find.