Some days it feels like the successful, well-known nonprofits only get richer while smaller, lesser-known nonprofits get poorer. How can you ensure that your nonprofit is among those that succeed?
What makes a nonprofit organization “rich”? Why does it seem like there is an unfair division of resources among nonprofits? Sometimes it seems like only the well-known, successful organizations attract funding while the smaller, lesser-known organizations—despite the important work they do—are engaged in a constant struggle to gain funding.
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The answer is that some organizations are just more successful in fundraising: from the public, from foundations that give grants, and from private donors. These organizations do not have a secret weapon, nor do they have an unfair advantage. Quite simply, they know how to fundraise successfully. They set goals, use proven strategies and methodologies, and—somewhat surprisingly—never take “NO” for an answer.
How can you, too, implement this winning formula for successful fundraising for nonprofits? Below is a six-step process that lays out how to be successful when grant writing for non-profits.
Step One: Define Your Goals
Defining your goals, setting a list of priorities, and creating short-term benchmarks will help you stay focused and give you direction during the long fundraising journey. Defining your goals helps you to plan what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and how to get it done. By setting benchmarks and milestones, you ensure that with every step you move from strength to strength, always inching closer to achieving those long-term goals.
Defining goals also has its own inherent value in the process of securing grants for nonprofit organizations, in that by breaking down your objectives into measurable tasks and a matter of simple statistics, what at first glance seems intimidating and overwhelming, suddenly becomes highly attainable. For example, you can define your goals as raising $50,000 in year one, and then doubling that to $100,000 in year two. In order to achieve those goals, you plan to do the following;
- Contact 30 foundations
- Connect with 12 private donors
- Contact 2 government offices
All of a sudden, when you break down the overall goals into concrete steps, the whole process seems much less overwhelming and a whole lot more doable. Just remember that it is important to use tangible, measurable goals for each milestone when fundraising for nonprofits.
Step Two: Research
The next step to successful fundraising it to map your potential resources. In other words, compile a list of every possible source of funding that is open to you. Look at public funding sources, such as government and municipal offices. Then, research grants for nonprofit organizations that are available from foundations and private donors whose interests match up to the work of your nonprofit. At the end of this research process, you should have compiled an extensive list of potential funding sources from the private, state and government sectors. Be sure to check that your nonprofit fits the specific criteria for each source of funding. By doing so, you will find that you now have a large bank of high-value targets, and a strong likelihood that many of the leads will indeed produce actual grants.
Step Three: Develop an Action Plan
Now that you have your goals and a whole network of potential funding sources, it is time to develop of plan of action. This plan should include a timeline with dates and deadlines, detailed benchmarks for tracking progress, specific tasks, and a breakdown of how you plan to delegate responsibilities (if applicable).
Step Four: Just Do It—Apply for Grants
We have written about the grant application process in other articles, so here are just a few key reminders. First, when sending applications to government offices, private donors, and foundations that give grants, be sure that you submit 100% of the required paperwork and documents, and double-check that you have filled out all forms correctly. Second, make sure your grant writing for non-profits is well-balanced, meaning that you present the mission and story of your organization as an interesting and compelling narrative, yet, at the same time, keep it professional and include all the necessary facts and figures. Third, pay attention to final submission dates, especially when dealing with sources in the public sector. And finally, never wait for the last minute to submit your application; it gives a very bad impression.
Step Five: Don’t Take “No” for an Answer
In the world of fundraising, “Maybe” means “Probably,” and “No” means “Maybe.” Hence, if your request receives a “No”, do not walk away. Instead, find out where your application failed, fix it, and then re-apply. In addition, before you apply to a different source of funding, change the aspects of your application that caused it to be rejected. Always learn from your rejections, and continuously work to improve and tweak your application until you finally receive a “Yes.”
Final Step: Achieve Your Goals, then Repeat Your Success
Well done! You have achieved your fundraising goals. Now, review and critique the process. What did you do well, and how are you going to repeat that success? Where can you improve? Such an evaluation will allow you to build on your past successes and produce a winning track record far into the future.
But what if you failed to achieve your goals? Review the process and see where you stumbled along the way. Decide how to improve those steps, but also take note of what you did correctly so that you can repeat those successes next time. Regardless, never give up. Perhaps your goals were unrealistic. Or, perhaps you need to go back to the drawing board and try an entirely different approach. To be sure, only by evaluating the whole process will you understand why you failed and how you can succeed in the future.
Successful nonprofits start with clear goals, map out a clear plan of action and, most important, are always looking for ways to improve. At IDC Giving Group, we are happy to help organizations at every step on the journey, guiding and explaining how to get grants for non profit organizations. Our executive consultant can walk you through each stage, starting with planning and strategy, and continuing through to implementing and following up with that plan.
Using a professional fundraiser with our level of experience and expertise helps make your fundraising more efficient and more effective, and allows you to move more quickly and more confidently towards achieving your goals.
Debra Kagan is the CEO of IDC Giving Group. She holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, Professional Certification in Non-Profit Management from the New York Institute of Finance and has managed hundreds of client cases and grant requests, successfully bringing millions of dollars to a wide array of nonprofits. As a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Debra and the IDC Giving Group team deliver high-quality, professional resource development services and strategies that allow your nonprofit to achieve new heights: no longer compelled to concentrate exclusively on the needs of today, but able to plan for tomorrow create an impact well into the future.
The consultants, writers, researchers, analysts and financial consultants at IDC Giving Group have a range of professional and personal experience. They represent a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and offer resources accrued from relationships with a variety of organizations and foundations. With proven efficiency and a comprehensive understanding of the grant-writing process, IDC Giving Group is prepared to lead you towards success. For more information, call 1-866-744-4995 or email info@idcgivinggroup.com today!
