Getting Grant Funding Requires Taking Your “Doing Good” to the Next Level

One thing is true about all “do gooders”, we have no problem with doing. We enjoy getting our hands dirty. In fact, we are often the first to jump into the trenches! We see a problem and we think, “Somebody needs to do something.” And before we’ve finished our thought, we’ve already begun to roll up our sleeves.

This is an incredibly important attribute for anyone seeking to turn an informal charitable activity into one that gets grant funding and grows into a successful nonprofit. Equally as important, though, is ensuring that what you are doing is actually making a difference and can garner funder support.

Whenever I teach fundraising or grant writing, I always use the above image. I think it does an excellent job in demonstrating just how fierce the competition is for charitable donations.

To transition from an informal charitable activity to one that can compete for limited resources (Trust me, she’s not giving up those funds without a fight!) requires going through the program development process and designing an evaluation plan that helps you to both make informed decisions and to continuously improve your program’s effectiveness.

Even those with “formal” programs are often not clear about the effectiveness of their activities. And, if asked about it, they don’t have an answer.

Do you know what success looks like for your activity? Could you prove you have achieved success? If you cannot, you will be little competition for the lady above.

I have had countless conversations over the years with passionate people who saw a problem and immediately went to work to address it. They share how they, “feed the homeless”, “provide after school programs for latchkey kids”, etc. They are all doing great work, but many are not getting funded. When asked about the effectiveness of their activities in addressing the problem they aim to solve, far too many had no answer.

They, with very good intentions, jumped in having given little or no thought to what success would look like.

It is very easy to believe that because we are doing something good, we are making a difference. And perhaps we are. But if we are to make a difference we can prove and gain the support of others, we must have a written plan for success that clearly defines our goals, strategies for achieving them, and methods to evaluate our efforts and our results.

Armed with a plan for success, you can compete and win! Keep doing good!

Michelle Nusum-Smith, a licensed nonprofit consultant, coach and trainer, is owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a consultancy that helps nonprofits, government agencies, and individuals to develop the skills, knowledge and resources to achieve their missions to do good. With nearly 20 years of nonprofit experience, Michelle has expertise in organizational development and leadership, board development, program development, financial management, fundraising, marketing, and community relations. She is licensed to offer consulting services for the Maryland Nonprofit’s Standards for Excellence® program and has the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to work with nonprofit organizations across the country.

www.thewordwomanllc.com • info@thewordwomanllc.com • 240-215-4984

3 lessons learned at one nonprofit

Lesson 1: Trust but verify...things may not be as they appear. A nonprofit I was quite familiar with (or so I thought) hired me as their Executive Director. The thorough interviewing process had included multiple meetings, reference checks, and writing samples. At the time, I didn't think it odd that none of the meetings took place at the organization's offices. It never dawned on me to bring it up. I had worked with the organization in the past and been to the office many times. But I soon learned why I wasn't given a formal tour. On my first day I was told, "The building the offices were originally are going to be demolished. We've relocated the offices to a temporary location, but your first assignment is to find a new home for the organization. Oh, by the way, we only have one year's salary for you. After that it's up to you." After I pulled myself together and closed the gaping hole my dropped jaw produced, I went to work finding a new job. Nope, just kidding. I was sold out on the mission and my vision for the organization. So I went to work finding a location. It was an interesting three and half years with many more lessons learned along the wayA nonprofit I was quite familiar with (or so I thought) hired me as their Executive Director. The thorough interviewing process had included multiple meetings, reference checks, and writing samples. At the time, I didn't think it odd that none of the meetings took place at the organization's offices. It never dawned on me to bring it up. I had worked with the organization in the past and been to the office many times. But I soon learned why I wasn't given a formal tour. On my first day I was told, "The building the offices were originally in are going to be demolished. We've relocated the offices to a temporary location, but your first assignment is to find a new home for the organization. Oh, by the way, we only have one year's salary for you. After that it's up to you." After I pulled myself together and closed the gaping hole my dropped jaw had produced, I went to work finding a new job. No, just kidding. I was sold out on the mission and my vision for the organization, so I went to work finding a new location. It was an interesting three and half years with many more lessons learned along the way!

Lesson 2: You'd be surprised what you can get if you'd just ask. Since the location of my offices were temporary (no specifics were given on when I'd have to move), time was of the essence to find a new home of the organization. But there was a problem. The organization had funding for my salary and little else. So where was I going to find a fairly decent place to operate the organization at little or no cost? I thought about it for about a week and then a light-bulb moment came. At the time, the organization more or less only existed on a paper; but I had a vision and it included providing a host of services and resources to the community. So I thought, what better place function than in a public school and headed over to a local school to meet with the Principal. I shared with her my vision (some might have called it a pipe dream) and my need for a "no or low cost" space. By the time I was finished, she was as excited (or delusional) as me. Here I was -- one person with a dream and no resources telling her about all that we would do at and for the school and community. She asked me to follow her. As we walked down the hall in the direction of the main doors (for a second I thought, "And this is how you get a 'crazy lady' off of your campus," but she kept walking), she revealed that not only did she buy-in to my vision but she had far more space and resources to offer than I could have imagined. She explained how the whole wing of the first floor was unoccupied and she'd been trying to figure what to do with it. I actually had to fight back tears. She gave me access to the full wing of classrooms, telephone usage, and utilities for FREE!! The only catch was we had to operate when the school was open. As a mom, that was a win-win for me! For more than two years after that we were a formal partner of the school, providing a host of services to the students, faculty and parents.

Lesson 3: Start with what you have and GROW from there. By the time I came on board all of the staff had transitioned out. For over a year, I was the only paid staff. I called it the "Me and Jesus" period. Because there were no other staff (or resources to pay them if I had them), I needed to figure out a way to rebuild the organization from an outdated website, boxes of files, and little old me. The community I had been charged with serving had many needs. But how could I even begin to address them? I was in no position to do much of anything, or so I thought. Then as I looked around the sparsely furnished classroom I realized I had space and lots of it! I began thinking how I had worked with a lot of organizations in recent years and made strong connections with many advocates, educators and service providers that focused on a host of issues important to the community I served. I reached out to ALL OF THEM and began developing a community outreach and education program. Each of my friends were funded to reach my community, so we developed mutually beneficial partnerships -- I provided the people and they provided high-quality education, resources and services. Overnight (OK, I'm exaggerating a bit), the organization went from "never heard of it" status within the community to a recognized resource and asset. In fact, I began receiving calls from organizations not in my contacts that were asking to partner. I even got a call from a local foundation asking to come visit and discuss how they could get involved.

Over the course of the three years, I went from just me to several full-time staff and an army of volunteers who provided a host of housing, health, and human services and events that were supported by foundations, corporations, and grants from federal, state, local agencies. As I reflect back now, I still have a hard time believing it. I guess it just goes to show what one person with a vision can achieve. It's this experience that fuels my energy when I'm working with a new nonprofit founder or Executive Director. Many of them feel like their vision is crazy or the goals are too lofty in comparison to their current situation. I just smile because I know, if they are serious, committed and OK with being considered "crazy" for a little while, they'll get to experience euphoria that comes with turning your vision into your reality. Keep doing good!

Michelle Nusum-Smith, a licensed nonprofit consultant, coach and trainer, is owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a consultancy that helps nonprofits, government agencies, and individuals to develop the skills, knowledge and resources to achieve their missions to do good. With nearly 20 years of nonprofit experience, Michelle has expertise in organizational development and leadership, board development, program development, financial management, fundraising, marketing, and community relations. She is licensed to offer consulting services for the Maryland Nonprofit’s Standards for Excellence® program. Michelle has the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to work with nonprofit organizations across the country interested in learning about and implementing the Standards for Excellence code.

www.thewordwomanllc.com • info@thewordwomanllc.com • 240-215-4984

Grant Writing Success Starts with Doing Your Homework

In teaching grant writing, I always start with the quote below. I think is summarizes perfectly what any prospective grantee needs to know and to do for any chance of success...

“The best grantees know themselves, they know their organizations really well…they have already done their homework to try to figure out what elements or parts of their organization might fit with what the foundation is funding.” Latonya Slack, Senior Program Officer James Irvine Foundation

As Ms. Slack suggests, to prepare a successful grant request you must know yourself (what’s your mission and what are you really good at) and know your organization (what’s your capacity, your priorities, your systems). You must have done your homework to ensure that your organization and your proposed project fit with what the funder’s interests.

I see it time and time again. Nonprofits will learn of a grant opportunity and without a moment of reflection they jump right in preparing their response. They will invest the time and energy (blood, sweat and tears) to prepare a grant proposal that was often doomed before they got started.

Why? Because more often than not, they are starting from scratch and figuring things out along the way.

They hope to go from “idea” to a fleshed-out, well-written project narrative with a realistic timeline and budget – and let’s not forget about all of the required attachments!

Preparing a high-quality and competitive (yes, this is a competition!) grant request, requires planning and preparation that starts long before you learn of a grant opportunity.

As Ms. Slack states, “The best grantees know themselves, they know their organizations really well…” In other words, you already determined the problem, validated it with third-party data, and outlined a plan or strategy to address the problem before you embarked on responding to a grant opportunity. You already know the resources that are needed (cash and non-cash) and the time it will take to achieve your intended goals and objectives. You already did your homework.

New to grant writing? Attend my Grant Writing for Beginners breakout session at the Maryland Nonprofits 2016 Annual Conference, September 29, 2016 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Learn more at marylandnonprofits.org

Street Corner Fundraising Success Requires More Than a Sign and a Bucket

There are many organizations that take to the street corner to raise funds for their cause or special project. I recently found myself stopped at a busy intersection near The Avenue at White Marsh Mall in Baltimore County, MD. If you've ever been there, you know busy is an understatement. So it's an ideal location for fundraising. So it was not surprise to see a group of young men in basketball jerseys and their chaperone out on each corner. They were each carrying a red bucket.

One young man walked down the median in my direction but never looked my way or uttered a word. So I motioned for him to come over and asked, "What are you doing?"

He said, "We're raising money for a trip to Myrtle Beach."

Knowing that was not the full story, I asked, "Why are you going to Myrtle Beach?"

He said, "We're going to play in the tournament."

Being a professional fundraiser, my heart went to this young man who clearly had not been prepared to fundraise. I reached into my purse and handed to him the first cash I found --  a five dollar bill.

His face lit up with a huge smile. He thanked me for my donation and wished me a good day. I wished him and his team good luck and drove away.

As a Do-Gooder and a fundraiser, I was predisposed to the idea of supporting his team. But what if I wasn't? Like the other drivers, I would have tried not to make any eye-contact and anxiously wished that the light would hurry up and change. 

It isn't easy to walk up to anyone, but especially a stranger, and ask for money. A sign and a bucket are not enough to prepare volunteers (of any age) to effectively engage motorists who likely have little or no direct connection to your cause. Whether you're a basketball team, soup kitchen or other group who takes to the street corner to raise money for your cause, training and coaching is critical to your fundraising success. You do your front line solicitors a disservice by sending them out ill prepared. The would-be donor sitting behind the wheel wants to hear a succinctly stated case for support. Your solicitors should be trained on what to say and on how to say it (with a smile, of course).

Perhaps if that young man had walked up to me and told me the name of his team, that they had played hard and made it to the tournament in Myrtle Beach, and given me specific reasons why they needed to raise money (i.e., charter the bus, certain members don't have support from home), I may have dug a little deeper into my purse.

Michelle Nusum-Smith, an experienced nonprofit leader, consultant, coach and trainer, is a self-proclaimed “Do-gooder who helps do-gooders to do good.” Michelle is the owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a nonprofit consulting company. She has nearly 20 years nonprofit experience, including program development, financial management, fundraising (including grant writing and individual donor cultivation), human resource management, marketing and public relations, board relations, and event planning.

www.thewordwomanllc.com • info@thewordwomanllc.com • 240-215-4984

Was Your Nonprofit Program Designed to Fail?

The founder of a new nonprofit recently engaged my help with improving how her organization’s mission, vision and programs were presented in their marketing materials. She had been told by potential funders that they were unclear. My approach in this situation is not to immediately look at the materials (in this case the website) but to first have a conversation with the client.

I asked her to share with me the purpose of her organization. She began with a one-sentence generic goal and immediately began explaining the organization’s activities. I quickly interrupted her and explained we were not finished discussing the purpose.

I tried a different approach and asked her to explain the problem her organization addresses. Again, she gave me a general description of broad issues that were not specific to any group of individuals. Her description was full of jargon and catch phrases but no substance. I asked, “Where do the people you serve live?” Again, her answer was general – the city and county. I kept pushing, “I’m sure there are specific neighborhoods where a significant number of your target population live. What are they?” She couldn’t answer.

Her passion for helping is real. Her intentions are good. But passion and good intentions are not enough to design impactful programs.

 

Impactful programs are designed around a well-defined problem that is proven by third-party data. Further, those to be served are clearly defined, including who they are, where they are, what they have and what they need, how to their needs will be met, and ultimately what will change (long-term impact) as a result of the service they receive. This information is the foundation for a program designed to succeed. It is only after these key elements are defined that a nonprofit can determine what resources are necessary to carry out the program.

 
Individual donors and grant makers invest in long-term impact (outcomes) and not activities. Are you in the middle of developing a program? Are you having trouble raising funds to support your program? Is what you intended different from what you are seeing from your program? The Word Woman LLC can help. Contact us at info@thewordwomanllc.com to schedule a free consultation.

Michelle Nusum-Smith, an experienced nonprofit leader, consultant, coach and trainer, is a self-proclaimed “Do-gooder who helps do-gooders to do good.” Michelle is the owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a nonprofit consulting company. She has nearly 20 years nonprofit experience, including program development, financial management, fundraising (including grant writing and individual donor cultivation), human resource management, marketing and public relations, board relations, and event planning.

www.thewordwomanllc.com • info@thewordwomanllc.com • 240-215-4984