Tell me NO, please!

I'm doing a series about my Secrets to Success in non-profit management.

Of course, this means that I am putting myself out there as someone who has had success.  And if you're like me, some days you feel successful, but other days, not so much. 

One thing to remember in fundraising is

Secret #2:

Sometimes A NO Is Just As Good As A YES

Sounds weird doesn't it?

But seriously, if you have been courting a donor for months and sometimes years (my friend Linda Schoelkopf calls this "Chasing Maybe" and has a consulting business using the same name) and they just keep telling you they just aren't ready to make a decision, letting you take them to lunch but keep putting you off, etc. -- wouldn't you just rather have them tell you NO so you can move on?

With a NO you can move on to another prospect -- and maybe get a YES.  I'd much rather have a gracious no -- and who knows, if you made a good impression upon that donor, they may come back to you -- or even introduce you to someone who will be interested in your cause.

This also applies to grant writing.  People, do not apply to foundations that will not fund your agency.  It wastes your time and it wastes theirs. 

More Secrets to come!

A Story You Haven't Heard

We have a big site visit today at Community Partners of Dallas.  For those of you who are not in the non-profit business, a site visit is done when a funder – an individual, a corporation, or a foundation – is considering your agency for a grant.  We do these all the time, so it is not typically a big deal for us.  However, some funders make it a little more difficult for agencies.  They put parameters on the visit and really want to hear from a lot of different people involved with the agency, they want board members to attend, and they give a very strict time frame in order to say everything you need to say.  And if you don’t know me – well, let’s just say it is hard for me to be succinct.

Enough said.

Practice was in order – lots of it.

So, in trying to make a compelling case for funding, I always tell the story of a child.  One of our board members asked me to tell this one and it is one I don’t usually tell.  It just breaks me up.  But it tells a lot about why our work is so important.

18 month old Amelia was tortured by her mother and step-father until her tiny body could take no more.  A neighbor heard her screams and called the police.  The adults were taken to jail and Amelia to ICU at the hospital and put on life support.  Caseworkers took shifts round the clock so someone would be with Amelia at all times – leaving their own children and families to do so.  Supervisors searched for family members and her paternal grandmother was found in another state and rushed to the little girl’s side.  Meanwhile, her caseworker came to CPD’s Rainbow Room and chose an outfit for Amelia to wear while her grandmother held her and the machines were turned off.

The Rainbow Room is here for children when they come into the system.  And sometimes when they leave it.

Hug your family today and wish us well on our visit.  Thanks – Paige

4 Tips for Non-Profit Grant Writing Success

I'm on vacation this week, so I forgot about the Wednesday blog until late last night and unless you wanted to read a blog about Top Chef Texas and The Real Housewives of Orange County, it is best that I waited until this morning -- but never count that reality blog out -- coming soon!

So a quick post about an area I know really well:  Grant Writing.

First, everyone and his dog wants to write grants.  I think at one point or another, every person who has ever worked for me in any capacity has told me they were interested in writing grants during their annual review.  I think it is because that on the surface, it sounds easy.  All you have to do is answer the questions and mail the grant, right?

Well, yes that is true, but there is more to it than that -- otherwise every non-profit in the world would be raking it in and never have to hold another auction again.  So here are my quick tips for success:

1. You must answer all of the questions and provide all of the info requested by the funder or foundation.  If you don't have an answer, say that.  Foundation representatives are very smart and they totally know if you are bulling them.  Include every piece of documentation that the funder requests -- you don't want to give them a reason to cull your application just because you accidentally left out the current financials.
2. You must write a compelling grant that shows the need of your organization. You have to show the funder why your client is important and why you do the work better than anyone else in town.  The funder is making a investment in your agency -- they want to feel good about it.  Help them to feel good about their funds!
3. If you don't fit the funding guidelines for the foundation, don't apply.  As an organization that supports abused and neglected kids, Community Partners of Dallas is never going to get a grant from a foundation that gives only to animal rescue.  Don't waste your time or theirs.  
4. Check out who is funding similar organizations and review foundation lists of grants funded.  If I see that such-and-such foundation gave a grant to CASA (Sorry CASA, but I'm sure you check out who is funding us, too!), I'm going to ask them for CPD.  Such-and-such foundation has just proven they will give to children in foster care, so CPD will probably fit their guidelines too.  The kids call it "creeping" -- I call it "research" -- do it!

This is by no means a full list of grant writing tips, but it's a start.  What are yours?

P.S.  I'll take any comments about Top Chef too.