Posts Tagged ‘Fundraising’

Fundraising for Social Change by Kim Klein

Since it was first published in 1988, Fundraising for Social Change has become one of the most widely used books on fundraising in the United States. Fundraising practitioners and activists rely on it for hands-on, specific, and accessible fundraising techniques, and it has become a required text in dozens of college courses around the country. This fifth edition offers the information that has made the book a classic: proven know-how on asking for money, planning and conducting major gifts campaigns, using direct mail effectively, and much more. The book has been significantly changed to include new technology—e-mail, online giving, and blogs—and contains expanded chapters on capital and endowment campaigns, how to feel comfortable asking for money, how to recruit a team of people to help with fundraising, and how to build meaningful relationships with donors. In addition, this essential resource contains new information on such timely topics as ethics, working across cultural lines, and how to create opportunities for fundraising more systematically and strategically

The Grantwriter’s Start-Up Kit: A Beginner’s Guide To Grant Proposals by Successful Images, Inc.

Fundraisers are often intimidated by the prospect of writing grant proposals. But missing a grant opportunity can mean losing important programs and essential services. For the fundraiser in need of practical skills and guidance, The Grantwriter’s Start-Up Kit shows how to prepare for the process of writing a successful grant proposal.

NPC: Tell us a little bit about your organization, the Foundation. Why was it Started?

Patricia Daniels: I founded the Foundation to commemorate my beloved son Ryan’s life and to be of service to those like him.

NPC: Who does it serve?

Patricia Daniels: It serves deserving, talented and qualified high school graduating African American male students.

NPC: How long have you been in operation?

Patricia Daniels: We started the Foundation in March 2008. However, qualified Laurel High School students began receiving a scholarship in Ryan’s memory several years before the Foundation existed. The first student was awarded a scholarship in Ryan’s memory in 2005.

NPC: How many people did you serve your first year? And, this year?

Patricia Daniels: The Foundation’s first year was our formative year. To date, two students have received a scholarship from the Foundation . . . one in the 2008/2009 school year and one in the 2009/2010 school year; both young men may apply to renew their scholarships.



NPC: What is your most difficult challenge as a nonprofit?

Patricia Daniels: For the Foundation, board member retention is our biggest challenge.

NPC: What was your most difficult challenge starting out?

Patricia Daniels: Starting our, lack of funds was a challenge.

NPC: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a nonprofit?

Patricia Daniels: I would advise someone starting a nonprofit in Maryland to take the training entitle How to Start a Nonprofit Organization in Maryland. The training is offered by the Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organization, Inc. I believe this training served me well.

NPC: How can people get involved?

Patricia Daniels: People can get involved by volunteering their time, skills and abilities on one or more of our existing committees . . . Fundraising Committee, Marketing Committee, Finance Committee, Scholarship Committee, and Volunteer Committee . . . and by supporting and attending our fundraising events.

NPC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Patricia Daniels: I’d like to share that additional information about the Foundation, including information about our fundraising events, is available on our website at www.ryanomancefoundation.org.

Patricia Daniels is the Founder and Chair for The Foundation. For more information, please visit the website at www.ryanomancefoundation.org.

Non Profits Made Easy by David Bangs, Jr.

The guide that helps you help others.

If you want to spend less time worrying about making ends meet and more time focusing on your nonprofit’s mission, this is the book for you! We’ll show you how to stay financially solvent by applying traditional business planning to the unique challenges of a nonprofit.

This practical, easy-to-use guide:

- Provides proven strategies for cash-flow management so your nonprofit doesn’t have to operate hand-to-mouth
- Enhances fundraising efforts and provides the hard numbers and measured outcomes your donors want to see
- Minimizes overhead and maximizes funds for your primary mission

Extensive checklists, forms and work sheets make the business side a breeze so you can improve your organization and fulfill your mission.

I’ll Grant You That: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Funds, Designing Winning Projects, and Writing Powerful Grant Proposals by Jim Burke and Carol Ann Prater

Part book, part CD-ROM, I’ll Grant You That is an all-in-one resource for finding funds, designing winning projects, and writing powerful proposals.

NPC: Tell us a little bit about your organization, Heifer International. How long have you been in operation? Why was it started?

Pamela Stone: Heifer’s first year of operation was in 1944, but the idea got going a bit before that during the Spanish Civil War. Dan West, our founder, was serving as a conscientious objector doing alternative service and providing relief supplies along with a lot of the other Church of the Brethren, Mennonites and Quakers. People had to stand in line – sometimes all day – for relief supplies. And then they had to make terrible choices about which children would live or die based on how much milk powder and other supplies they received. Dan had been a farmer, so when he saw all this beautiful farm country, he got to thinking, “Why are we doing it this way? These people are farmers. They can be self-reliant instead of waiting for relief. Why not give a cow instead of a cup?” So, Heifer became about “Not a cup, but a cow.” And he really understood the human need for dignity and self-reliance.

He was a very charismatic leader who traveled around and talked with people, and the idea got going for Americans to donate farm animals to those in other countries who needed assistance. Because of World War II, the first shipments went to Puerto Rico, instead of to Europe. But shortly thereafter, shipments were sent with “sea-going cowboys,” volunteers to help heal war-torn Europe.

NPC: What is Heifer doing in India?

Pamela Stone: Heifer is working to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth. One of the tools we use to do that is the gift of livestock. In India right now, it’s primarily goats. So we provide people here and around the world with livestock and training in their care so that they can become self-sufficient for food and for income. And, of course, everyone who receives a goat, makes a pledge to Pass on the Gift. So, here and around the world, it’s a cycle of giving that keeps on going and everyone who’s a recipient becomes a donor. I think one of the keys to success here is that we partnered with really strong existing NGOs (non-governmental organizations). That’s a model that Heifer’s doing everywhere. It’s not just Heifer. It’s working in partnership with key in-country organizations.

NPC: Livestock Development is at the heart of Heifer’s work. How can the gift of a goat change someone’s life?

Avni Malhotra: It’ll make a lot of difference in their lives. They will have better nutrition [in the form of] milk and cheese for their children. It will improve their social standing. Most of them are a landless people, and they are completely dependent on someone else. So now, they will have an asset that they own, and that will make a big difference in their social standing. It will make a difference in the fact that they will have some livelihood, some income coming in from selling goats, kids, as well as the milk later on. And, that will make the conditions in their lives improve. It will make a difference in the position of women because the women will now be the breadwinners in some way. They will be contributing to the income of the family more directly. They will be making decisions about money and about how the society should function.

NPC: How does a woman’s involvement with Heifer’s programs affect her on a personal level?

Avni Malhotra: A woman in traditional society doesn’t participate in any kind of decision-making. She’s more the person who looks after the family, who is working from five in the morning to ten in the night. Once she becomes part of a self-help group, she will be someone who will be participating in group meetings, she will have access to loans through group savings, so she will get economic freedom. As a group member, she will also make decisions about who gets the loans, and which [community development] projects the group will take on. Do we take on goats, do we take on cows, do we take on something else? Plus these groups go out for training and for exposure, so it gives her mobility and a larger worldview. She meets people, she understands how the society functions, and she realizes her capacity, also. So that process, in itself, is very enlightening. The major change comes when the woman is a donor and she can give to somebody else. Then she realizes that she can contribute to the development process; she can help other women like herself, and that gives her a great feeling of empowerment.

NPC: Why does Heifer work primarily with women?

Pamela Stone: Well, it’s not just women. But, you know, women are the majority of the world’s farmers. Women do the most work, but they own the least. They haven’t had the same role in their families, with regard to decision making, despite all of the work that they’re doing. They haven’t had a chance for education. So, it’s a natural fit. But we don’t work solely with women, because if the husbands are in control and the women receive the knowledge, what’s the point? So, Heifer is working with the whole family, so that everybody realizes that it’s working together that’s going to help their families grow and thrive. Heifer helps them work together to visualize how they can change the future for their families and their communities, and realize that they have the ability, the resources, the power, and the opportunity to do that. What starts off as just a really small gift, ripples out to make major lifetime differences.

NPC: How can people get involved?

1) Call your local Heifer field office for ideas on working with other Heifer volunteers. Community Volunteering at www.heifer.org

2) Register a team on Team Heifer and then challenge friends to raise money. Fundraising Ideas at www.heifer.org

NPC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

This project will provide 200 original families with goats and training; an additional 500 families will later receive goats through Passing on the Gift ceremonies. Through a generous private gift, donations will be matched up to $15,000. To donate, please visit: India Donation Form at www.heifer.org

Renowned photographer Brigitte Lacombe travelled to India to document Heifer’s work. To see her beautiful images visit: www.heifer.org/Lacombe

Avni Malhotra is the Country Director of Heifer International India and Pamela Stone is the Development Officer of Heifer International.

Every Nonprofit’s Guide to Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Magazines & Websites People Will Read by Cheryl Woodard and Lucia Hwang

Practical and hands on, this book shows you how to overcome inexperience and budget constraints — and produce publications that effectively promote your cause. From developing an idea to distributing the final publication, you’ll get the information you need. Find out how to:

* design and print engaging magazines or newsletters

* create an appealing website

* locate the best freelancers and vendors

* develop successful ad sales and fundraising strategies

* meet IRS and postal requirements for nonprofits

* use time-tested publishing ideas and resources

The book includes practical suggestions from veteran insiders, whose experiences range from tiny nonprofit startups to large, established organizations. The CD-ROM provides essential forms, checklists, schedules, worksheets, spreadsheets and more.

199 Fun and Effective Fundraising Events for Nonprofit Organizations by Anita Biase

Are you tired of searching everywhere to find fresh and exciting ideas for your nonprofit organization? Finally there is a new resource for nonprofit organizations and friends of nonprofits to get your events turbocharged with new ideas for your next fundraiser. Aside from raising a lot of money and being fun to work on, fundraising special events can build relationships with potential donors, sponsors, volunteers, and can generate a lot of free publicity. Building visibility in the community is critical to any nonprofit s success. It is difficult to come up with new ideas each and every year; now this new book makes it easy. Inside this brand new, groundbreaking book you will find over two hundred fundraising events that have worked for other organizations.

NPC: Tell us a little bit about your organization, Girlstart. Why was it started?

Julie Shannan: Girlstart is a nonprofit organization created to empower girls to excel in math, science, and technology. Founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, Girlstart has quickly established itself as a best-case practices leader in empowering, educating, and motivating girls to enjoy and become more proficient in math, science and technology.


NPC: Who does it serve?

Julie Shannan: Girlstart serves 1st-12th grade girls and families


NPC: How long have you been in operation?

Julie Shannan: Since 1997


NPC: How many people did you serve your first year? And, this year?

Julie Shannan: Since our inception, we have served over 20,000 girls. We average about 1,200 girls per year (not counting families and professional development). Our first year we served 25 girls in our after school program.


NPC: What is your most difficult challenge as a nonprofit?

Julie Shannan: Fundraising


NPC: What was your most difficult challenge starting out?

Julie Shannan: Creating a brand that girls and families could recognize and trust. Something that appeals to girls and parents both!


NPC: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a nonprofit?

Julie Shannan: Look around and see if there is something out there already doing the service that you want to provide. If so, partner with them instead of compete with them. If not, make sure the community has the need for your services.


NPC: How can people get involved?

Julie Shannan: We are always looking for volunteers to help in the office behind the scenes, or at our family science extravaganzas leading a fun science booth, or assisting with our after school programs. We also have high school volunteers helping out during our summer camps.


NPC: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Julie Shannan: Girlstart is committed to changing the way girls perceive science, technology, engineering and math and we need everyone’s help making that happen! Everyone can encourage a girl in their life, let them know they are smart enough to excel in these subjects, and they can have a rewarding career doing something they love.


Julie Shannan is the Deputy Director of Girlstart. For more information about this organization, please visit the website at www.girlstart.org.

Publishing the Nonprofit Annual Report: Tips, Traps, and Tricks of the Trade by Caroline Taylor

“As the former CEO of an educational nonprofit whose heart sank at the sound of the words ‘we have to put together the annual report,’ I now make only one recommendation-Buy this book and do what it says.” —John Agresto, president, John Agresto & Associates, former deputy chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities

“At last, a book that helps nonprofit associations produce annual reports on time, on budget, and on target for their audiences.” —J. D. Andrews, chairman, the Council for Professional Recognition

“Timely, relevant, and thorough-every nonprofit that publishes annual reports should have this book, and those that don’t should heed its counsel. We’ll certainly recommend it to our clients.” —George A. Brakeley III, president, Brakeley, Inc.

“Chock full of useful information for nonprofits from small to large. In the course of describing the production process from conceptualization through distribution, Taylor shows how this vital communications tool can be published economically and on time.” —David Slater, director of communications, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation