The last few years have been challenging for many in the nonprofit sector. However, the vast majority of agencies that I know are still here. Perhaps downsized. With a few more scars, and more focus. A greater appreciation for what we bring to our communities and our sector. A bit exhausted from the long journey and the bumps in the road. And a good number of nonprofit leaders are wiser.

During the holiday season especially, I like to make “A Gratitude List.” That’s not to diminish the real concerns about our country and our world. And it doesn’t change my dismay about the negative impact that many policies and the economy have on our communities, especially the poor and those on the margins. For me, I focus on both. Here’s my list.

Right now, I’m grateful for:

• Friends and family, and opportunities to be together;
• Wonderful clients that are making a difference in their communities;
• My work, which is intellectually challenging and something I’ve loved for years;
• Project partners and colleagues who enrich my work life;
• Long lunches at favorite spots, sunshine, and laughter;
• Writing, reading a good book, and listening to the rain on the roof;
• Clearer priorities, focus, and limits;
• The ability to keep learning and growing.

I’m also grateful for music in my life – - karaoke, playing violin, going to concerts and listening to the radio when I’m driving. If you see me parked at a stop light conducting at the steering wheel, you know I’m hearing one of my “faves.” I’m grateful for my faith community, meditation and exercise, life and health, and the ability to contribute to our communities.

The Best Learning Experience of the Week

Just this past week, a friend and colleague sent me an email with a note …. “you must watch this Youtube. It’s 90 minutes and well worth it….” It got lost in the rush of project deadlines. A few days later, we were having lunch, and she asked me … “what did you think?” I had to admit I hadn’t seen it, and asked her to re-send I watched the video, and it was very well worth it. It was my learning highlight of the week. It addresses broad issues including our biggest national global challenges, new strategies required , and the important role of grassroots civic engagement.

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97PLZ2a7A4Y

Great Things to Do: Your and Your Nonprofit This Season

I was driving to a meeting with one of my clients last week, and as I rounded a steep curve driving up the mountain, I saw a familiar very busy colleague. He was standing by his SUV, and radiated contentment as he lookied out over the rugged mesas and canyons. He reminded me to take a few extra minutes each day to enjoy and reflect. It’s especially true this season when so many of us rush to get things done in order to relax later. Here are some tips I’ve collected over the years about ways to make the season a joyful one for staff, volunteers, board members – and ourselves.

• Thank the stakeholders in your network – a phone call, email, thank-you note. Make time for personal one-to-one “thank-yous” or comments at meetings. Let people know what they’ve done to make a difference, and why it’s important to you.
• Have a pot luck with staff and program volunteers to celebrate. It’s amazing what wonderful food people bring, and it’s an easy way to celebrate.
• Let people in your network know what they’ve done to make a difference in the life of your nonprofit in your newsletter, emails, meetings.
• Have staff members or volunteers work with you on updates to the community, to thank the community for its support, and let them know about how your programs and services have made a difference. (it’s a great kick-off for January, 2012.)
• Give your priorities your time and attention. We seldom regret spending time with loved ones, or giving something from the heart. We often regret taking too much time for things we feel we “must do.”
• Breathe deeply. Smile. Wish for good things for others.

And….. Enjoy the Day!

Anne Hays Egan
New Ventures Consulting

There are a number of things that nonprofits can do during the remainder of the summer season for fun, friend-building, and to strengthen the organization. In an earlier article, I outlined a few things to do to celebrate volunteers, donors and graduates. Here are some more events, low key and easy to schedule by Labor Day.

Summer is a time when school is out, and people take vacations. More time is spent outdoors hiking, cycling, swimming and sharing bar-b-q with friends. It’s the most casual of the four seasons (weather, not Vivaldi). Many nonprofits have a slower season in the summer, but that is not always the case. Some nonprofits, like children’s programs and summer arts events are busiest in the summer. These suggestions are focused at those nonprofits that have a slower season in the summer. For those involved in a lot of summer work, look at incorporating some of these suggestions at other times during the year.

Build relationships. Have someone host a casual donor thank-you event, like a bar-b-q or pool party. It should be fun and low key. Make sure that board members and other leadership donors are there, mixing and introducing people. Make the summer season a time to thank volunteers, especially those working in programs or administration. Have individual or small group lunches with some of your key volunteer leaders and donors, and talk about priorities for the future.

Send notes. Get a small volunteer group to send out emails or make calls to donors. Just a little “thanks for what you do.”

Tell stories. Weave a little storytelling into your summer events. Talk about the events of the past year, and the people that made them possible. Storytelling is a great way to maintain a living history, and to make events real for people. It is also a wonderful way to show how volunteers and donors are making a difference.

Thank your staff. Use the informality as a time to reward staff. This could include more flexible hours or telecommuting, where staff do some work from home. It could also include ending the day earlier on Friday afternoon, although this will not work for all nonprofits. You could have cold cut lunches from time to time, and use that as an opportunity for both socializing and getting feedback from staff, including program and organizational self evaluation and staff suggestions.

Plan for the future. Begin a fall strategic planning exercise with some summer staff, board, volunteer and donor discussion groups. Meet over lunch to discuss areas such as: goals met, accomplishments and outcomes; changing market forces and funding; challenges and new opportunities; priorities.

Play catch up. If summer is a slower time for your nonprofit, use it as a time to clean your office — or the office. Throw away or recycle paper and materials no longer needed.

School’s out! Do you remember how wiggly we all were in those last few weeks before school was out? Summer just couldn’t come fast enough. Summer always represented for me a vacation, with a slower pace and special things to do.

Summer can also be a special time for nonprofits. A time to celebrate, thank, reflect and plan. One of my favorite nonprofits works with assistance dogs for people with disabilities. They have an annual Graduation Day in late May to thank student trainers, volunteers, the new dog owners — and the dogs!  It is amazing event, filling the largest venue in Santa Fe. The student trainers show how they work with the dogs. The new owners talk about how the dogs are helping them. And the program director shows how dogs can follow a range of commands. It is a huge celebration of all of the stakeholders, and a wonderful way to build community interest and support.

Another wonderful nonprofit that serves homebound people with challenging conditions has a “Dinner a la Carte,” with different venue options throughout the summer. Join some friends for dinner, or make new friends and have part of the cost go to the agency. It’s a very easy way to raise money and build relationships.

Another nonprofit that provides transitional housing in Lake Tahoe has a number of fund raisers from May through the summer, so that people can plan to socialize in a way that supports the agency.

A school based arts program in Santa Fe turns the city into a gallery a few times a year, with artwork and poetry displayed in a number of city buildings and galleries. Small parties are scheduled so that people can experience the art and hear more about the program.

And, other well known arts agencies in Santa Fe take advantage of their summer season to schedule special parties for donors and outreach activities to provide  more in depth information about an art form or an upcoming performance.

What might your nonprofit do differently this summer?   Here are a few ideas.

Thank the board. Have a special board meeting around a meal. Provide lunch, dinner and thanks. And have board members talk about what they like best in their work, and what they’d like to see in coming years.

Recognize and thank donors. Create a low key fun event in someone’s home and invite major donors. Tell them how their giving has made a difference, and thank them. Make it a great socializing event.

Have a planning retreat for the board, and involve the management team in part of the day. Celebrate accomplishments and goals met. Set goals and strategies for coming years, especially with respect to budgeting, managing budget cuts, and expanding donor revenue.

Have an agency night out at a concert, baseball game or the zoo.  All proceeds over the real cost of tickets would go the agency. Usually, this type of event doesn’t raise much money,  but it can be a lot of fun, and raise a lot of friends.

Now that school’s out and it’s almost summer, what is your nonprofit doing?

Thanks. More later

Anne Hays Egan,    nonprofitsonline.net

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For many years nonprofits would “chase grants,” writing up program proposals to meet funder priorities. Then, by the 19990s, many nonprofits realized that trying to give funders what at the expense of what the agency needs is a recipe for disaster. Don’t chase after grants. The “chased grants” often aren’t funded anyway. Develop a strong and detailed case statement for your organization:

• Mission statement
• Program statements
• Outcomes
• Impact you make in the community

Know very clearly the difference your programs make, and share that information. Build your grantwriting around that case statement.  And, for each grant, describe how your programs fit with the funder’s priorities (which should be closely aligned to your program priorities). When there is a good fit between the organization’s programs and the funder’s goals, then the grant meets both what the funders want and what you need. That’s the ideal. And, the large majority of your grants should fall in this category. This is grantwriting for sustainability.

This is the time of year that we prepare for graduations, spring celebrations — and thank you events for volunteers. Our volunteers and donors are critical to everything we do in the nonprofit world. Our agencies are able to provide the services we do because of their support.

Many nonprofits have thank you events for donors and volunteers. They could be part of a year end holiday celebration at mid-winter.  Or, they might have events during the late spring.  One nonprofit I know has a big celebration in late May highlighting its programs, students, graduates, volunteer tutors and donors. It’s a grand party. Another nonprofit has a huge festival of health and healing at mid summer.

Whatever your calendar, make sure that you take some time out each year to thank the many volunteers and donors. Repeat the event each year, so that people begin to expect the event at the same time each year.  And, if you don’t have events set up yet, this is a great time of year to celebrate.

More Later,

Anne

You can learn a lot from the grants or contracts that have already been funded by your prospective funder. Although many foundation proposals are not available to the public, many government proposals are on file and available for review. And you can learn a lot from reviewing successful, previously funded grants. Take the opportunity. Study grants that were funded in the last government funding cycle. Look for commonalities among them. Many of those grants that were funded will:

1. Have clear, crisp language and good descriptive narratives;
2. Follow the proposal guidelines carefully;
3. Easy to follow, with a lot of white space;
4. Use the funder’s outline, numbering and language;
5. Identify target populations that are a priority for the funder;
6. Link their program outcomes to the funder’s goals and priorities;
7. Describe how the program outcomes will be measured;
8. Show a good programmatic and financial return on investment (ROI);
9. Develop a cost effective budget;
10. Demonstrate that the program has other funding sources;
11. Offer a picture of a well run nonprofit;
12. Read well, allowing the reviewer to move quickly and easily through the proposal.

I think we’ve all read grants that were difficult. The language was cumbersome, with long sentences and phasing that was hard to follow. Paragraphs were crammed into the space.  These types of proposals are just too much work, and won’t be ranked well. If you have a small team of people in your agency that will review grants drafts, it can help you hone the final version so that it is clear, precise and compelling. You’ll have a better chance of more successful, funded grants. Anne Hays Egan, Nonprofits Online

There have been some significant budget cuts to nonprofit programs by local, state and federal government in the past few years. And there will more in the next fiscal year.

To be prepared, look at the following strategies:

• Research potential funding changes for each of your grants and contracts.
• Analyze the budget to determine how you would cut if cuts were made in specific grants and contracts.
• Create scenarios. And know how you would respond in each of the most probable scenarios.
• Share information with board and staff.
• Develop strategies for raising more money from donors.

Keep track of the changes, and monitor the budget monthly.

More later,

Anne Hays Egan,  Nonprofits Online

Whether your nonprofit is on a calendar year or fiscal year, there are important tasks that need to be completed, especially is your agency has government funding. Here are some suggestions

A.   Grant and Contract Reporting

Most government grants and contracts require a report within 30 days of the end of the fiscal year, or no later than July 30th. The funder identifies what activities and outcomes are expected, and what should be reported. Many agencies place a lot more emphasis on grantwriting than on reporting. However, strong reports that demonstrate program effectiveness pave the way for ongoing funding,

• Develop a list of all grants and contracts.
• Identify reporting dates.
• Summarize activities and outcomes to be reported.
• Review program accomplishments.
• Improve outcomes if needed.
• Develop report drafts.
• Complete reports.

B. Budgeting

If you have a fiscal year budget, you should be well on your way to completing drafts, and developing the final budget for board review and approval. If you have a calendar year budget, this mid-point can provide an important time for you to review, analyze and modify the budget as needed. Because of the challenges created by the Fiscal Crisis, make sure that you include the following as additional budgeting tasks:

• Compare actuals to budget for income and expenses.
• Analyze trends.
• Identify areas where there have been grant and contract budget cuts (especially government contracts).
• Identify areas where there might be additional budget cuts.
• Create scenarios based on cuts of certain types and amounts.
• Modify scenarios based on additional outreach with donors.

C.      Donor Activity

Summer is coming soon, and with it, great weather for outdoor parties, teas and luncheons. The board should be focusing now on what activities they want to schedule during the summer with donors and prospects. The events don’t need to be large special events, but rather, parties that are easygoing and fun. And, summer is a good time to sit down with individual major donors over lunch to talk about the agency. During these times, especially, the board needs to redouble its efforts in fund raising. Include as much of the following as possible:

• Develop plans for small parties during the summer.
• Identify major donors, and have board members schedule a time to meet and talk about the agency.
• Ensure that board members are prepared, with good materials and training, so that they feel comfortable asking for money.
• Develop a calendar with tasks, due dates, and make sure that the board leadership tracks and reports on progress.
• Have the executive or other key staff available to provide support, information and to accompany board members to meetings as needed.
• Keep tabs on gifts and pledges, and report them.
• Thank the donors in tradition and creative ways.

Think about mapping your budget cut strategies. You can create one map (or graphic) of your current situation, and then another map showing where you need to go. The strategies are what get you from the current situation to the ideal one.

1. Mapping Your Current Situation

Show your current programs and services in a diagram that allows you to plug in important elements like number served, outcomes, cost for the program and priority level. You have all of the information except perhaps for priority level, which a planning group could assign after discussing programs with the executive director.  One programs are drawn, show the funding for each, with the funding source. Put totals over on one side so that you can see both program specific information and the totals for program and administration.

2. Mapping the Future

With budget cuts, changes in priorities for state funding and community needs, where do you want to be in three years?  Update your current map to show what things might look like in the future. You could have more than one future map, because there are different options you can take, and there are a number of ways that public policy and funding could play out over the coming years.  If you use the same core mapping, it should not take much time to “tweak” different future options. Discuss what you see as most likely scenarios with your staff managers, board, and any funders willing to discuss these issues.

3. Mapping the Strategies

Identify a few key strategies you will need to use to manage changes in policy and funding. For instance, you might have a series of cutback strategies that could include trimming in some areas, and serious cuts in others. You might have strategies to expand a special event, and strategies for donor development. You could have some strategies for earned income.  Plug the strategies into the future map, to see how they can help you move from the current reality to the needed future reality.

Mapping is a highly visual, usually interactive and holistic process that allows you to uncover creative new opportunities. It can help the agency move forward into making needed changes.

More later.

Anne

The grant outline represents “the bones” of your grant. Building an excellent grant outline is like framing a house. The framework needs to be well designed with good materials. It needs to be solid, strong and pleasing to the eye. The same is true for the successful grant. Here are grantwriting tips for building a compelling grant outline.

First, look at the funder’s guidelines. If you have questions, call or email as soon as possible for clarification. Develop a rough grant outline, based on the funder’s criteria, and required order. Use the funder’s order and language. And make sure to include everything they request. The outline should be detailed enough to cover all of the funder’s basic requirements. Share your outline with key staff.

Meet with key staff to review the grant outline. Typically, you will want to have one or more program managers, the finance manager, development director and the executive. Discuss the outline. Develop plans for what material you will include in each section to make the case, demonstrate outcomes, and achieve the funder’s requirements. When finished, the group should agree that this is a compelling grant outline.

Get the group to agree to review early grant drafts to provide feedback about how well the grant adheres to the outline, and makes the case. This will help you to build a compelling grant.

grantwriting tips

grantwriting tips: building a compelling grant outline