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Washington, DC 20011
Fax: (202) 545-8873
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NEW GRANTS:
Please check back for periodic updates on new grant opportunities!
Tips for Fundraising
Recently NAFCM created a tipsheet on fundraising for our AmeriCorps sites that needed to raise additional money for their AmeriCorps grant match. Several people mentioned that the information was very helpful. We at NAFCM have modified the information for the general membership.
The following information includes some tips to help you in the process of fundraising for your center. We realize that many of you already are very successful fundraisers and employ these as well as other successful strategies. NAFCM is pleased to be able to provide our membership with ideas and tools when we can and want you to be able to leverage and build your organization’s capacity to continue your wonderful work.
I. If you don’t have a publicity kit or haven’t reviewed your outreach materials recently this is a good first step in promoting your organization. At the end of this document you will find a few internet resources about developing press kits. As part of your p.r. materials you might have: a brochure, a one page fact sheet about your organization, an annual report, a reply envelope for donations, press articles etc.
II. Create a speaker’s bureau of folks who genuinely love to make presentations about the organization, the exciting work you are promoting and are not shy about asking for funding
III. Draft some talking points for whoever will be making a presentation (board members, volunteers, staff and speaker’s bureau should have these).
IV. Draft a 1-2 page description and request for funding of your project or about your center (similar to letter of inquiry but to solicit funds from businesses and corporations).
V. If you are not already fundraising in the corporate sector this is a good resource in addition to government, foundation and other grant sources. In addition to foundations, many corporations and businesses have local giving programs. Some of these may have community relations or marketing departments whose job is to give money to local nonprofit groups doing work in the community consistent with their own values. Very often they can give you a fairly quick response.
VI. A good strategy is to see if any of your members have a contact at a specific business, bank or corporation and ask them if they would be willing to contact them on behalf of your organization. Some of the corporations that have given to other centers include Comcast, Target, Home Depot, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, UPS, FedEX, just to name a few. Try local businesses as well.
VII. Make a list of the potentially qualified banks/businesses where you have contacts and determine if you will call them for an appointment (to talk about your program) or send them a letter (see IV). You must follow-up with a phone call until you have a commitment or until they say no. Community relations departments exist for the purpose of local businesses supporting their communities.
VIII. Another strategy is to ask local businesses if they would sponsor an event that you have (if they sponsor for a certain $ amount – they get recognition in your newsletter, free advertising in local paper (you have to arrange with local paper to thank all your donors and often the newspaper will provide this as their donation to you).
IX. Of course there are your local community foundations. If you haven’t applied, call your local program officer and describe your program and ask if they would be interested in supporting such a program. (depending on the location $1,000-$10,000).
X. I know that most of you probably have applied for grants, gone to the corporate sector, have asked community members for donations and you are wondering, but what do we say about community mediation to appeal to folks. Community mediation and conflict resolution by itself doesn’t sound so compelling. Here are a few ideas:
a) Talk about creating safer communities
b) Talk about children teaching children to resolve conflict
c) Give examples of how conflict resolution works in specific settings i.e. in the Katrina aftermath our AmeriCorps members are helping to facilitate disaster relief by helping with the housing issues and conflicts arising from that
d) Talk about facilitating community dialogue or the many wonderful things that you do in your community. Again, specific applications of the work we do is compelling and many projects and programs are being funded!
XI. I will also be available to help answer any questions and give you additional ideas. I am also in the process of trying to raise funds on a national level, but as you might imagine, it is much simpler to raise funds for local organizations in your own region. Please feel free to contact me. Thank you.
Online resources: There are many online resources, books etc. on fundraising, public relations, nonprofit management issues etc. The following are a few we’ve found to be helpful:
http://mnaonline.org/pdf/mediaguide3.pdf
http://www.maro.org/Nonprofitresources.html
www.grantsmart.org
www.foundationcenter.org
www.compasspoint.org
NAFCM MINI-GRANT PROGRAM 2000-2005
Beginning in 2000, with funds provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, NAFCM’s minigrants program distributed over $750,000 in amounts ranging from $220 to $12,000 to community mediation centers across the country. These grants were used to begin new programs, develop new and ground-breaking services, and even expand centers’ technological capacities. More than 200 centers received minigrants.
No grant cycles are scheduled at this time. Please check back for updates.
To see some of the fantastic programs NAFCM has had the pleasure of funding in the past click here. For information about becoming a member of NAFCM, click here.
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