You – the Grant Writer

Writing a grant is a lot like writing a business plan. But don’t let that scare you. A grant proposal has several sections that allow a foundation to get to know the need in your community and how your project plans to meet that need.

Explain the need.
This portion of your funding request isn’t where you talk about what you want to do to help, but where you state as clearly as possible the need in your community. Don’t write about your desire to build a playground. Instead talk about the need for safe places to play in your community. Talk about how childhood obesity is an important issue that your community wants to take a stand against. Use this portion of your request to provide the context for your project.

It helps to back up your statement of need with research performed by outside credible sources. This is where you look to the scientific community for statistics on childhood obesity. Or, if you have a playground that has fallen into disrepair, take photos. The key is to state your need succinctly, but be able to provide stories, photos, and statistics to back up your statement.

Describe your project.
This is the time to talk about your project in detail. Clearly state how this project will meet the need you see in your community. This project will need to include information on your project’s goals, objectives, and performance. You can do this simply by answering the following questions: What do you hope to achieve with this project, (goal statement)? How do you plan to achieve those goals, (objective statement)? How will you measure the success of your project, (performance statement)?

Budget
Give a detailed description of how you plan to spend the money you are requesting. Be sure to list the total cost of the project, even if the grant amount you’re requesting is less than the total project cost. Be specific about what the funds you are requesting will pay for.

Organizational Information
This should be a brief history of your organization in the community. Discuss their fiscal responsibility and their track record of completing community projects. Include your organization’s main activities, audiences, and services.

Executive Summary
When you present your grant request, the executive summary will be on top, but it is often easiest to write your executive summary once you have written the rest of the request. Your executive summary should be a very succinct summary of the need you see in your community, your project, the funds you are requesting as well as how you will use them. This is the time to be brief as you will elaborate on your points in the body of your proposal. Keep this summary to one page.

Before You Begin Writing

Think about the total cost of your project. In my example of a playground, the cost extends beyond playground equipment to shipping charges, wood chips for the area surrounding the equipment, and installation.

How will you publicize the grant support that you receive? While many family foundations wish to remain anonymous, corporate foundations want to make sure that you’ve considered how you will publicize both your project and the grant funding you have received.

If you are requesting funds for a project in your community and have further questions, please feel free to ask in the comment section below!

You – the advocate
But why not you? You are in your community. You see needs there, everyday. You take your kids to the playground that has the out-dated, and in some cases, unsafe playground equipment.  You know that with just a few extra dollars your children’s school could implement an important after-school program. You see the interest in your community to bring in qualified speakers on finances or the current economic situation. There is money available to complete projects like this.  And it is you who can be the advocate working to make your community a better place.

You – the seeker
Now that you’ve identified a need in your community you are well on your way to become an advocate of change. The next step is to identify grants funding sources. Most grants come from three sources:

• Corporate foundations
  Think of any major corporation in your community, Lowes, McDonalds, Nike, Office Depot. Each of these corporations has a philanthropic foundation attached. Each of these foundations focus on different types of charity work in their community. They are a great resource for grant seekers and often their applications can be filled out online.Tip: Meet with your local store representative to let them know you intend to apply for the grant. Most corporate applications request this and it is a great way to get the local store manager on board with your project. They may even have more tips for you.
• Federal, state, and local governments
  To find out about state and local grant opportunities, contact your districts representative. They might know of funding sources available and may be able to help you get support for your projects. To learn about federal grant money, visit grant.gov. There click on “Find Grant Opportunities.” You will then be able to search for grant resources by categories.
• Private/family foundations
  Learning about these grant resources often takes a bit more digging. Begin by googling the topic you are seeking funds for with the keywords: grant, family foundation, private foundation. Many times these funding resources are available within your own community, but due to the modesty of the family making the grants, you may never know of their availability.Tip: When looking for money to complete your project, look to the community just down the road. Have they completed a similar project? Ask them how they did it.

You – the partner
Now that you have identified potential funding sources, build a web of support within your community. Get your community excited about the project. Beginning to raise funds within your community, no matter how modest, will let grantmakers know that you and your community are serious about your project.

The next step in developing a partnership within your community is finding a sponsor organization. When applying for grants you will need to be representing an organization. So why did I write this post to you, the philanthropist, instead of to a community organization? Because YOU can do something. Often community organizations are so overworked providing services, that they don’t take the time to research funding opportunities. They need someone to be a champion. That champion can be you.

When looking for a community organization to partner with, keep the following things in mind:

• Low overhead
  Grant executives want to make sure that the money they give you will go directly to your project and not be spent on other superfluous processing costs. For proof of your fiscal responsibility most will ask for a budge of how the grant money will be spent as well as an organizational budget.
• 401c3
  This just means that your organization has filled out paperwork to become an official non-profit organization and that donations made to that organization are tax exempt.
• Passion for your Project
  Read the mission statement of your partner organization. Is your project something that fits well within the confines of their mission?

Hidden gems:  Most communities have these organizations. You might think of them as outdated, or the types of organizations that only your grandparents would belong to, but since their agenda is dictated by their membership and they have little to no overhead, they can be perfect partners. You know the ones I’m talking about: your local chapter of the Women’s Club, The Lion’s Club, the Elks, Junior League. Here you will find not only a willing organization but volunteers to help champion your cause.

Next time:

You – the grant writer

You probably don’t consider yourself a philanthropist. But you should. Philanthropy is just a fancy way of saying that you share a concern for humankind and that you add action to this concern. When you wave at your neighbor, you’re a philanthropist. When you smile at your postman, you’re a philanthropist.

 I’m sure there are those that would argue this egalitarian definition takes away from the work of Bill and Melinda Gates, Oprah, and Bono. But truly, I mean no harm. Should this “no one when is special when everyone is” theory really apply to philanthropy? I’m sure the aforementioned would disagree.

I hope this new column will inspire you to think of yourself as a philanthropist and give you ideas on ways to reach out to your world.

Met Erin and Kenneth

I first met Erin online nearly a year ago. I was flipping through a home magazine and discovered a must-read blog. When I hopped online I found not one, but two wonderful blogs, for this first blog was linked to DesignforMankind.

Erin finds creativity in the far flung corners of the internet, invites artists to talk about their lives, has created a rockin’ online magazine, and offers practical advice to artists of every genre. But the first thing to strike you when visiting Erin’s site is the generosity of her spirit. She has only kindness to share, she responds to every comment, and partners with so many in her quest to spread creativity.

Erin and her husband Kenneth like to focus their philanthropy on the needs they see around them. Kenneth told this story about one of their philanthropic adventures, and the lessons they learned.

“There’s a hunched over (what looks to be) homeless man that is always walking around our neighborhood pulling either a suitcase or wheel barrel full of cleaning supplies.  He makes his way to all the businesses within a mile of our home and asks if he can clean their windows or do some other type of maintenance work.

 This impressed Erin and I so much that we really wanted to give him some money. Well one night, while driving home from a friend’s house, we saw him walking down the sidewalk. The direction we were driving and the side of the road he was walking on, were such that we had to do a U-turn at the next light then drive behind some buildings to catch up with him on the other side.

One of the buildings we drove around was a liquor store.  And once we got around to the front we saw him go inside.  We both looked at each other and thought, “Oh man, he spends his money on booze.” We parked the car outside the store and thought to ourselves whether or not we still wanted to give him some money.  We quickly came to the conclusion that MAYBE he wasn’t buying alcohol. Probably not a chance in hell, BUT, maybe.

Erin ran inside just in time to see him pay for 2 candy bars…no booze.  She came back to the car to tell me and I jumped out of the car, caught up to him on foot and gave him the money we had to give.  It was SO great to not only give money to someone that was going to spend it on something useful, but to teach us a lesson about judging a homeless man into alcoholism before we even know his name. Shame on us…and God bless him.”

Erin concludes, “So many people I come across during the day are starving for someone with a smiling face. Someone that genuinely cares about the feelings they have inside. What if during this hard economic time period we focused on everyday philanthropy? ..Making people know we love and care about them.”

Be sure to visit Erin  and tell her I said hello.

Do you know of a philanthropic individual you’d like to honor? Drop me a line in the comments section below.

February in Writing by Sarah Jane

Some of the most generous people I know and love are artists. But my friends with an artistic flair rarely love numbers, calculations, etc.. So, as we begin to head into tax preparation season, the following tips are my valentine gift to all my philanthropic, artistic buddies.

A gift of artwork or your time as an artist is considered a gift-in-kind. There are two ways of reporting such a gift on your taxes.

The gift of expertise
If you volunteer your talent to create artwork for an organization, whether it be a mural or a brochure, keep track of the cost of the supplies that you use. The tax deductible portion of your gift is the cost of materials used in your work.

Good for the organization: In this scenario an organization can commission you to create exactly what they need. Organizations often rely on talented volunteers for many of their more artistic needs.
Good for you: Pieces like this can be a great addition to your portfolio and exhibit your passion for volunteering in your community.

The gift of art
When donating an already completed piece of your work, or any artwork for that matter, to a non-profit organization, it is your responsibility to have the piece appraised. This appraisal then functions as your tax-deductible receipt.

Good for the organization: An appraised piece of work is good for your favorite organization for two reasons.  If they ever need to insure or sell the piece, the already have a fair market estimation of its worth.
Good for you: Donating an appraised piece of work often more accurately reflects the time and passion you spent creating this piece.

Image courtsey of the talented and lovely Sarah Jane.

Pre WWII – Use your traditional organizational message to show history and reliability. These people read and respond to their mail. Remember, they are waiting for your prompting to trigger their philanthropy.

Baby Boomers – While many of them say that they hate calls from telemarketers, research proves otherwise. Engaging them in conversation is a way of making your appeal personal and heartfelt. Remember to say thank you by using stories and photos that show the impact of their gift. These individuals are rather busy, so sending them mail pieces will spark their interest, but unless they are already in the habit of giving, it often won’t be enough to prompt their response. Try sending a postcard before you start your telemarketing to alert them to your impending call.

Generation X – The easiest way to reach this group is through their peers. No matter what medium you choose to use for your solicitation, remember to promote your cause, not your organization. Create pieces that showcase your fiscal responsibility and indicate how much of their donation actually makes it to your cause. Offer credit card payments or payroll deduction to complement their digital lifestyle.

Generation Y – These individuals want to be involved. Give them ideas on raising money. Listen to their ideas. Provide them with meaningful volunteer opportunities. Many of these individuals are using volunteer opportunities as a way to build their resume – so use them for serious work. They are used to appeals being delivered to them on their own terms. Let them sign up online to receive information about your organization. They may wish to receive text messages from you, phone calls, or “snail” mail. Ask them for their preference. With this group it is important to build your online presence. They will find you.

The following  graph is designed to distill all of this information into a quick useable format. What ideas would you add?

An inspirational quote can give me insight into a person’s soul that a book full of words never will. The following quotes inspire me when I think about each generation and their desire to make our world a better place.

Pre-WWII : “When it comes to helping out, I don’t believe in doing it for the media attention. My goal is to support the organizations that need help.” – Paul Allen

Baby Boomers: “I absolutely believe in the power of tithing and giving back. My own experience about all the blessings I’ve had in my life is that the more I give away, the more that comes back. That is the way life works, and that is the way energy works.” Ken Blanchard

“I was fortunate to get a scholarship when I went to Lehigh University and Princeton. They were both wonderful schools. Somebody was kind enough to spend their money to educate people that they would never get to know. That’s what I think philanthropy is about.” Lee Iacocca 

Gen X – “If service is the rent you pay for your existence on this earth, are you behind in your rent?” – Robert G. Allen

“We see community organizations as major service providers and economic drivers rather than as recipients or distributors of charity, and coordinators of volunteers.”

“As the funds you will expend have come from many places in the world, so let there be no territorial, religious, or color restrictions on your benefactions, but beware of organized, professional charities with high-salaried executives and a heavy ratio of expense.” – Conrad Hilton

“Philanthropy is all about making a positive difference in the world by devoting your resources and your time to causes you believe in. In my case, I like to support causes where “a lot of good comes from a little bit of good,” or, in other words, where the positive social returns vastly exceed the amount of time and money invested.” Jeff Skoll

Gen Y – “In a world filled with violence, hatred, and suspicion, giving is an expression of faith, trust, and concern.” Douglas Lawson

Have a quote of your own to add? Join the conversation!

  Next in the series: Generational Philantrhopy: Tips for Non-profit Organizations

In my last post, I explored cultural influences that shaped each generational group. Today, I will look at how these influences affect the way each generation views their personal finances. How do these individuals think about giving during a time of financial uncertainty? What types of organizations inspire their philanthropy despite hard times?

Pre-WWII
Marked by the Great Depression, this generation still remembers what it was like to struggle. The current economic crisis makes them cringe. Their assets are spread out – never too much in one place. This is also how they tend to view their philanthropy. While more recent generations focus their giving, these individuals often support on average 7-10 organizations, giving each a modest sum.

Favorite organizations: local churches, social organizations (ie. Lion’s club), their alma mater, organizations that were established by members of their generation

Baby Boomers
Born into post-war prosperity, they are the first generation to rely on credit.  Most feel that they were held back ten years economically by the large numbers of laborers entering the work force. They often have a play now, pay later mentality concerning their finances. The current financial situation is affecting their retirement prospects, but that won’t keep them from spoiling their grandchildren.

Favorite organizations: organizations that hold fond memories for them, their alma mater, organizations that their children participate in

Generation X
Told that they could have it all, this generation is often burdened by expectations of success. These expectations come not only from their family members, but their desire to keep up with other members of their tribe. Pressure to have good careers and good families and good homes and well rounded lives . . .  is leaving them exhausted. They have come to realize that they can’t have it all – sacrifices must be made. While they are beginning to be reflective about the choices that have led them down this path, they have also already come to expect a certain type of lifestyle, and changing may be difficult.

This college educated generation gained their financial literacy in the school of hard knocks. While most have always had favorable employment prospects, the current economic situation has them worried. 

Favorite organizations: organizations focused on women’s issues, organizations that champion causes close to their hearts,  their charitable support often goes to individuals they know personally, (ie. missionaries)

Generation Y
They have seen the worry that debt has caused their parents and so they avoid debt. But they aren’t savers either. Most believe that social security and retirement accounts will not provide for their retirement.  Rather than discouraging them, or prompting them to save more, it compels them to savor the moment.

Most are not affected by the current recession. Their network of support leaves them unexposed financially. They often move back into their parents homes after college and are willing to take menial jobs in order to fund their entrepreneurial passions or wait for just the right job. They aren’t concerned with climbing the corporate ladder as much as they are having success on their own terms. They view capitalism as an instrument of social change and they are eternally optimistic because they sincerely believe that they are the change that the world needs.

Favorite organizations: international organizations, micro-lenders, global disaster relief, political causes

While I realize a set of generational definitions will never describe you – do you think this is an accurate picture of your generation? What would you add? How is the current financial situation affecting your personal philanthropy?

Next in the series:  Generational Philanthropy: Quotes that Define

Image courtsey of the very talented Lisa Mertin.

My next few posts will explore generational philanthropy.  What are the strengths and weaknesses of each generation’s approach to philanthropy? What do their group experiences mean for non-profit organizations? What are some practices non-profits can adopt to successfully interact with each generation?

Data from 200 U.S. Census

 Defining the Generations

 Pre-World War II – Before 1945 (approx. 20% of the total population)
This generation came home from the war victorious and proud to be called Americans. The sense of belonging they got from fulfilling their civic duty blossomed into a focus on building the country’s infrastructure. They funded libraries and the arts. They created public work systems. They built America. And they are proud of it.

These individuals continue to look toward organizations, particularly the ones that they built, when seeking to do good. These organizations hold their trust implicitly. Their philanthropy relies on these community relationships and continues to emanate from a sense of civic duty.

Baby-Boomers – 1946-1964 (approx. 30% of the total population)
While intimately familiar with the “system,” most spent their youth distrusting the America that their parents built. They came of age in an era of sexual revolution and planned parenting, leading most to find their calling as parents.  Their involved parenting style gets many of them labeled as helicopter parents. 

This desire for involvement carries over to the organizations they support. They often seek active participation, beyond their philanthropy. They enjoy serving on boards, sitting on committees, and volunteering. It is very important that they feel a connection to your organization or cause.

Into retirement, this generation will continue to seek personal growth. Their philanthropy may appear as another method of self-actualization. They often wish to ensure others the opportunities that they either didn’t have or that impacted them deeply.

While not as trusting as their parents, Boomers will make gifts to organizations. However, you must clearly show them, most effectively through stories and photos, the impact of their gift.

Gen X – 1965-1977 ( approx. 15% of the total population)
Gen Xers came of age in a time when some charitable organizations were going through public social scandals. They simply do not trust organizations to spend money or distribute aid wisely.

This generation is smaller than their predecessors and the generations that follow. This has created far less competition for resources. GenXers entered college at much greater numbers than any previous generation. They have always had favorable employment prospects.

Often latch key kids,  they have entered adulthood seeing their friends as extended family members. The first truly wired generation, they use their digital prowess to keep in constant contact with their tribe.

Gen Xers see supporting a worthy cause as investment opportunity. Interest them in your organization by presenting the causes your organization champions. While baby boomers will be satisfied with stories of how their giving makes a difference, Gen Xers want to see your numbers. Win them over with your financial accountability.

Gen Y – 1978-1994 (approx. 25% of the total population)
GenY came of age during a time of crisis and the rise of the internet. Both have served to shrink the world in which these individuals live. Much like their grandparents, they are builders, but  unlike their grandparents, their scope is not limited to this country. This optimistic generation sees the world as their responsibility.

Due to close relationships with their Boomer parents, their opinions are influential in their family circle. If you are able to capture the support of a GenYer, they will serve as an amabassador for your organization among their family and friends. Like their parents, their involvement extends beyond their philanthropy. Giving is their way of engaging with and making the world a better place. 

Early experiences have lead them to view their philanthropy as supporting causes and not necessarily organizations. They often don’t hold the grudge against “the man” that GenX does, but their philanthropy is most inspired by need or by the change that they can make in the world. 

Next in the series: Generational attitudes toward finances.

Quick Tip: Create a constituent pie chart based on age. Does your pie chart match the national population chart?

Brooks found that this discrepancy was the result of a difference in political philosophy. Democrats tend to believe it is the responsibility of the government to provide social programs, while republicans are more likely to feel it is the job of private organizations and ultimately average Americans to provide for those in need.

As President Obama and his democratic team usher in a new era of responsibility, it is my fervent hope that his passion inspires average Americans to reach out a helping hand to their fellow Americans and neighbors around the world.

We are our brothers’ keepers. We can make America great again.