Fundraising Fundamentals for

Non-Profit Organizations

Intel ISEF Educator AcademyPittsburgh – May 2012

Robert Glidden, President EmeritusOhio University

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

Building the Case

Preparation

The Written Proposal

The Visit/Interview

Follow-Up

Other Questions

Outline

The “case” is your rationale for funding: why do

you need funds and why is your project worthy for this prospective donor?

A good case includes…

the objectives of the project,

a timeline,

a budget that shows the need for funding, and

any other support that you anticipate for the project.

Building the Case

If your project is singular, i.e., a one-time event,

when will it be completed and how will you measure whether it is successful?

Is this a multiple-year project?

If so, are you requesting help to initiate the project only, or to carry it through to completion?

If your request is for funds to initiate only, what is your plan for sustaining the project to completion?

Building the Case (2)

Is your request for endowment—funds that will

be invested and held in perpetuity? If so, how will the funds be invested and for what purpose will the earnings be used?

Or is your request for general, ongoing operating costs?

Most foundations and many corporations will have specific guidelines that inform whether or not they will fund ongoing operational costs or endowments

Building the Case (3)

Whether Foundation, Corporation, or Individual…

What do we know about the prospective donor’s interests?

Why should this prospective donor fund our project?

Has the donor made any contribution to our particular cause in the past?

Has the donor shown interest or made contributions to science projects in the past?

Preparation

And further…

Is the donor interested in education, in young people?

What other causes has the prospective donor funded?

If the prospective donor is local, is there a preference for local projects?

Do we have a personal contact who can help us “enter the door”?

Preparation (2)

The Foundation Center

New York City, with field offices in…

Atlanta

Cleveland

San Francisco

Washington

The Online Foundation Directory <http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/

fdo.html>

Finding Foundations

Check the funder’s guidelines – follow them!

Briefly describe your organization, including its history

Give a broad overview of the project for which you seek funding

Follow with details, especially about the element(s) within the total project for which you seek funding

Define how you will measure success and how you will report the project to the funder

The Written Proposal

Explain why your project may be of benefit to society

or to a larger audience beyond your organization

Look professional in format and appearance, as well as in content

Be attentive to format, spacing, overall appearance—leave ample white space…at the borders, between paragraphs, between sections

Have the proposal read and reviewed by someone in your organization who is particularly “fussy” about such matters

The Written Proposal (2)

Again, check the funder’s guidelines, but

make every effort to arrange a personal visit to present your proposal

Who should participate in the interview?

Someone who is thoroughly knowledgeable (and passionate) about the project

Preferably two people or at most three

Each person on the interview team should have a specific purpose or reason for being there

The Visit or Interview

Have a plan for the conversation—know the most

important points you want to make and in what order

Remember that a good fundraiser is a good listener! Don’t try to do all the talking

Success sometimes depends on the donor’s opportunity to be involved in the project

Practice what you will say, how you will behave, if the donor indicates little or no interest in your project

The Visit or Interview (2)

Timing and degree of subtlety will depend on the

type of donor A corporation or foundation knows exactly why you

are there—timing is still important but subtlety is not An individual donor should have been informed about

the purpose of your visit in advance, but still may not perceive that you are expecting an answer on the first meeting

Individual donors may not be experienced givers—they may require more time to think about the proposal

The Ask

If the prospective donor is a corporation or

foundation, the requested funding will have been specified in the proposal…but you may still need to justify the amount and be prepared to answer questions about what a lesser amount would accomplish

For an individual donor, it is often best not to put the requested funding in writing in advance In that case, the “ask” might be posed as, “Would

you consider funding this project in the amount of $XXX?”

Never “undersell”—don’t ask for too little

The Ask (2)

Be gracious, no matter the donor’s response

Leave something behind for the donor’s file—an amendment to the proposal, a one-page summary of the project, a brochure about your organization, even just a business card

Announce how you will follow up, which will depend on the donor’s response

Concluding the Interview

A follow-up letter, thanking the prospective

donor for time and attention, is a must!

Depending on the donor’s response, a follow-up call, 10 days to two weeks following the visit, is important

If you have promised anything to the donor, or if the donor has requested any additional information, be sure to make note of that and follow up accordingly

Follow-Up

Following a visit or interview, ASAP, always make a

report for your file, indicating any new information learned, any nuances about the donor’s response, any suggestions for future approaches to this donor

Be judicious about what you put in a written report—stick to the important points or to details that will help this relationship in the future

If you were accompanied by others, discuss reactions, responses with them and combine all comments in one report

Keeping Track

Be an ambassador for your organization—

make friends both for yourself and for your organization

Be prepared to sell your idea—sincere passion for a project is noticed and appreciated!

During the visit, listen…and focus on the donor—make notes later

Be attentive to your dress and appearance—better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed

Your Attitude/Approach

Honor every gift and every intent to give—a

$1,000 gift from one donor may be more of a commitment than $1,000,000 from another

Never be embarrassed or shy about asking for money for a worthy project in which you believe passionately…and for which you would give yourself

Your Attitude/Approach (2)

Depends on guidelines for corporations or

foundations—some have a policy against multiple-year funding

Others may fund for three or five years maximum

Multiple-year funding is often requested for operating costs, and some foundations or corporations will give to specific projects, but not general operating costs

Multiple-Year Funding

Science equipment is perhaps one of the easiest gifts-

in-kind to procure Companies can realize a tax advantage for making gifts

of equipment that has been replaced and that they no longer use

Someone in a school or organization has to make the need known and be in contact with people in a corporation who know what the possibilities might be

Once the need or interest in such equipment is known, or once a relationship with a company has been established, the realization of such gifts is more likely

Gifts-in-Kind

Organizations sometimes need smaller goods or

services, e.g., printing or prizes, that local businesses can provide if approached properly

The business person needs to know what difference the item(s) will make in the success of your project

Decide how the business will be recognized for such gifts, but ask the business person before assuming

Personal contact—a personal “ask” is essential

Other “Non-Cash” Gifts

Funders will remain more committed to a project

or organization if they get personally involved—personal involvement leads to greater knowledge about the organization or project

Make it easy for people to help—don’t waste their time—be sensitive about their schedules

Most volunteers will have no idea what kind of help you need, so you will need a plan for how they can help

Involving Funders

If approaching colleges or universities for Science

Fair volunteers…

Define the need in writing so that it can be distributed in science departments—some faculty members may not volunteer because they think the time commitment is greater than it is

Make contact with the appropriate level, depending on the size and type of institution

Follow up with a brief letter of recognition/thanks to the department chair or dean of the faculty members who volunteer

Getting Science Fair Volunteers

Social Media – how to use it

Get your students involved—ask them for ideas More likely to help with fundraising events than individual

proposals

Recognizing and thanking investors in creative ways The recognition has to fit the investor—some like

recognition, others don’t Some say that in fundraising, seven expressions of thank

you are not too many Letters from students who have benefited is always

effective, particularly if they sound spontaneous and not coached

Other Questions…

Thank YouQuestions? Comments? Ideas?

gliddenr@ohio.edu