Are your nonprofit's needs justified in writing?
09:21, 2 September 2010
.. Posted in Communication, Outreach and General MngmtDonorsChoose.org is a web site where K-12 teachers in the USA can post what they need in their classrooms, needs for which they cannot get funding for through traditional government funding means. A classroom request on DonorsChoose.org could be $100 to cover pencil sharpeners or several hundred dollars for a digital camera to replace one that still used floppy disks or a computer with wireless access for a portable classroom. It could be for an art cart, new printers, or licensing rights to a software program the teacher knew worked for kids. Anyone can go through the site and choose a project to fund. Contributors can pay for part or all of a project, or focus giving on a specific school or subject area.
Recently, someone called DonorsChoose and asked how much it would cost to fund every California teacher's wish list posted on the web site. A day later, the caller, Hilda Yao, executive director of the Claire Giannini Fund, mailed a check of more than $1.3 million to cover the entire California wish list, 2,233 projects in all, with an extra $100,000 tossed in to help pay for other teacher needs across the country.
(You can read the full story at the San Francisco Chronicle web site)
I'm sure there are a lot of California teachers kicking themselves right now for not posting a request to DonorsChoose.org.
I'm not posting this to convince you that there is a super sugar daddy/mamma donor out there that will emerge out of the blue to fund your nonprofit or NGO or project, that you can get full funding just by posting on the right place on the Internet. Because there is no super sugar daddy/mamma donor out there for most nonprofits, NGOs or projects. What happened regarding California is the exception, not the rule.
I'm posting this blog to convince you to always have at least your most important funding needs well defined and in writing on your web site, to always be able to express such to anyone who asks, and to openly refer to this need in conversations (online and off) and meetings, as appropriate.
Never just say, "We need money" or "We're short on funds." What exactly do you need money for? Training for staff? Additional staff members with a particular area of expertise? A new facility? A copy machine? And how would training, additional staff, a new facility, a copy machine, or whatever it is you say you need, help your organization serve more clients, provide more services, or have greater impact towards your mission? What are the consequences of not having the training, the additional staff, the different facility or that copy machine now?
Here are two examples of well-written explanations of how funds will be used:
Donations will be used to pay for the shipping of donated books from all over the world, for our library that serves disabled-children and their families; and to pay the salaries of our two-person staff, made up of two professionals in child-development.
OR
Donations will be used to pay the duty fees and transportation costs of five computers and networking equipment being donated to our organization by Acme Computer company, as well as to pay a local person to connect the computers to the Internet; all of this will allow us to provide Internet access to local women and children as part of our various community education activities.
Here is an example of a poorly-written explanation:
If we do not receive donations, our doors will close!! We need funding immediately, or we must turn children away!! WE URGENTLY NEED ASSISTANCE!!
Yes, I've received that last one. More than once.
For more tips, if you are working in or for a community in a transitional or developing country, see Basic Fund-Raising for Small NGOs/Civil Society in the Developing World.
Trackback
Creation site internet Brest
21:48, 14 September 2010 .. Posted in Creation site internet BrestWe tailor web sites to your needs...
affordable child care
00:09, 15 September 2010 .. Posted in affordable child care
canadian experience class
02:25, 19 September 2010 .. Posted in canadian experience classNice blog on Jayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community ... It is very informative but I don't fully agree with it as I have read other online views on the same. It was good to spend evening going through internet on Sunday . I'll visit again to read more on this website.
Football world
04:17, 19 September 2010 .. Posted in Football worldJayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community ... says it all, the rest i found gibberish.
public access criminal
12:57, 19 September 2010 .. Posted in public access criminalblah
Webmaster Book
20:53, 19 September 2010 .. Posted in Webmaster BookDo you sincerely want to make a million? Learn how to work smarter, not harder.
Easy Fund Raising Ideas
21:20, 20 September 2010 .. Posted in Easy Fund Raising IdeasJayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community ... is a great post on fundraising mission statement I just read.
life insurance broker
21:24, 20 September 2010 .. Posted in life insurance brokerHow can you be so sure about Jayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community ... ? Although most of the information provided is true as per my knowledge but I don't agree fully. I think it should be more practical. I visited your website while searching for business wallet checks and hope to see more good information on business wallet checks. Do keep up the good work.
australian businesses for sale
16:09, 21 September 2010 .. Posted in australian businesses for saleGood post. You’ve just confirmed what I’ve been thinking about this.
learning to use a digital camera
19:20, 21 September 2010 .. Posted in learning to use a digital cameraThat’s good that you are making such smashing knowledge just about this good topic. And we think that should be very good if people order the thesis abstract or buy dissertation from you.:)
seniors single
09:20, 22 September 2010 .. Posted in seniors single[...] an interesting blog wrote a post Jayne Blog on nonprofits/ngos, communications, community ... about seniors single, discussing seniors single [...]
portable car garage ,
15:25, 22 September 2010 .. Posted in portable car garage ,Published on this site
