Here in New England, there is fall in the air, thinking I need to put away my shorts, as it has been a bit chilly…Hope everyone is ready for the businesses to get back into gear! Here are my picks for the week.

1. Why isn’t anyone sharing your nonprofit’s content? by [...]]]>

Image by renedrivers via Flickr

Here in New England, there is fall in the air, thinking I need to put away my shorts, as it has been a bit chilly…Hope everyone is ready for the businesses to get back into gear! Here are my picks for the week.

1. Why isn’t anyone sharing your nonprofit’s content? by John Haydon: trust, caring, boring, “coolness”…find out more, and join the discussion.

2. Helping nonprofits master the art of grant writing from Socialbrite & JD Lasica

It seems that many of the 1.5 million nonprofits in the land still have not heard of the Foundation Center. And that’s too bad, because the venerable nonprofit organization, which has been around for more than 50 years, offers a wealth of information about U.S. philanthropy and helps people learn how to apply for grants through a rich foundation database.

Best of all, it’s free — just like a public library!

3. Embracing Next Generation Philanthropy from NTen:

Recent economic forecasting suggests that traditional fundraising is not going to get easier any time soon. While it’s tempting to focus on scarcity, a new generation of philanthropists is coming of age. They are young community builders, driven by a DIY ethic, and empowered by social media. They are leveraging the lowered costs of coordination provided by the web and mobile net, and they are stepping up to meet the challenges facing their generations.

What are you doing to find them now and cultivate relationships with them for the long haul?

4. 7 Tips for Better Fundraising Emails from Inspiring Generosity by geofflivingston

For most nonprofits, email has been and remains the heart and soul of their online strategies. Even social media-heavy programs seek to engage more loyal supporters through email programs like newsletter, petitions, pledges, advocacy and more. The purpose is to build a house file.

5. Measuring the Return on Relationships from Beth’s Blog and Claire Diaz Ortiz

I explained that while researching my new book, Twitter for Good (http://ht.ly/4RirJ), I took a long, hard look at fundraising on social media and came to a new, startling conclusion: it’s not about the money. As I asserted, the real ROI (return on investment) of fundraising on new media is the relationships.

Have a great weekend!

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As surprising is it may seem to all of you who have endured this challenging winter, I found a silver lining in the clouds that have been so abundant. With snow blocking the front door and the driveway covered in ice, I wasn’t tempted to venture out very much so spent more time [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

As surprising is it may seem to all of you who have endured this challenging winter, I found a silver lining in the clouds that have been so abundant. With snow blocking the front door and the driveway covered in ice, I wasn’t tempted to venture out very much so spent more time than usual on the Internet. I discovered several user-friendly web sites filled with good information about fundraising, board development and financial management. Some sites addressed all three topics and did it well. In the next few weeks, I plan to share with you my new-favorite sites that are filled with useful information that can make your nonprofit even more inspirational.

Whether you are asking donors for money, seeking corporate, foundation or government grants, or talking to the local media, knowing how to quantify the work of your nonprofit is essential to telling your story effectively. The Center for What Works (www.whatworks.org) first appealed to me because of its direct and concise name. This site has gathered together a powerful network of nonprofit organizations, grant makers, researchers and consultants who are interested in the power of benchmarking and performance measurement. It offers a quarterly newsletter, case studies, current research, surveys and an Outcome Measurement Portal.

This last resource is my favorite. It not only offers a significant number of specific outcomes by type of organization; it also offers you the opportunity to create outcomes based directly on the mission and programs of your nonprofit. And, there is no charge for any of this. You simply register to become a member. Of course, there are a variety of other tools on the site such as webinars and special events that do cost money. How else could they afford to provide all the free resources? If these tools are as effective as the free resources, I believe they could be worth the investment.

Become a Fan of The Non-Profit Toolbox on Facebook

During a 15 minute research session this week, I learned the following information:

Even if you have only been in the development field for a few months, it is likely you know that AFP stands for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the international professional organization that serves people who work in all aspects of development.  Although it was more than a decade ago that I attended [...]]]>

Jane B. Ford

Even if you have only been in the development field for a few months, it is likely you know that AFP stands for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the international professional organization that serves people who work in all aspects of development.  Although it was more than a decade ago that I attended their worldwide conference, I can remember how impressed I was with the training and the opportunity to network with colleague from around the world.

Today, I am equally amazed at what the AFP web site (www.afpnet.org) offers both members and nonmembers. This site should be a bookmark for anyone in the development field – or who may be interested in learning more about it. There are four areas open to nonmembers that I find particularly useful. This site offers blogs on a variety of topics that are frequently updated. It has an event page that details trainings, both live and online, that are open to anyone. The ethics section offers clear and succinct explanations on ethics issues that we all need to know. And, if you are interested in finding a job or a consulting opportunity, go to the extensive Job Center.

If you are doing the “15 Minutes a Day Research Challenge”, make sure that you check out the AFP site early this week. Not only will it provide useful information you may need right now; it will also lead you to many other useful resources to pursue later in the week.

Join us for our next Networking for Non-Profit Event in August!

Jane Ford - The Joy Path

Early in my career in the nonprofit sector, I had the opportunity to apply for a federal grant. [...]]]>

Guest Post by: Jane B. Ford, The Joy Path and Speaker at the February 10th Non-profit Toolbox Mini-Conference, and author of Get Grants Now

Jane Ford - The Joy Path

Federal Agency Representatives are Your Friends

Early in my career in the nonprofit sector, I had the opportunity to apply for a federal grant. I had successfully applied for foundation grants and so used the same approach for the federal grant: follow all the rules, be honest, submit on time, and make sure to talk to my contact at the funding source. When I received that federal grant, my colleagues in other housing nonprofits expressed surprise that my first public grant proposal was fully funded.

They were even more surprised when I told them that I believed part of the reason for the funding was that my representative at the federal agency had been so helpful. Not only did he answer my numerous technical questions, he also gave me insight into the specific approach that his office was looking for in that year’s proposals. I didn’t find this surprising at all. Isn’t this the way program officers, whether private or public sector, usually worked?

It turned out that many of my colleagues had never chosen to contact their federal representatives believing that these public servants wouldn’t be really useful. In my naiveté, I assumed that program officers, both public and private, would be helpful. I had treated the federal rep just the way I treated private sector program officers, with respect, honesty, and appreciation. And he had been just as helpful in guiding me towards writing a successful grant proposal as had his private sector colleagues whom I had contacted in the past.

This experience confirmed my belief that when you treat other people as you want to be treated, good things generally happen. Learning this early on in my nonprofit career has helped me and the nonprofits I have served in ways too numerous to count.

Want to learn more about Grant Writing?

Join us at our next non-profit mini-conference.