Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Speak to the need

Philanthropy is an interesting phenomenon. It amazes me how generous people can be. In 2004 Americans gave over $240 Billion in philanthropic gifts.

I recently watched a popular news show that interviewed people who are literally giving their inheritance away. One person that was interviewed lived a very humble lifestyle by American standards, while giving away a good portion of his yearly income to worthwhile charities. Another young woman is really giving her inheritance away for the greater good.

People will donate most anything-money, their time, blood, their vehicle, jewelry or anything else that is perceived as useful or of value to another person or organization. Why do people donate? What is the motivation behind the gift? I am sure there are teams of sociologists at some institution of higher thinking trying to identify the motivators of giving. The funny thing about human nature is that what motivates one person may not motivate another person.

My very simplistic belief is that people give when they see a need and perceive value in giving to help alleviate that need. This is evident with the recent outpouring of donations for the Katrina/Rita hurricane relief efforts, and Asian Tsunami disaster relief. People could tune in to CNN or Fox News and immediately see the devastation, and decide how they would respond to the need.

According to the American Association of Fundraising Counsel "About 70 to 80 percent of Americans contribute annually to at least one charity. Being a 'philanthropist' does not merely mean making huge gifts; it means giving to any cause that you value." The majority of Americans see a need and respond through charitable giving. The charity of choice varies with each individuals belief system or desire to help a particular cause.

Does this need based giving also hold true for foundations and corporations? I believe it does. When presenting programs to corporate or foundation officers, speak to the need. Help them see the need clearly, and then demonstrate how their help i.e. charitable funds will work to relieve the need. Use statistical data and real life human stories to demonstrate the need. Make it clear and concise and you will have the advantage that motivates the majority of individual Americans to give.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Follow Those Guidelines!

I recently finished two very long and time intensive grant applications. Within the next week, I will start another Federal Grant application. Actually I already started working on that application last week. I eagerly downloaded the application instructions the first day the agency made it available online. I have been combing through the pages of instructions making a to do list of important information that must be either included or done to complete the application. These things include: the due date, the number of copies that must be sent with the proposal , margins, font type and size, required number of letters of collaboration, and/or letters of support and so on.

It is essential to make reading the grant proposal guidelines a part of the grant writing process. These guidelines give special instructions like those mentioned above and sometimes will give more clues as to the funders preferred area of funding, and special initiatives.

Typically, the larger the organization the more complex their application requirements will be. Federal and State agencies require more time intensive, exhaustive information with their proposals. Corporate and family foundations tend to be less strenuous in their application requirements. Of course there are exceptions.

I have found that the more complex instructions can be dissected page by page and a timeline of needed materials established very early in the process. This timeline can be given to department heads or other team members to complete with very specific due dates.

If the application won't be released for several more months and you are chomping at the bit to get started, reviewing the prior years application is helpful to understand what the organization may require in future funding cycles.

I like to try to find out as much as I can about funding priorities or special areas of interest that organizations hold so that I can slant the proposal in that direction to appeal to their interests. Larger applications will often include a rubric or point system the organization will use when scoring the application. Try to write toward the highest score in each category while remaining honest about what the program will be able to offer. Grant application instructions often hold the key to getting your project funded or just remaining another great idea.