In my last blog (Should You Start a Nonprofit?), I suggested that a nonprofit that is not Grant Ready might wait
and build community support instead of launching into a grants program before
they’re truly ready. As part of that “Waiting” suggestion, I included some
important tasks to be ready to start strong. I want to revisit those here,
because they are foundational to a nonprofit that can be taken seriously by its
donors and funders.
Start collecting
data.
And stories. Why have you set out to do what you’re doing
with your nonprofit? What problem did you identify that you are working to
address? Putting a face on that need you are working to fill will bring home
the urgency of what you’re trying to do and what a grant would help alleviate. Being
able to spout stories from the people you serve will go far when it comes time
to express your Need or Problem Statement.
In that same way, having specific, local baseline data will
tell your story far better than national or even state or county Census data.
Identify the core problem, and break it down, then ask for data from the people
you serve to get at the story behind the problem.
Once you do that, you have the rationale for what you need
to be successful: what staff, venue, supplies, and money. Once you ID that, you
can move logically to what you would do with that staff, venue, etc. If you can
draw a solid line between what you’re doing and the solve for your identified
problem, you have basically written your grant proposal’s Case Statement. And
guess what? You’ve done it using a Logic Model!
Keep collecting that data to PROVE your idea facilitates
change!
Build Awareness.
Plant the seed in everyone you meet. Spread the word. Think
about who should care about solving the same problem as yours. Other tax-paying
citizens? Members of the neighborhood? Law enforcement? Local business owners?
Who else has a stake in fixing what you’re trying to fix? Talk it up. Once your
idea becomes infectious, it will snowball.
Get others involved, as volunteers, donors, board members.
Your volunteers — and especially your board members — would be your best
advocates and ambassadors. They should be able to open doors and get you in to
meet with the media, City Council, your local Congressperson, etc.
If you’ve got data as ammunition, you’ve got a great story
to tell in terms of the need out there. And then you have thought it through
logically, so you have The Solve all worked out.
ID potential board
members.
In my previous blog, I mentioned you should have a field of
board members from across several sectors. I mentioned marketing, law, HR, and
accounting — but sectors that bring content expertise to the table should be
included as well. If you are working on affordable housing, for instance, look
to the Board of Realtors, or the construction trades for board members, for
example. If you’re working on a mental health or addiction initiative, include
experts from those fields. Or if you’re working in early childhood, include
teachers or others in the education or childhood development fields.
Be sure to keep diversity in mind when looking for board
members: a mix of people and perspectives from different ages, races,
ethnicities, income levels, or other background demographics will certainly do
a lot to bring varied voices to the table. Don’t forget to look among the
people you serve for board members too.
All this activity is made so much easier when you have your
data, isn’t it? When you have hard data to help you express the urgent need you’re
working to address, it will help you get volunteers, board members, and donors
involved and excited. Make collecting data a priority, and the benefits to your
nonprofit will be beyond measure!
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