If possible, obtain successful applications from previous grant cycles. They offer the best indication of the types of proposals that will be funded.

[Source: "Knowing How Funders Operate Can Make or Break a Proposal," Substance Abuse Funding News, April 26, 2000. CD Publications, 8204 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-588-6380.]

A winning grant application relies on a strong statement of need. The statement tells the reviewer about your issues, capacities, need for funds. It must be succinct, logical, persuasive.

To craft a convincing statement of need:

For more information, see the Foundation Center's online Proposal Writing Course.

[Source: The Foundation Center, 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003; (212) 620-4230.]

Be prepared to stand up to funder scrutiny. Foundations increasingly expect detailed program evaluations in exchange for support. They want to enhance their grantmaking, improve grantee practices, respond to their board's demand for accountability.

Talk to foundation officials about their evaluation goals. Find out who will read the evaluation: program-oriented staff? A bottom-line board? Tailor your proposal accordingly. And always follow evaluation instructions carefully. You'll make allies of givers' staff if you make their work easier.

[Source: "Evaluations on the rise with funders -- but can they interfere with your grants?," Foundation & Corporate Funding Advantage, May 2000. Progressive Business Publications, 370 Technology Drive, Malvern, PA 19355; 800-220-5000.]

Make it easy for donors to find and use your website. Register your site with search engines. Publicize your web address in newsletters, ads, direct mail; on business cards and news releases; and at events.

Collect supporters' e-mail addresses. Get permission, then use e-mail to promote your web site, distribute information, and solicit support.

To make your site user-friendly, use graphics, buttons, links to highlight issues. Call attention to opportunities to support your group. Give people a reason to visit. Offer free screen savers, music, information, and software. Post fresh content daily. Use e-mail to inform supporters of new content and draw them back to your site.

For more information, see http://www.fund-online.com or contact Adam Corson-Finnerty, Development Officer, University of Pennsylvania Library: 800-390-1829; e-mail: corson@fund-online.com.

[Source: "Six Ways to Attract Visitors to Your Web Site," Successful Fund Raising, complementary issue. Stevenson Consultants, Inc., 3133 Floyd Blvd., Sioux City, IA 51108; 712-239-3010.]

Seeking support from companies that sell to kids? 90% of kids say they would switch brands and buy from companies that support a cause they believe in. Product quality counts, but 70% of adolescents said a company's charitable activities influence their buying decisions. And 60% said they bought products from companies they knew supported charities.

For more information, see the Cone, Inc., survey on youth, charities and consumerism at http://www.coneinc.com, or contact Anne Chan, Cone, Inc., 90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114; 617-227-2111, ext. 8403; e-mail: achan@coneinc.com.

[Source: "Teenagers Prefer Companies that Give, Survey Finds," Debra E. Blum, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 7, 2000. P.O. Box 1989, Marion, OH 43305; 800-728-2819.]

Tickle donors pink. Use color to get your message across. Publishing with color can set a mood, evoke emotion, and touch on cultural symbols. Using the right color can help you win support and get your message across. But a color faux pas can turn readers off.

Black type on a white background is the easiest to read. Red type on a blue background is the hardest to read.

Purple is the the most difficult color for the eye to discriminate. Green, the color that falls most directly on the retina, is the most restful to look at.

Red is psychologically energizing. It raises adrenaline levels, stimulates and excites. Use red to make bold statements.

Yellow is the most luminous color in the spectrum. A little yellow in a publication goes a long way. Seen as cheerful at first glance, yellow can be fatiguing if viewed over time. Studies show that babies cry more in yellow rooms, and couples fight more in yellow kitchens.

Pink, green and blue all have a calming effect. Hospitals and prisons paint their walls pink for this reason. And a bridge in London was painted blue in a successful bid to prevent suicides. Blue also suggests hygiene, coolness.

Beware, however: Color perceptions vary based on age, mood, culture, and mental health. Adults prefer blue, red, green, purple, yellow, orange -- in that order. Children prefer red. The elderly, blues and greens.

In Asia, red symbolizes fertility, life and happiness. That's why Asian brides wear red. But in the West, red is a symbol of passion, sexuality. White, worn by Western brides as a symbol of purity, is seen as the color of mourning in Asia.

Blue is the most universally accepted color, seen as free of cultural bias.

[Source: "Color Awareness," @Issue, Corporate Design Foundation, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 321, Boston, MA 02116. 617-350-7097.]

Can your donors "click to give"? Some online advertisers offer charities a donation each time someone clicks through an Internet ad. In return, the charity helps promote the merchant.

Click-to-give strategies can raise money, attract visitors to your web site, and raise awareness of your cause. They can put you in touch with donors you could never reach before. And they are much more cost-effective than direct-mail campaigns.

But you need to ensure that the company you partner with is reputable. Your web site needs to be capable of handling prospect inquiries, and capturing their contact information.

Also, don't expect click-and-give to be a primary source of funding. Usage may not be that high. And many of those who visit your site may be there just to look, not give.

[Source: "Changing the World with Your Clicks: Part II," ChangingOurWorld.com Observations in Philanthropy online newsletter, April 2000.]

Without proper insurance, your group could be sued out of existence. Some states have laws shielding not-for-profits from lawsuits. But others have recently made it easier for residents to sue charities.

Some charities think that because they do good work, they won't be sued. Wrong. Any group with employees needs general liability insurance. Without it, you could go bankrupt just defending a case, even if you've done nothing wrong.

Ask an insurance expert or attorney to assess your risk. Ask an experienced board member or staffer to establish a risk-management function in your organization. Explore ways to limit your exposure to risk.

[Source: Non-Profit-Info.org Monthly iNFO Newsletter, October 2000.]

Looking to tell your story? Ask yourself: Who is our target audience? Know where you want your message to go.

Press coverage should be integrated into your strategic plan. Board members, staff and volunteers can help identify your coverage needs and opportunities.

[Source: "Working with the Press," Perspectives on Not-for-Profit Organizations, Spring 2000. Published by Monti, CPA, 321 Hope St., Providence, RI 02906; 401-274-2001.]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That's what female donors say they want from fund raisers.

Women have more money than ever to donate. 92% of the nation's top female entrepreneurs donate to charity. 84% make their giving decisions independently from their spouse. Overall, 71% of American women donate to charity, compared to 65% of men.

But women are tired of solicitations that don't take them seriously -- or treat them like men. 42% of top female business-owners say that the way they are asked can pose a significant barrier to their giving. And 27% feel they are not taken as seriously as men with similar financial assets.

Female donors want detailed information about your organization, including how it's run and how donations are used. They want to work through established personal relationships. And they want education and guidance before they donate.

The giving culture of women differs from that of men. Many distrust large institutions. Older women may not understand planned giving, or fear that they cannot afford to give and still maintain their lifestyle into old age.

Generally, female donors want to:

Not-for-profit organizations need to educate board and staff members about the power of women's giving. Work with your current female supporters. Find out why they support your group, what they think about other potential female donors, and how they would approach them. Examine your organizational culture to ensure that women are represented throughout.

[Source: "Women: A Dedicate Force in Philanthropy," Advancing Philanthropy, May-June 2000. Published by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, 1101 King St., Suite 700, Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-684-0410.]

Let funders know who your friends are. When applying for grants, submit letters of support from your allies in the community. Get testimonials from project stakeholders, including other not-for-profit groups, political leaders. Letters can give your program an edge over grant competitors with similar capabilities.

CD Publications has a 24-page report available on soliciting letters of support: call 800-666-6380 and refer to publication #00061.

[Source: "Collect Letter of Support to Verify You Have Support in Community," Substance Abuse Funding News, May 12, 2000. CD Publications, 8204 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-588-6380.]

Internet Addresses ...

The Philanthropy Giving Index (PGI) provides a barometer of the current and future climates for giving. Professional fund raisers are surveyed about their confidence levels. You can use the PGI to gauge the relative success of various fund-raising techniques, such as direct mail, planned giving and special events. The report, published twice a year, is available free online.

Looking for a grants management specialist? Check out http://www.bellgrant.com.

Refdesk.com is just what is sounds like: An online reference desk, full of useful information.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has compiled an impressive bibliography on volunteerism, as well as lists of journals, organizations, and volunteer funding programs.

Ahern Communications provides award-winning marketing, fund-raising, and employee communications, specializing in direct mail, advertising, public relations, and sales writing.

Resources ...

Giving by Industry, 2000-2001 Edition. Includes articles on giving trends in a variety of industries, such as banking and telecommunications; more than 300 individual corporate listings; and indexes sorted by type of giving and organization. Available for $149 from Aspen Publishers, 7201 McKinney Circle, Frederick, MD 21704; 800-638-8437.

The National Society of Fund Raising Executives will be renamed the Association of Fundraising Professionals in January 2001. The group also plans to unveil a new strategic plan that will reflect changes in the field of philanthropy, including internationalization and the increased importance of technology in fund raising.

Joyaux Associates, 10 Johnston Road, Foster, RI 02825; (401) 397-2534; e-mail: spjoyaux@aol.com.

Assistance Requested Thanks for visiting The Grants and Related Resources Home Page. This site is continuously updated and expanded, so check back soon for the latest changes. If you have any comments, notice any glaring inaccuracies, or would like to forward any relevant information concerning this Home Page, please send e-mail to: Jon Harrison

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