Development investment strategies that match your organizational philosophy. Disclose your investment philosophy and strategy in your financial statements. Ensure that asset statements and investment portfolios are sent directly to the investment committee and your board, not directly to management.

Be suspicious of investments that sound too good to be true. Beware of managers making risky investments when your operations are falling short of budgets or goals. Ask your auditors to review internal accounting, financial controls and your investment management techniques, as well as the bottome line.

[Source: "Instant Fund Raising: A Baker's Dozen," Fund Raising Management, July 1996, Hoke Communications, (516) 746-6700.]

Holiday fund-raisers should be closely tied to your mission and aimed at donors of moderate means. They also should be creative:

• The Starlight Foundation of Los Angeles, which entertains sick children, raised $500,000 over five years through donation agreements with holiday-product manufacturers. Companies tout their connection with the charity in order to boost sales. Vaillancourt Folk Art, for example, donates $2 to $5 from each sale of its $100 "Starlight Father Christmas". For more information, contact Jamie Neal, Associate Development Director, Starlight Foundation International, 12424 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1050, Los Angeles, CA 90025; (310) 207-5558, ext. 103.

• Boston's Community Servings, which delivers meals to AIDS patients, raised $74,000 with a Thanksgiving pie sale. 7,000 pies were made by 120 local restaurants. Volunteers and e-mail were used to sell the $20 pies. The not-for-profit paid only for pie tins. For more information, contact David B. Waters, Director of Development and Marketing, Community Servings, 125 Magazine St., Boston, MA 02119; (617) 445-7777.

Before calling a reporter about an event, ask yourself:

• Does anybody care?
• Will anyone want to talk about it?
• Is there a trend associated with it?
• Is there a local angle?
• Is there a well-known person or organization associated with it?
• Are many people affected by it?
• How will it affect the economy?
• Is there anything unusual about the story, or does it have any conflict or drama?

All donors have a right to:

• be informed of the organization's mission; of the way the organization intends to use donated resources; and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
• be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
• have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
• be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
• receive appropriate appreciation and recognition.
• be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
• expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
• be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
• have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
• feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful, and forthright answers.

• use e-mail to make contacts
• recruit young people as volunteers to build loyalty
• broadcast on the radio -- a favored GenX medium

[Source: "Overlooked Prospects Becoming New Development Gold Mine," Nonprofit Board Report, July 1996. Published by Progressive Business Publications, 370 Technology Drive, Malvern, PA 19355; (800) 220-5000; and "Generation EleX," David Kurtz, The Lafayette Times, July 12, 1995, and "The GenX Philosophy", Dierdre R. Schwiesow, USA Today, July 26, 1995; Reported in Philanthropy Trends That Count, Vol. 3, Issue 4, December 1995; (800) 655-5597.]

To prevent fraud and abuse, the IRS now requires not-for-profit groups to mail a copy of its Form 990 to anyone who requests it. If you don't, you could pay up to $10,000 in fines. New IRS rules also mean stiffer penalties if you don't file a complete and accurate Form 990.

[Source: Client Information Bulletin, Monti, CPA, 387 Charles St., Providence, RI 02904-2249; (401) 521-1080.]

How do programs spend their money? 85.7% goes to operating expenses. 5.3% is spent on construction and capital improvements. 9% is used for other expenses.

[Source: Nonprofit Almanac 1996-1997: Dimensions of the Independent Sector, $24.95 plus $5 shipping from Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA 94104; (800) 956-7739 or (415) 433-1767. Reported by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, October 3, 1996.]

Looking for federal funding? Tap into online publications. Grant announcements, program descriptions, agency contacts, and more are included.

• The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, http://www.gsa.gov/fdac/, a massive database of all money and assistance given by the federal government.

• Commerce Business Daily, http://www.govcon.com/", which lists contract and grant opportunities from federal agencies.

• The Federal Register, http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs, provides a daily record of all grant announcements, rules, regulations and grant-making activities by federal agencies.

• The Library of Congress (THOMAS), http://thomas.loc.gov, includes a searchable, full-text version of the Congressional Record, the daily record of all activity taking place in the U.S. Congress.

Youth Issues, Youth Voices: A Guide for Engaging Youth and Adults in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving. Study circle guide to help young people express their views on issues like racial conflict, violence, health, responsible dating relationships and substance abuse. A compact version, The Busy Citizen's Discussion Guide: Youth Issues, Youth Voices is also available. The comprehensive guide is $5; the compact version $1; add $2 shipping and handling on your total order. Available from the Study Circles Resource Center, P. O. Box 203, Pomfret, CT 06258; (860) 928-2616.

What is Fund Development? Descriptions of tasks ... skills and knowledge needed ... salaries ... failures ... and hints for success. Excerpted from "Giving RI : 1992 Charitable Giving in RI". $10 prepaid. Joyaux Associates, 10 Johnson Road, Foster, RI 02825; (401) 397-2534; fax (401) 397-6793.

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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Ownership Statement Jon Harrison : Page Editor Foundation Center Cooperating Collection Supervisor Social Sciences and Humanities Reference Michigan State University Libraries 100 Library E. Lansing, MI 48824-1048 http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/ (URL) harris23@pilot.msu.edu (e-mail) (517) 355-6669 (voice mail) (517) 432-1191 (fax) Last revised 04/07/97

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