Resource for Nonprofits in the Seattle, WA area
The University of Washington has a surplus warehouse from which they sell surplus university supplies, furniture, furnishings, equipment and other items. Nonprofit organizations are allowed to visit the warehouse to make purchases daily from 12:30 to 3:30. Property purchased by a non-profit organization MUST be for the expressed use of the organization and is designated not for resale. This can be a great way to bootstrap your nonprofit startup. Click here for more information.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Just Applying for a Grant Can Improve Your Fundraising
This recent blog posting by Arlene Spencer, “How Grant Writing Helps Get a Nonprofit into a Position to Increase and Improve all of its Fundraising” brought out some great points. Primarily, the process of preparing to and actually writing a grant funding application by helping the organization understand what donors hope to achieve by funding the organization, what the organization can offer to its funders, and whether the organizations reporting, operations and goals are aligned. Read the complete posting here.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Nonprofit Resource – Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA)
Founded in 1971 as the Association of Voluntary Action Scholars, the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) is a neutral, open forum committed to strengthening the research community in the emerging field of nonprofit and philanthropic studies. ARNOVA brings together both theoretical and applied interests, helping scholars gain insight into the day-to-day concerns of third-sector organizations, while providing nonprofit professionals with research they can use to improve the quality of life for citizens and communities. Principal activities include an annual conference, publications, electronic discussions and special interest groups.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Current Trends in Nonprofit Financial Management
I read this article recently, “Three Significant Trends in Nonprofit Financial Management.” The author, Dawn King, focuses on three trends currently occurring in the nonprofit sphere:
- Accountability – Nonprofits are being asked to be accountable for the financial management of an organization to local, state and federal authorities. Across the nation, new laws are taking effect as a reaction to unethical practices both in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.
- Public Donations are Down – In the current economic climate, previous donors are tending to make smaller donations and new donors are harder to find. Fewer donations can lead to a cut in programs and services, which makes the organization less attractive to new donors.
- Grand Funding is Down – Federal and state money has been directed to more economy-boosting programs and many private foundations have seen their endowments shrink as investments have underperformed, so they have fewer funds to grant.
What does this mean to existing nonprofit organizations and people starting a nonprofit? It means that you must take stock of your financial management policies, procedures and overall performance. Make sure you have the correct record-keeping in place and that you are complying with all the new regulations and reporting requirements. Ensure that your donors are kept informed as to your organizations financial status. It is vital now, more than ever, that nonprofit organizations practice sound financial management and remain accountable for how their funds are spent.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Pro-Bono Architectural Services for Washington D.C. Area Nonprofits
Community Design Services (CDS) was founded in 1991 and provides local nonprofits with pro bono (that is, free) design services if they can not otherwise afford these services. CDS helps both mature and emerging groups meet housing, accessibility, healthcare, education, homeless services, and community development needs at the neighborhood level. Working directly with client organizations, CDS volunteers prepare preliminary designs and offer technical assistance, including cost estimates, zoning analysis, programming, and presentation drawings. You can find out more information from their website and get an application for assistance here.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
CAN-SPAM Requirements are Common Sense for Email Policies
The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, however, the main requirements are just good policy for email use by any organization, nonprofit or otherwise.
- Use true and clear header information — Your “From,” “To,” “Reply-To,” and routing information must acccurately identify the person or business who sent the message.
- Use true and clear subject lines — If the message is about requesting donations, don’t have the subject line say construction update.
- Identify the message as an ad — If you are sending true advertising (or some portion of the message is a paid ad), identify it as an ad.
- Tell recipients where you are located — Include a valid physical mailing address.
- Tell recipients how to opt out — Include a clear and conspicuous explanation of how to opt out of getting emails from you in the future. This should be either email or internet based.
- Honor opt-out requests promptly — You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days of the request being made.
- Monitor what others are doing on your behalf — If you use a third party to manage your mailing list, check up on them and make sure they are following your policies.
While the CAN-SPAM Act technically only applies to messages with a primary purpose of commercial advertisemetn or promotion of a commercial product or service, these guidelines are common sense ways to have good etiquette when communicating with your donors, volunteers, or client base by email.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
It’s not Meeting a Prospective Donor, it’s the Follow-up
Recently, we attended an event by a relatively new nonprofit organization. At this event you could adopt pets that the organization cares for in foster homes, make a direct donation, or get on their mailing list. I talked to one of the co-founders for several minutes about their organiation, their mission, and their needs (currently they need more foster homes). I even put my contact information on their sign-in sheet. It’s now been over two weeks, and I haven’t heard a peep from them. Not an eMail, not a phone call, not anything.
It turns out that all the effort they put into arranging their event, the time they spent talking to people who attended, was basically for naught because of their lack of follow-up. At this point, I’m highly disinclined to donate either time or money to their organization because they gave me the impression that they are poorly run and disorganized — not the place I want to send my donations!
The moral of this story is to say, that while it is important to generate interest for your nonprofit organization, it is even more important to follow-up with the people you meet and follow through on any commitments you give.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Previous Grantees Only Need Apply
One trend that is becoming more noticeable in the grant arena is the limitation of grants to current and former recipients, as in the case of the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation Announces Oral Health Request for Proposals which is limited to current and former recipients. Sometimes grantmakers do this to reduce the work required to screen potential grantees, and sometimes it is a way to work around having limited funding for the current year.
If you run across one of these grants that your organization sounds perfect for, but you don’t qualify based on the recipient status, contact them anyway to find out why they have the limitation and when they may be making new grants. You could also partner with a previous recipient to apply for a grant for a specific project. Just because there is a restriction, doesn’t mean you should ignore the opportunity!
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
A One-Stop Landing Page for Nonprofits Organizations
I saw an advertisement for the Foundation IX grants for girl’s sports in Minnesota and was interested in their mission, so I clicked through to their landing page. Interestingly, it not only had the information to apply for the grants, but as you scroll down the page, it also had numerous ways that you could donate to their cause. They included an instant, donate now, button for online donations and all the information for mail-in donations and major sponsorships. Smart!
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
Responsible Sports Community Grants for Youth Sports
Could your youth sports nonprofit organization use a $2,500 grant? Are you committed to the principles of responsible sports? Then the Liberty Mutual Reponsible Sports community grants are for you.
To be eligible for the program, league administrators must first register their youth sports organization at the Responsible Sports Web site. Then, coaches, parents, administrators, and youth sports supporters can participate in the Responsible Sports parenting and/or responsible coaching coursework. Visit their website to register.
Starting a Nonprofit? Start Here. Go Far. LaunchX.com
