It's almost Halloween, a holiday I don't quite understand. Kids dress up in silly costumes and go house-to-house begging for candy by screaming, "trick or treat." I'm not sure what the trick part is, but the treat is whatever candy I haven't eaten yet (which is why I buy the good stuff).
What exactly does this have to do with fundraising? Well, let's think about it from the donor's perspective.
1. Do donors know who you really are or are they just seeing a costume?
While you may think it is a good idea to hide things from donors, particularly the bad stuff, they will eventually see through the mask. It is better to be honest about your situation and communicate with integrity, even if it means letting people know you have made a mistake or are facing a challenge. Just make sure you have solutions in place to show you are responsible and capable of handling a difficult situation.
2. Are you giving them treats throughout the year or just tricking them by only asking for money?
Do you ever get a letter from an organization and just throw it out because you know they are just asking for money? Is that really how you want your donors to react when you send them something- either by mail or email? Spreading out your asks throughout the year makes it more likely your donors will open correspondence and feel appreciated and involved in your cause.
3. Are they scared to approach your organization?
Do you make it easy for your donors to reach you? Do you ask for their comments, suggestions or ideas? Do you return calls and emails promptly? Step back and take a look into your organization. What do donors experience? Is the phone system a maze to navigate? Do you direct people to a generic email address that is not checked often (if at all)? Do you make people guess who they need to talk to, or worse, pass them off to the next person to handle? Put yourself in your donor's shoes and walk a mile or two. How does it feel?
4. Are you giving them the good candy?
Meaning, are you providing the highest quality of service to your donors, or are you doing the minimum amount necessary to make sure they give again? If you truly show appreciation for your donors, they will feel the gratitude and tell others about your work. Trust me, nothing spreads faster around the neighborhood than a house handing out the good stuff.
5. Are they (and you) having fun?
Donors can sense whether or not your, as a fundraiser, have passion for your cause. They can tell the authenticity of your actions. They can tell if you enjoy your job and love your life. Most of all, they want to be a part of an organization that is working hard to make a difference while having fun in the process. Isn't that what Halloween is all about?
So, if you were to ask your donors "trick or treat," what would they say?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Tips from a grant review panelist
Good afternoon everyone.
I wanted to share a recent experience I had as a panelist/grant reviewer for the Arts Build Communities grants funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered by the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville.
Here are some observations and frustrations from that day. We reviewed 29 grants. Organization representatives had a chance to answer our questions before we scored the grants.
1. Make sure the grant is a good fit for your organization and the project for which you seek funding. The goal of this grant was to promote the arts to the community. That doesn't necessarily mean the community-at-large, but the community your mission serves.
2. Make sure your project matches your mission. One of the strangest grant applications was for a non-arts group asking for funds to produce a video about the history of their building. Nothing in the project touched on their mission or reached out to their community. It didn't even promote the arts in any way, shape or form.
3. If the grant application includes evaluation criteria, make sure to address each criteria thoroughly and clearly. The criteria for scoring was very straightforward for this grant. It included arts advocacy, evaluation methods, marketing and promotions and budgeting. The stronger these points, the stronger the grant application.
4. Be prepared to answer questions about your budget, especially if there is a deficit. You should be familiar with the project and organizational budget and be ready to defend each expense and explain each revenue source. Things have to make sense. Saying you are going to spend $3000 on two local bands when the previous group is going to spend $1500 on three local bands makes me wonder if you are able to carry out the project or spend the grant money wisely.
5. Pump up your evaluation process. Out of 29 grant applications, there were only 2 or 3 organizations that had strong evaluation methods. Most groups mentioned the basics- attendance, ticket sales, staff comments. What about feedback from participants, sponsors, guests, board and vendors? More importantly, discuss how you are going to use that feedback to make the project better.
6. Lastly, have someone who knows very little about your organization and/or project read the grant proposal. Never assume the grant reviewers know anything about you, your community, your issues and your challenges. And make sure you check the grant for grammer.
I hope these tips help you as you write your next grant.
Happy grant writing!
Kristina
I wanted to share a recent experience I had as a panelist/grant reviewer for the Arts Build Communities grants funded by the Tennessee Arts Commission and administered by the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville.
Here are some observations and frustrations from that day. We reviewed 29 grants. Organization representatives had a chance to answer our questions before we scored the grants.
1. Make sure the grant is a good fit for your organization and the project for which you seek funding. The goal of this grant was to promote the arts to the community. That doesn't necessarily mean the community-at-large, but the community your mission serves.
2. Make sure your project matches your mission. One of the strangest grant applications was for a non-arts group asking for funds to produce a video about the history of their building. Nothing in the project touched on their mission or reached out to their community. It didn't even promote the arts in any way, shape or form.
3. If the grant application includes evaluation criteria, make sure to address each criteria thoroughly and clearly. The criteria for scoring was very straightforward for this grant. It included arts advocacy, evaluation methods, marketing and promotions and budgeting. The stronger these points, the stronger the grant application.
4. Be prepared to answer questions about your budget, especially if there is a deficit. You should be familiar with the project and organizational budget and be ready to defend each expense and explain each revenue source. Things have to make sense. Saying you are going to spend $3000 on two local bands when the previous group is going to spend $1500 on three local bands makes me wonder if you are able to carry out the project or spend the grant money wisely.
5. Pump up your evaluation process. Out of 29 grant applications, there were only 2 or 3 organizations that had strong evaluation methods. Most groups mentioned the basics- attendance, ticket sales, staff comments. What about feedback from participants, sponsors, guests, board and vendors? More importantly, discuss how you are going to use that feedback to make the project better.
6. Lastly, have someone who knows very little about your organization and/or project read the grant proposal. Never assume the grant reviewers know anything about you, your community, your issues and your challenges. And make sure you check the grant for grammer.
I hope these tips help you as you write your next grant.
Happy grant writing!
Kristina
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