Foundations: Program Officers and the Funding Process

Reading an excerpt from the Nonprofit Management 101: A Complete and Practical Guide for Leaders and Professionals, edited by Darian Rodriquez Heyman, ed., published as a Top Ten Fundraising Tips list by guidestar.org helped me realize how daunting starting the conversation with a Program Officer can when you're about to apply for grant funding. In item number two of the Top Ten List, "How to Increase Your Chances of Getting a Grant (Never Apply for a Grant without Contacting the Foundation First)", has some helpful tips. However, it takes more than a phone call to a foundation program officer to learn about the the program officer's role.

The point about taking initiative to call a funder is well-taken. Calling a funder is a wonderful way to get a conversation going. In my experience, program officers don't always decide how funding is allocated. I think it is more accurate to say that they are in a position to influence decisions about how funding is made. They do though serve as the liaison between the foundation and the applicant nonprofit facilitating communication and compliance during the application process and later once the award is made (or not).

My recent experiences with program officers at larger and smaller foundations are that they are willing to provide some coaching through a process for organizations with a great concept and less experience in creating proposals. On occasion, these program officers are willing to read drafts of an application. More often than not, I'm finding program officers who are available by phone or email rather than in person. You also want to attend pre-proposal conferences or workshops offered by a funder even if the sessions are advertised as not being required. Those sessions - as it proved for me recently - may be a perfect opportunity to get better acquainted with the funder's application process, the program officer, and what projects for which other organizations may be requesting funding. Happy Applying!

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Social Media and Grantwriting - WVDO Third Thursday Presentation

Social media and grantwriting are terms that you don't hear often used together. As demonstrated in this presentation I created for WVDO's Third Thursday series, more grantmakers - especially the larger foundations - are regularly utilizing platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. to share their messages about the causes they support and their grantmaking practices. The presentation is available at http://www.wvdo-or.org and click under program and then past program summaries.

For experienced and novice grant professionals alike, you still have to perform due diligence through traditional means such as examining a funder's Form 990s or visitng a funder website to learn about guidelines and grantmaking.

This presentation provided an overview and examined the social media presence of a number of funders. I've begun work on a Part II presentation that will drill down on more technical elements of mining the data and employing social media to build relationships with funders.

PND - Off the Shelf - The Power of Legacy and Planned Gifts: How Nonprofits and Donors Work Together to Change the World

PND - Off the Shelf - The Power of Legacy and Planned Gifts: How Nonprofits and Donors Work Together to Change the World

Kevin Johnson of Retriever Development Counsel recently published an indispensable book. Follow the link to read the review I wrote for PND Off the Shelf. Philanthropy News Digest (PND) is a service of The Foundation Center.

PND - News - Foundation Giving Declined by Record 8.4 Percent in 2009, Study Finds

PND - News - Foundation Giving Declined by Record 8.4 Percent in 2009, Study Finds

While one never wants to see giving decline, it's a relief that 2009 foundation giving only decreased 8 percent. The 8 percent is a striking contrast with the 17 percent declined noted in 2008. I'll be sharing more insights about this report and other fundraising trends as one of three panelists presenting Grantwriting Know How and Resources for Tough Economic Times on Thurs. May 20 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the upcoming Willamette Valley Development Officers Regional Conference happening on May 20-21, 2010 at the DoubleTree Lloyd Center. Visit http://www.wvdo2010.0rg/ for more information and to register!

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PND - News - Value of Volunteer Time Up 60 Cents in 2009

PND - News - Value of Volunteer Time Up 60 Cents in 2009

This news took me somewhat by surprise. Volunteer time is now valued at $20.85 per hour in 2009. That value is a $.60 increase from the previous year. While I value volunteers tremendously, I do have to wonder about compensation levels for paid staff working at nonprofits. What type of message are organizations sending to paid employees by valuing volunteer time at such a high level?

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Why you (yes, you) should care about economics!

Too often, we focus exclusively on giving trends – who is giving how much – to the exclusion of greater economic trends. Pacific Continental Bank’s Nonprofit Economic Breakfast Forum provided a premium opportunity for John Mitchell, Dave Westcott, and Gary McGee to help us understand how various facets of the greater economy and continuing recovery could and will impact giving. My thanks to Dan Hempy, Lisa Faust, and the team at Pacific Continental Bank for convening such a great panel and making this event possible!

This morning’s meeting was in the words of Pacific Continental Bank’s CEO Dan Hempy – “the brainchild of Lisa Faust.” Brainchild is a very apt description. The event brought together CEOs, fiscal managers, executive directors, and other professionals like me to hear three of the area’s most recognized leaders in nonprofit finance to share with us their assessments of how the current recession is affecting nonprofits and insights about how the recovery looks for the sector.

Gary McGee (McGee & Co.) mentioned that according to his research 10 – 12% of nonprofits will come close on breaking even in the current fiscal year. He said that in places like Texas government is contracting with for profit entities to provide services such as housing and other services traditionally seen as the exclusive domain of nonprofits. He didn’t provide local examples. He cited the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act - http://ow.ly/1sL7D – as an important milestone in the fiscal management of nonprofits. He shared that corporate giving now seems to include a greater mix of in-kind contributions and that institutional funders (my words) were less likely to fund administrative, operational, or fundraising costs.

Dave Westcott (The Oregon Community Foundation) described how OCF has managed in the face of the changed economy and described his experience with giving in that same context. Dave said that giving has increased to large organizations and suggested that the increase may correlate with smaller organizations cutting development staff and in some cases entire departments. He mentioned that Oregon ranks second highest in giving in the west. (Follow this link to see information on OCF’s 2009 survey http://ow.ly/1sL6M. Dave observed that, “Operations funding will remain an issue with us in the face of growing need.” He shared his belief that “baby boomers” are the largest, wealthiest demographic ever and offer an opportunity to develop deferred giving programs. Dave encouraged nonprofit leadership to build and diversify revenue by focusing on filling the pipeline for gifts; to work with banks, trusts, community foundations, and other entities to develop these opportunities; and to establish a planned giving committee. He reminded the audience that the next Community Grants deadline is August 1. For more information, visit http://www.oregoncf.org/receive/grants/grant-opportunities

John Mitchell (M & H Economic Consultants) provided a presentation packed with all types of statistics and insights. Here are the highlights and to me the most significant; “looming demographic change and new medical system launched – payroll taxes to investment income for high income persons." John offered the following article, “Taxes Cause Wealth Drain On States” http://ow.ly/1sL1k published in the Wall Street Journal as an example of how changes in taxes can impact charitable giving. His points to ponder included, “Where do new jobs come from? (Jobs, Gates, Vollum, Packard, Knight, Ford, etc.)” and “The Shape of the Upturn? – V, W, L, NIKE (Swoosh). I especially liked his illustration of the NIKE recovery being one that follows the shape of the swoosh: middle then down and then a steady upward trajectory. The list for new jobs sounded like a list of foundations to me, but I didn’t have a chance to clarify the intent of the list. If the intent is to list foundations supporting innovation and entrepreneurism, I’d like to see the Ewing and Marion Kauffman Foundation listed there too. John did mention innovation as being an inspiration for new jobs, so perhaps Kauffman is a fit here. He cited as long term considerations “The Great Recession’s Legacies i.e., regulatory demands and a decline in giving, “Response of High Net Worth/New Income Households Respond to Tax Changes – New Jersey as a Model (See previous link. Notice a theme here?), and “Unfunded Entitlements Coming Home to Roost – Generational Conflict? Competition for You!”

The Forum ended with our three speakers convened as a panel and entertaining questions from the audience. Let me put my Fundraising Savvy to work in developing a new grantwriting or sponsorship program or re-energizing and refining an existing program so that your organization can realize its funding potential.

Nancy Lublin's letter - "We Really Need to Talk."

In this column, Nancy Lublin sends "an open letter from Nancy Lublin to her powerful "friends" at foundations." The letter reads mostly tongue-in-cheek and makes some valid points including asking funders to "stop hating on overhead." I think Ms. Lublin missed an incredible opportunity to address another important issue: measuring the success of a program. Is it possible to have a uniform measure of success like having a uniform grant application?

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/142/do-something-we-really-need-to-talk.html

PND - News - Many Small and Mid-Sized Foundations Plan to Cut Grantmaking This Year, Survey Finds

PND - News - Many Small and Mid-Sized Foundations Plan to Cut Grantmaking This Year, Survey Finds

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Without knowing the size of the sampling, the geographic location of the respondents, or the methodology of the survey, how do we correlate the results to our work as grantwriters in different geographic regions or areas of grantmaking? I think it would also be helpful to understand the size of the organizations being funded by these grantmakers and the size of the grants being awarded.

I have requested the executive summary of the survey from the Association of Small Foundations and will post an update on my questions once it is available.

@anywhere - Where Twitter is at . . .

Have you heard about Twitter's latest interface? Visit http://blog.twitter.com/2010/03/anywhere.html to find out more! How can you use Twitter's latest platform to boost your productivity, web traffic, and online contributions?

Washington Children's Hospital to Receive $150-Million From United Arab Emirates

Here's a link to an article I commented on Wednesday, 9/16/09:



http://philanthropy.com/news/updates/9515/washingon-childrens-hospital-to-receive-150-million-from-united-arab-emirates



(My comment is No. 3 after the end of the article. )



Washington Children's Hospital to Receive $150-Million From United Arab Emirates
By Holly Hall


The Children’s National Medical Center, in Washington, plans to announce Wednesday that it has received $150-million from the United Arab Emirates.


The donation, one of the biggest a charity in the United States has received from a foreign source, comes at a time when most wealthy American donors are pulling back. Only two other gifts of $100-million or more have been made so far this year, compared with 21 gifts of that size last year. Such sluggish giving is a key reason why a growing number of American charities are seeking money overseas.

July 23, 2009 Kent Dove - A Blueprint for Fundraising Success in Any Economy

I joined an audience of AFP members and non-members for Kent Dove's recent webinar, "A Blueprint for Fundraising Success in Any Economy: Creating a Sustainable, Comprehensive
Development Model." Dove offers an amazing array of insights based on many years of successful higher education fundraising. Here are a few nuggets of knowledge for you to integrate into your planning:

1. Focus on assessing the needs, choosing the right methods for raising funds, and the best process for evaluating effectiveness


2. Volunteers are integral to a successful program. When engaging volunteers in fundraising, dedicate adequate resources and guidance to help them be successful.


3. Focus your annual fund development on acquiring new donors, getting donors to repeat, and upgrading current donors.


4. Above all, keep stewardship top of mind when creating your strategy.

While I found great value and nuggets in the presentation, I felt it would have been helpful to have more acknowledgement of the current recession and suggestions for countering its effects.


Dove's authored many books including, Conducting a Successful Fundraising Program, which has proven useful to me in working with organizations and budgets of all sizes. The book has a place of honor in my office. This book is included on the reading list for the CFRE exam.


I'm not suggesting, "Fundraising by the Book," but rather to utilize the best tools to develop a comprehensive strategy that will help your organization reach its potential.

Meeting Leslie Crutchfield, co-author of Forces for Good

Yesterday, I had the good fortune to meet Leslie Crutchfield, one of the authors of Forces for Good (http://www.forcesforgood.net/) at the Willamette Valley Development Officers (http://www.wvdo-or.org/ ) luncheon.

Named by The Economist as one of the top ten business books of the year, the book includes in depth case studies of what makes a successful nonprofit. From my reading of the book and Ms. Crutchfield's presentation, the insights really focus on leveraging resources and opportunities that create momentum and evangelists. The six practices reflect these ideas and also the significance of being able to think in a culture of abundance. What comes to mind is working together with other organizations to build more opportunities. The book's last chapter - Putting It into Practice - nicely summarizes what it will take to make the leap to different thinking. In the "Becoming a Force for Good" section, Exhibit 9.8 The New Nonprofit Paradigm helping the reader see how practices of High-Impact Nonprofits look when compared to previous practices.

I suggested to Ms. Crutchfield during the talk that foundations are influencers distinct from government individuals, non-governmental organizations, and businesses and be introduced into an illustration that I'm referring to as "Connecting the Dots." The diagram showed the interconnectedness of the primary influencers in shaping the six practices. I offered the suggestion since many foundations are working together on global health, public school education, and healthcare coverage initiatives - just to name a few. In that respect, they represent nonprofit networks working beyond themselves for the same change or cause. By doing so, they help operating nonprofits establish similar networks. She asked me to be in touch to share more information on some of these initiatives.

AFP International Conference 2008

Here's a few thoughts from your favorite Adept Diva. My goal as a consultant and colleague is to bring fundraising savvy with a focus on know how now and for the future. Not the typical rhetoric, but actual road-tested knowledge and expert skills is what I want to share with you. Watch this blog for regular updates on the conference! Adept Diva Consulting's web-presence is here at last!

Sunday, 3/30/08 - Opening Night Reception
It was wonderful to see such a great turnout for the Opening Night Reception. I enjoyed chatting with James Phelps (Development Director for ACLU of Oregon & Chapter Diversity Chair). Later in the reception, the conversation grew to include Aaron Pearlman (Portland State University & AFP Oregon & SW Washington Chapter President), Kim McNamer (Oregon Zoo Foundation Major Gifts Manager & Chapter VP Professional Development), and Katy Hostettler (Providence Foundation Major Gifts Officer & Chapter President Elect). Eventually, Teresa Domka (ACLU of Oregon) joined in the conversation as well. Visit http://www.afporegon.org/ for more information about the AFP's Oregon & Southwest Washington Chapter.
As the photos show, San Diego isn't always warm and sunny, but the people are!

Sunday, 3/30/08 - Kevin Carroll

What's your red rubber ball? I'll bet reading this website or hearing Kevin ask this question in person might be the first time it was asked of you. When posing this question, Kevin is really encouraging you to think about what gets you excited. What makes you feel as if you're having an impact? His presentation was creative and engaging. While I didn't hear all of the talk, I did get to see him throw many a red rubber ball into the seemingly endless audience of competent, committed, and caring fundraisers. His remarks helped me focus on how important it is to see a culture of abundance and opportunity. There are plenty of resources and opportunities awaiting your cause. His presentation with its focus on youth and sports underscored the importance of cultivating a willingness to learn as you did when you were a child. Look for opportunities to be creative . . . To inspire . . . As Kevin would say, "what's your red rubber ball?" To learn more, visit the official website of Kevin Carroll Katalyst, author, speaker, and agent for social change at http://www.katalystatlarge.com/

Saturday, 3/29/08 - Management School

Saturday's Management School led by Bernard Ross, director of The Management Center proved a welcome departure from the usual staid education sessions. His presentation offered a lot of humor including much waxing poetic about opera, the differences between Scotland, England, Canada, and the US, and other topics. In terms of management school content, Bernard focused on four management concepts/tools - Dashboard Data, Boston Matrix, Ansoff's Matrix, and Emotional Intelligence. Through many exercises including using our hands to approximate the size of a box, he engaged us at creatively and challenged us to be more succinct and visual in our presentation of data. With so many fundraising executives and funders mistaking outputs for actual outcomes, it is a challenge to stay focused on the data that matters.

Bernard also helped us assess our Emotional Intelligence in management. According to wikipedia, Daniel Goleman's EI model outlines four main EI constructs:

1. Self-awareness - the ability to read one's emotions and recognize their impact while using gut feelings to guide decisions.


2. Self-management - involves controlling one's emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.


3. Social awareness - the ability to sense, understand, and react to other's emotions while comprehending social networks.


4. Relationship management - the ability to inspire, influence, and develop others while managing conflict.

Overall, Bernard Ross's "Management School" presentation provided a lot of useful tools for me to use in my work as a consultant and volunteer. For more about Bernard Ross, visit http://www.managementcentre.co.uk/

Look here tomorrow and beyond for a more thoughts on fundraising savvy, AFP sessions, and San Diego! Thanks for visiting! The Adept Fundraising Diva