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Stay tuned for FundJoy’s 4-week online classes in 2020! We are kicking off the year with one of my most popular courses: Grant Research & Writing 101, followed by Public Speaking Strategies for Fundraisers. If you have ever struggled with speaking about your cause, making the Ask, or just speaking in front of an audience, I can help you! I was an introverted person. Speaking in front of people did not come naturally. It is a learned and practiced skill. Honing my public speaking skills made the difference in my fundraising career. Hey, if I can do it, so can you! Click the link to let me know which topic you’re interested in. You will receive first notification!

For the first time in 50 years, individual giving is less than 70% of total giving. I didn’t want to start the newsletter with bad news, but because we are fundraisers, this information is important to us. There are a ton of webinars discussing the Giving USA 2019 Report. There are also several articles discussing the stats and what has increased/decreased, etc. I want to focus on just one aspect of the report: Individual Giving.

I have nonprofit peers who question the validity of the report. Some fundraisers don’t see the value in analyzing it. The reason for most of my fundraising success is that I study people AND trends. Well-researched statistics matter.

Image Source: https://givingusa.org/

The Giving USA Report is very detailed, so I rely on infographics. Infographics are good for consuming a lot of information in a short amount of time. This especially helps if you are a visual person. Let me show you how I use giving statistics to my advantage. The first thing I look at is the increase in charitable dollars. Right away, I see that the environment/animal initiatives saw an increase. That is not surprising to me, seeing that this has been the trend over the last few years. What was surprising is the increase in giving to international organizations: 9.6%. This is how I look for trends and what sectors are suffering. I TAKE THIS INFORMATION AND USE IT IN MY ASK MEETINGS. YOU CAN TOO!

Donors love stats that either highlight need or impact.

Use statistics to show how your cause if suffering. For example, here is a script: “In the latest Giving USA Report, it showed a decrease in giving to foundations. Because of this knowledge, my team and I have diversified our funding portfolio and are looking to build relationships with local donors. This works for us because we understand it connects our donors to our cause.”

BOOM!

Use everything you have to close the deal.

Don’t forget about my Prospect Research 101 Class, starting in September. This is one example of how I will teach you how to connect, cultivate and close! Register here.

—Kristal

MacArthur Foundation is accepting applications for its 100&Change competition. The grand prize is $100 million, with smaller prizes totaling $15 million dollars. Every year I receive emails from clients and peers asking if they should go for it. Hey, I'm an optimist, so I love the enthusiasm. If you ever thought about going after large grants, this newsletter is just for you. We will use MacArthur’s grant as an example.

1. MacArthur Foundation refers to this funding opportunity as a competition. Every time you submit a grant application, you are in a competition. The number one way to submit a competitive proposal is to make sure the funder's values and interests match your organization’s mission and vision.

2. Applicants who applied for the 100&Change grant reported it took 40+ hours to complete the grant application. I will emphasize the "+". Make sure you have the time to devote to an intense and sometimes frustrating process.

3. MacArthur encourages nonprofits with 2 or more representatives to apply. When you're tackling a project of this magnitude, you need a team.

What about local grants?

MacArthur is a grand example, but what about local grants? The same strategies apply. Submitting the grant proposal may not be as time-consuming, but check and recheck your proposal before submission. In my Grants 101 workshop, I always stress asking yourself this one question:

Does the proposed program match the goals, objectives, and priorities of the funder?

Goals: Projects generally should have only one goal. Your goal may include one of these terms: to decrease, to deliver, to develop, to establish, to improve, to increase, to produce, or to provide.
Objectives: Objectives are the specific means of measuring and achieving a goal.
Priorities: What are the funder's priorities? What are their initiatives?

Thanks for joining me on the last webinar: Prospect Research 101. I reviewed the seven steps that outline my prospect research process. If you missed it, sign up for our class: Prospect Research 101, starting September 10, 2019!

New Classes in 2020!

Donors Love Stats that Either Highlight Need or Show Impact.

40 hours to complete a grant application? Is it worth it?