SHOW ME THE MONEY: Fundraising for your CIT Program demystified Suzanne Andriukaitis, M.A. LCSW Amy Watson, Ph.D.

Learning Objectives Able to list four ways to raise funds for your CIT Program Able to list the up-front planning tasks necessary for successful fund-raising Able to list the three critical organizational elements that must be in place prior to embarking on grant writing

Four ways to Raise Funds Events Non-events (Virtual events) Personal Asks Grants – Foundations, Local Community Agencies, State Grants, and Federal Grants

EVENTS Are the BEST source of raised funds because there are no commitments or deliverables attached to the funds other than carrying on the mission of the organization.

Examples of Events Golf Outings Walk-A-Thon For more ideas go to https://blog.fundly.com/fundraising-ideas/#favorites

Events require up-front planning Recruit a group of staff or volunteers to assist Make a timeline plan for what needs to be done when, and Decide who will be responsible for each task before, during and after

And be sure to thank all the volunteers and contributors after the event

Non-Events are also an EXCELLENT source of raised funds

Examples of Non-Events Online Crowd Funding for a specific purpose An Online Silent Auction Online Donation forms on your website

Non-Events also require up-front planning Recruit a group of staff or volunteers to assist Make a timeline plan for what needs to be done when, and Decide who will be responsible for each task before, during and after

And be sure to thank all the volunteers and contributors after the event

Board Members of a Not-for-Profit should be in favor of the Personal Ask plan and willing to be among the first donors

Personal Asks are usually most effective if there is a specific purpose for the raised funds Ex. Books for a library, Playground for a pre-school, etc.

Personal Ask Campaigns also require up-front planning Recruit staff, board members and/or volunteers to assist Make a timeline plan for what needs to be done when, and Decide who will be responsible for each task before, during and after Con’t

Personal Ask Campaigns also require up-front planning Develop a target list of persons to approach, including: Past donors Friends and Family Others from the Community, Business leaders, etc. Assign a specific person to approach each person on the list.

And be sure to thank all the volunteers and contributors after the event

GRANTS are the most demanding way to raise funds. Grants require deliverables – products that must be accomplished on a pre-determined timeline. Be very careful when crafting the budget for a Grant. Ensure that you can accomplish the work promised in the application for the amount of money that you are asking for. **Never promise to do $1.10+ cents worth of work for $1.00 of grant funds.

The information we are presenting applies to Foundations, Local Community Giving Agencies, County, State, and Federal granting agencies.

Three items that must be in place before you consider approaching a Grant Source: The Mission of the organization should be clearly stated in plain words – no jargon. The organization should have a track record of positive accomplishments related to the Mission, and the proposed project. The finances of the organization should be under control. That is the organization should not have an excessive amount of debt unless it is a mortgage for property.

Have a clear purpose in mind for the grant funds you are seeking. The purpose can be: A new project or program (within the Mission), or Expanding a project or a program that your organization is already doing.

Do a Need Assessment which demonstrates that the project or program you are proposing is needed in your community.

Write a Case Statement clearly articulating why your organization should be given the funding for this project or program you are proposing.

Identify the personnel you will need involved in the development of and the writing of this Grant

Develop a draft budget of the amount of funding you may need to execute this project or program. Review this budget regularly as you develop the plans for your grant.

Carefully research potential grant funding sources to be certain that: The Grantor is willing to award funding to an organization like yours Your project or program falls within the funder’s guidelines for grant giving The Grantor gives monetary awards in the amount you are seeking Take careful notice of the grant deadlines If they want an LOI (Letter of Intent) then compose the best case statement you can make about why they should fund you for the project or program you are proposing.

Read the RFP (request for proposals) several times to make absolute certain that you fit all criteria for eligibility to apply for this funding, to establish that you can meet all deadlines, and that you really understand the purpose of the RFP. Call the contact person for the Grantor to establish that your project or program truly fits their grant giving guidelines.

Look for a grant writer who has experience writing grants to this Grantor (especially true if you are attempting to submit a Federal Grant) or prepare yourself for that each page of the written grant will take you roughly 8 hours to write.

Select several persons to proofread your grant application for typos, and that what you have written makes sense. Circulate your draft to one person at a time so that you can incorporate their suggestions before you send it on to the next person.

Save your best grant proofer for the final pre-submission review of the grant. This person should also have familiarity with the RFP so that they can assure you that what you have proposed fits the parameters of the RFP.

Final suggestion Search out a researcher, likely candidates are persons who work at a University or College near you, who can advise you on the Evaluation section of your grant proposal. All grantors at all levels will want some amount of evaluation of the effectiveness of your project or program. Input from a researcher should be sought early on in your crafting of your proposal.

For additional information: Suzanne Andriukaitis Saoakpark@gmail.com Amy Watson AcWatson@gmail.com