Raising Funds for Digital Projects Identifying funders and writing grant proposals

Getting started Formulate ideas Develop project Identify potential funders matchmaking Prepare proposal Target the proposal Administer the grant

Getting started One thing to remember: fundraising is a profession If you are a large institution and significant fundraising is needed, then hire a professional Or you can bring in fundraising consultants Good fundraisers will always bring in much more than they will cost you

What’s the Big Idea? Identify priorities Build consensus Include all stakeholders staff, board members, volunteers, outside groups, users Which ideas are candidates for grant funding? Prioritize these candidates Who will: Identify potential funders Who will: Research and write proposal

Funders What is the goal? To develop a network of funders that match your ideas provide regular small grants periodic larger grants

Working with different funders There are different requirements involved in working with different funders Know what they are! Keep excellent records fundraising database there are specialist software packages but that is only for institutions that are likely to be making many applications Know when the application dates are likely to be

Working with different funders Government bodies likely to have very structured requirements standard forms to fill in good guidelines on web sites, etc.

Working with different funders Foundations incorporated non-profit organizations generally have policies which establish the nature and limitation of support type of program geographic region min/max funding type of organization that can receive funding most foundations have web sites nowadays that list their criteria don’t waste their time and yours with inappropriate applications

Working with different funders Applying to foundations do your homework there are thousands of foundations, but you will find the number of possible funders for YOU will narrow rapidly there are directories of foundations See for instance the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) http://www.acf.org.uk/ see also the Worldwide Universities Network http://www.wun.ac.uk/links/funding.html and www.trustfunding.org.uk (there is an annual subscription)

Working with different funders Private donors Research is similar to foundations look at newspaper and magazine articles about prospects never, never approach donors directly unless they are personally known to you find routes to them through other people successful grantees, friends, agents, volunteers

Working with different funders Corporate sponsors what is in it for them? does your project serve their mission? will your project provide them with an advertising opportunity? think Ellen MacArthur and B&Q! do they have a sponsorship department? usually part of the marketing/advertising function need to capture their imagination American Express funded the multimedia gallery of the National Gallery in the early 90s

The proposal What is it? A written presentation to another party in order to gain its acceptance

The functions of a proposal Represents a program, project, activity, or function that an organization wants to undertake in response to a need Request for the allocation of resources Instrument of persuasion Promise to the funder to do certain things in certain ways A plan that serves as guidelines for the organization to implement the activity

The proposal Specifies the need the proposed solution the result of the solution the activities to be carried out the way they will be accomplished the number and type of staff needed the management of the program the required equipment and facilities the cost the starting and completion dates

The Proposal: statement of problem/need/purpose Describes the conditions in a certain place at a certain time for a particular group of people This is often the motivator If the funder agrees with the need, you have them “hooked”

The proposal: need Clear relationship to your organization’s mission and purpose Focus on a need in a broader community, not in your organization Any assertions should be supported with evidence The need should be expressed in a ways that is consistent with your organization’s ability to respond Easy to read; no jargon

The proposal: need Use facts and statistics, not assumptions Focus the need on your community --don’t make it too broad Models if your solution can act as a model, mention this “addressing the need on a larger level through the development of a model program”

The proposal: need Focus on what you can accomplish What need YOU have a solution for Collaborative projects are attractive to some funders but make sure that all collaborations are tightly controlled legal agreements and clear agreements on finances conflict resolution one leader

The proposal: objectives Objectives/Goals/Strategies/Outcomes What will your program accomplish? Derived directly from the need statement Indicate action and a measurable result “To” statements How would the situation look if the need were satisfied?

The proposal: objectives Stated in quantifiable terms if you can’t measure it, you may need to rethink it State outcomes, not methods the result of an activity, not the activity itself Identify the population being served REALISTIC

The proposal: methodology A detailed description of the activities and services to be implemented to achieve the objectives How are you going to achieve your goals and objectives? Why did you choose these methods? research findings, experts, past experience, etc. Can include Organizational/Administrative Plan

The proposal: budget Budget translates the methodology section into cash government sources require more detail than foundations (usually) follow funder forms and guidelines

The proposal: evaluation Outputs are facts Online History Project number of items digitized number of users logged number of students who write essays based on web based materials number of teachers who use online resources

The proposal: evaluation Outputs may not tell us if our goals and objectives were met Evaluation - how did we do? Measure Outcomes has our target audience changed or improved skills, attitudes, knowledge, behavior, status, or life condition by experiencing our program

The proposal: helpful hints One writer, many contributors outline before writing Follow the funder guidelines carefully and thoroughly Do your research; get the facts right Appropriate personnel/consultants One central need -- all ideas flow from that Know what your institutional requirements are for grant applications: who signs?

The proposal: helpful hints Be compelling, but don’t overstate Outside person to edit Outside person to review budget Be thorough Clear, concise Easy to read Confident tone

The proposal: helpful hints Do your research into the latest digitization trends, activities Be aware of related digitization projects Show how increased access or better preservation can effect the audience(s) And remember that a good proposal doesn’t automatically result in obtaining a grant

The Proposal: Helpful Hints Clarity logical, easy to follow Completeness including all items specified Internal consistency parts consistent with each other External consistency recognize accepted ideas of field

Administering a grant project This is a lot of work ensure that sufficient resource is allocated Reporting, reporting, reporting know all necessary deadlines! Managing a project and seeing it through to completion and making sure that you do what you told the funders you would do

Know your funders, involve your funders Different funders need different tracking and reporting mechanisms Make sure you ALWAYS know when deadlines are for reporting Allow plenty of time to get financial reports prepared: there is often a significant time lag in processing transactions through systems If there is going to be a problem, tell them in advance. Don’t just miss a deadline!

Closure Very important to know when you have finished a project, a grant, or a phase of a project Staff need to be rewarded for a good job done Funders need to be thanked So throw a party! Launch your project! There’s a time to have fun and let your hair down

What’s the Big Idea? What’s Your Big Idea? Let’s come up with a Big Idea for a project Identify potential funders Scope the project