Resources for Fundraisers
Once a week we will post fundraising bits and pieces called PHILANTHROPY COUNTS. We introduce Case Statements we think are impressive, and other ideas that will capture your attention. To subscribe to our weekly emails, send us your contact information. Enjoy! Click here to email us >>
June 19, 2013
The Founding Fathers Write a Grant Proposal - PDF
This article is reprinted with permission from Blue Avocado, a practical and readable online magazine for nonprofits. Subscribe free by contacting the Blue Avocado editor or visiting www.blueavocado.org. / Read this article online at Blue Avocado.
The Founding Fathers have a serious problem. You will be able to identify with it.
Samuel Adams tells Jefferson, “We’ll never get funded. Your Declaration of Independence is way too long.” In the meantime, George Washington is working on a budget for the proposal. John Hancock talks about a list of foundations to approach.
This is a wonderful spoof of how our founding fathers might have written a proposal for a grant. I wish I had written the piece.
The way you write a grant proposal will never be the same again. Read Here (PDF) >>
Previous Articles
Positive Thinking - Ideas in 13 Seconds- PDF
I recently came across some material on Positive Thinking. Sadly, I don’t know the source. But here’s what I’ve done. I did a good bit of editing, transformed the piece into a workable instrument, and then gave it a grading system.
You can now take this as a test to evaluate your own attitude and level of positive thinking. If you score 180 to 200— you are a wonderfully stable and positive person.
Let me hear from you. Was the test a valid assessment? Did I miss anything? And . . . I’d love to know your score.
Click here to email us >>
What's Important When Writing a Case Statement - PDF
Comments from the Desk of a Case Statement Writer
Someone asked Victor Hugo what pleasure he took in writing, for hours and hours at a time.
“Pleasure?” he said. “I don’t understand the question. I don’t take pleasure in it. I do it for the pain!”
Mary Moos is one of the senior writers in the firm. I asked her to describe what it’s like to sit down in front of a blank piece of paper or opening her computer to write a case statement. Read her comments >>
Weekly Ideas in 23 Seconds - Donor Cultivaton - PDF
Doug Higgins is the effective Campaign Director at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, Washington. He was a very successful campaign director on our staff for a number of years. (We lose them. And often, thankfully, they come back!)
Recently, he sent me a piece called the Donor Cultivation— The Giving Path. It’s an excellent presentation of the 6-Is you have perhaps seen in the past. Yes, yes . . . I know. Doug only lists five. Download it here as a PDF.
I like including Intervention— the organization’s regular and structured intervention in the probable donor’s life. I call it getting in their way on a regular basis.
Make Them Feel - PDF
Three specific characteristics to have in your tool chest
Mark Stuart is one of the brightest and most effective I’ve worked with. He is President of the Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego. He sent me a quote the other day that is one of the most thought-provoking and memorable I have ever read. But first let me give you some background. Read the rest of the story.>>
BTW, Mark has the quote as a plaque in his office. I'm having a plaque prepard for my wall!
Here's Everything You Wanted to Know About Case Statements—
But Couldn't Find Before in One Place - PDF
“A devotion to the mission of your Institution leads to commitment and dedication. And that leads to dollars. You can count on it! There is no other factor as important. Nothing else even comes close.”
—From the Section: Your Vision
Our firm prepares nearly one hundred case statements a year. Perhaps fewer than that— but not by much. And we’ve been doing that year after year.
By now, we know a great deal about what constitutes an effective statement. One with meaning, power, and dramatic impact. You would expect that. It’s our business. Read Jerry's thoughts on cases >>
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