How to Request a Grant or Get a Renewal for Your
Organization
Once you have found a grant that your organization may be
eligible for, the next step is to write a grant proposal.
If you think this sounds simple then you need to look into
it more carefully, because many grant applications fail due
to a poor or incomplete proposal. All the rules that apply
to your grant proposal must be strictly adhered to. They
are there for a reason that, while it may not be apparent
to the applicant, is certainly needed for some specific
reason. So if you are meant to email it in, don't fax it,
or it will not even be read. Don't risk your application
being disqualified before it even reaches its destination.
Funders don't just fund anything that comes along. They are
not delighted to throw money at all sorts of proposals just
because they land on the desk. Make sure you apply for the
right kind of grant. If the funder loves the environment,
they may not be kindly disposed towards big business. If
they usually fund pet shelters or animal welfare, they may
not be interested in education or sporting needs. Funders
can be extremely specific in their choice and that's their
prerogative.
When writing your grant proposal, start with a one-page
outline in logical steps, then expand each step fully - and
don't leave anything out. Be specific in your reasons for
applying. 'To help the community' or 'for adult education'
is not specific enough. Also be specific about your
expenses. Research them thoroughly. Don't just estimate
what you think they will be. Itemize each need and cost
carefully and make sure you think of it all, don't leave
half out because it doesn't seem that important. Grants
committees think all costs are important - it's their money
that is paying, after all.
After writing your proposal, ask at least two other people
to read it and explain to you what your goals are. They
should be people who don't know about your cause. Ask them
questions to facilitate the process. If they can't
understand it properly, it's back to the drawing board for
you, because the grants committee most likely won't be able
to either.
Never hurry the process of writing a good proposal. It
takes time to get it right, especially if this is your
first, and it will show if you rush the process. If there
is a deadline for the grant that you cannot meet without
rushing, then it may be wise to wait and go for it the
following year instead.
If you think the task is too much for you, consider hiring
a professional grant writer, but they will need to know a
lot about the organization, so be prepared with lots of
information.
How to Suggest Inheritance Giving from Supporters
Inheritance giving plays quite a large part in the
fundraising processes. It may be that a person has been a
loyal supporter of your organization's cause for some time,
but now that they are retired, they are unable to give the
amount that they used to when a good wage was coming in.
This is the time to suggest they may be interested in
inheritance giving - leaving something in their will to
your cause. If you leave it too late, they may not be able
to remember you, since forgetfulness and dementia seem to
play such a large part in elderly life.
To suggest inheritance giving requires a great deal of tact
on the part of the fundraiser. You don't want the person to
feel that they are about to die or anything so unpleasant.
Remind them that their heirs could well benefit from their
loyalty to your cause by not having to pay out a great deal
of tax. Who would they rather be the beneficiary of their
money, Uncle Sam or your cause?
The most common way to leave money to a charity by will is
called specific bequest. This is a specified amount of
money or an asset, or it could be a specific percentage of
the estate. A contingency bequest could be set up even if
the person is younger, with young children. Other gifts
that can be left to a fundraising organization are
life-insurance policies, stocks and bonds, or even real
estate.
It is best that the supporter should see a solicitor or
lawyer to facilitate the bequest. At the same time, this
may motivate them to get their will written up legally if
they have not done so. The lawyer will help them to assess
the value of their estate and so find out how much tax is
due on it. If they have a will already, then they need only
add a codicil to be able to leave your organization a
legacy. It must be done in a professional manner; otherwise
it may be open to question or legal proceedings.
They will then be able to see where they stand with regards
to taxes on their estate, and how much tax will have to be
paid on it. Suggest to the supporter that they be open
about the amount of the gift - and the tax savings - to
their heirs. This will prepare them in advance and prevent
any bad feelings.
----------------------------------------------------
If you'd like to get this article, plus all previous and
future articles on How to Run a Fundraising Campaign on an
Interactive CD-Rom, Please visit:
http://bigimpactaudio.com/fundraising
No comments:
Post a Comment