Incarnate Word Foundation
Navigating the Funding World in
Uncertain Times
Foundation Role
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Grantmaker: Providing financial support
Convener: Creating a forum for dialogue
and collaboration
Educator: Enhancing grantee expertise
Advocate: Effecting change in public
policy
Communicator: Addressing community
issues in proactive grantmaking
Fundraising = Relationships
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Process of making donations and awarding
grants is intuitive
Different donor pools require different
strategies
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Corporate donors vs. foundation funders
Older individuals vs. younger, etc.
The Heart of the Matter
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Belief in the mission
Passion
Telling the story
Making the ask
Building an ongoing relationship
Developing a Funding Strategy
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What are the funding needs?
What can you build upon?
What strategies make sense to reach the
goal?
Who will implement a plan and what is the
calendar?
Develop a Funding Strategy – the
Donors
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Who are the potential donors:
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Foundations
Corporations
Alumni
Churches
Individuals
Community groups
Reaching the Donor
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How do you segment the donor
marketplace?
What is your story?
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How do you tell that story effectively?
How do you reach the donors in the
marketplace?
The Role of Fundraising Events
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Why an event?
What is your group’s capacity for events?
What scale event?
The Foundation World
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Driven by their own missions and world view
Cutbacks due to the downturn
Emphasis on guidelines, deadlines, outcomes and
collaboration
Importance of researching funding to identify
potential funders
Cultivation
Corporations
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Heavily impacted by downturn
Importance of relationship
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Possible Advisory Group membership leads
to relationships
Alumni
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Have a positive feeling toward the
university and awareness of the work
Delicate matter because of possible
conflicting fundraising agendas within the
university
Churches
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Approach as a social justice partnership
Possible speaking opportunities and other
support for alums of the prison program
when they graduate
Individuals
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Importance of segmenting the market
Need to develop strategies to get the story
out
Possible use of social media
Publicity
Community Groups
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Service organizations
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Rotary, Elks, Sororities, Fraternities, etc.
Getting the story out through a speakers
bureau
Use Common Sense
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Define your goal
Don’t try to do everything at once
Tell the story
Meet deadlines and have a readable
proposal
Encourage site visits
Use good manners
Major League Dont’s
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Rudeness
Gifts
Attempts to influence foundation Board
members
Being unclear with what you want
Incomplete proposals
Not saying thank you