A Trail Map to Sustainability A Guide for Finding Funding and Support for Environmental Education Programs

Transcription

1 A Trail Map to Sustainability A Guide for Finding Funding and Support for Environmental Education Programs Marie Rychlik Lori Kiesser Inside the Outdoors Foundation Orange County, CA lkiesser@ocde.us

2 What s on the Agenda for today? RESOURCES What resources are out there? Volunteers Funding In-kind Fiscal Agent Letters of support (elected officials) Collaboratives/Conveners SCENARIO Walkthrough of securing resources for a program ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION OF IDEAS How can Networking help? 2

3 RESOURCES 3

4 Volunteers 1. Organize your event or descriptions of ongoing need Join NAAEE, members receive discounts and have access to online resources. Become part of Children and Nature Network s Natural Leaders Network and use the toolkit! Join TYO, Transforming Youth Outdoors and use their FREE resources! 2. Recruit Volunteers Online Use social media or volunteer matching websites Volunteer Centers Corporate - check with local corporations 3. Follow-up with original thank yous that mean something to the volunteer!

5 TIPS: Using volunteers can reduce costs, generate in-kind revenue Community awareness and funding generally follow volunteer involvement During economic downturns, volunteerism keeps program supporters involved Funding 1. Define your funding needs Start with your project plan! Field Trips Project Goal Participants Served 15/16 16/17 17/18 15/16 16/17 17/18 Partial Partial Field Trip sponsorship sponsorship program for # for ## provided students; students, ## ## ## to curriculum curriculum students students students Orange updates to updates, County address and students environmental equipment issues replacement Participant Total for Three Years ## students 2. Itemize your budget How much funding do you need to secure? Project Description Student Science Sessions and Environmental Stewardship Curriculum Student environmental education Student Fees ($$ per student for science session and curriculum fees) Funding Needed Funding Secured Expenditures $$ $$ $$ Instructional supplies $$ $$ $$ Family Science and Environmental Stewardship Days Community Programs Staff hours for development of integrated science and environmental stewardship curriculum and program evaluation/assessment (10 hours at $35 per hour) Staff hours for Family Science and Environmental Stewardship Days (10 events*4 staff per event*8 hours at $$ per hour) $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ $$ Instructional supplies for curriculum $$ $$ $$ *Matching funds secured/requested from.. $$ $$ $$ Total $$ $$ $$ 3. Look for funders Where to look? Grants Research: 5

6 Trail Map to Sustainability Foundation Directory - Chronicle of Philanthropy - Grantsalert.com - Grant Station Insider - Grants.gov - Other options: Sign up for grants and local business council newsletters Join your local business council or chamber Research similar providers to see who funds them Join your local volunteer center and attend trainings - TIPS: Reach out to the funders! Check past grantees look at the 990 for foundations ( super short intro to your program make sure you ve requested some action on the part of the funder Call - be brief, let them do most of the talking Invite for a visit they ll say no if they don t do site visits LISTEN TO WHAT THEY SAY TO YOU! Use social media to share pictures, stories, and partnership successes! Attend events - they ll recognize your name when they see your proposal Join LinkedIn and connect away (especially with board members)! You can search to see if anyone within your network is connected to funders you identified. Here s an example of a connection to Honda: 4. Submit your proposal Make sure you align with the funder s focus or areas of giving Follow the guidelines to the letter Spell all names correctly and make sure you don t copy/paste the name of a different prospect TIPS: SAY THANK YOU! Stay in touch. 6

7 In-kind Don t overlook the value of in-kind or the types of in-kind available Example: Our local parks department is a partner that does not give cash, but they printed our program guidebooks (over $20,000 worth of printing) Reflect all in-kind in your budget and do thank yous! Crowdfunding/Online Fundraising Crowdfunding and other online fundraising campaigns require a marketing approach that is compelling. You have to catch the donor s attention in a few words or a picture. It is done successfully every day and most sites have tutorials that help the end user launch an initiative. Sites have varying eligibility requirements so review those carefully before you spend time developing a campaign. Some of these sites even have links to connect your campaign to social Medias. There are usually processing fees ( 2% - 15%) and you ll need to promote your campaign as usual. Some sites are: Fiscal Services If you aren t a non-profit but want to have some of the benefits, you might be able to find a fiscal sponsor. Our local center offers: 7

8 Letters of support Elected officials often will write letters of support for government grants and many times host workshops. Our Representative offers: Collaboratives/Conveners Be part of something bigger! Join NAAEE ( Leverage resources work with other NAAEE to maximize successes/avoid pitfalls Access the latest environmental education research Utilize program evaluation tools and NAAEE Guides for Excellence Join TYO (mytyo.org) Resource based Community, designed to help get youth outdoors Free Access to: o Business Planning o Fund Development o Program Models 8

9 SCENARIO 9

10 I want to expand my existing nature-based education program to include for K-2 nd wetland wildlife education but I need support to make it happen. My existing program reaches 4,500 children a year. The new program will reach an additional 2,000 children each year. Step 1. Design a project plan to identify resources needed. Student Programs Project Goal Participants Served 15/16 16/17 17/18 15/16 16/17 17/18 Develop Revised Revise curricula, curricula curricula recruit based on based on participants, results, 2,000 2,500 3,000 results, serve pilot serve an students students students additional 500 program, additional students, assess 1,000 assess results results students Participant Total for 3 Years 7,500 students From this, I can see that I need to: Develop/revise curricula Staff time? Expertise? Instructional supplies? Transportation for students? Recruit participants Marketing? Staff time? Pilot the program Staff time? Assess results Staff time? Expertise? Step 2. Create a budget (first year only shown here). Budget Description Resources Resources Total Needed Secured Staffing for curriculum development $25,000 $0 $25, FTE (full-time employee) Staffing for student instruction $0 $4,400 $4, FTE (volunteers valued at $22 per hour * 5 hours per week * 20 weeks * 2 volunteers) Staffing for assessment $2,500 $0 $2, FTE Staffing benefits (33%) $9,075 $0 $9,075 Consultant fee - credentialed teacher to review curricula $0 $2,500 $2,500 Local teacher donated his time because he loves the idea of a field trip! Instructional supplies $1,000 $1,000 $2,000 Local parks donated bird guides and will loan me binoculars Transportation (busses for students) $2,500 $0 $2,500 Marketing (ads in local papers, flyers for students) $0 $1,000 $1,000 Board member works for local paper and will give me free advertising. Local parks will print my flyers. Total $40,075 $8,900 $48,975 10

11 I need $40,075 to launch my project. Step 3. Look for grant funding. Search the foundation directory. Trail Map to Sustainability Looks like Edison aligns. I checked the website and I can apply during the next funding cycle. I d like to talk to a program officer, but no specific contact information is listed. Since I want to call first before I do anything else, I m going to see if I can get more inside info. I need to figure out who can help me connect to Edison. I searched Linkedin and found out one of my board members is connected to an Edison program manager. 11

12 My board member called his connection, John, who recommended that I the general Edison corporate philanthropy contact first. He said I could use his name. I need to keep my short, but also make it interesting enough to catch their attention. wet land(s) (noun) Land or areas covered often intermittently with shallow water or have saturated soil with moisture- Merriam Webster Dictionary Imagine 2,000 students, binoculars in-hand, as they leave their concrete-filled communities and head to one of nature s greatest treasures. Wetlands transforms from a word in a text book to a noisy migratory bird, smelly mud, salty cord grass, and shallow pools of water. Dear Edison Community Involvement Team, I am contacting you to ask for a few minutes of your time. I m Joan Smith with Environmental Educators of California (EEC) located in Orange County. Over 4,000 students a year currently connect to nature and science through our hands-on programs at local parks. This year, we d like to expand our programs to include a wetland program for 2,000 K-2 nd graders. We need community support to make that happen. I reviewed your website and from your guidelines, it appears that Edison International supports programs that focus on environmental education. John ( ), a manager with your residential new construction energy efficiency program, recommended that I you to introduce myself and invite you to visit an EEC program. If time does not permit a site visit, I am happy to meet with you at your location. Thank you for your time and for all that you do for our community. Sincerely, Joan Smith Phone Number Website After I sent that, the Edison team declined a site visit but invited me to call. I reviewed EVERY part of their website and then pulled together some key program facts for my existing programs, as well as my project plan and budget for the new program. I gave a brief overview (a couple of minutes ) and then I listened. I wanted to make sure I knew: Types of environmental education projects they like to fund Any special requirements (low-income, geographically-focused, etc.) The range of funding for a first time grantee Length of request in pages 12

13 I found out that they want a letter of inquiry before they send an invitation code for the grant. Dear Mr. Jones, Thank you for your September 6, Environmental Educators of California (EEC) is pleased to submit a Letter of Inquiry to Edison International. We are requesting $25,000 in funding to development and pilot wetland K-2 nd grade environmental education programs for 2,500 Orange County students. This grant request connects with Edison s goals of diversity, education, and the environment. EEC was established in 2002 to empower students, teachers, parents, and the community to explore the natural world, while expanding their knowledge and understanding of science and the wonders of nature. Our experiential student programs use nature s classroom to bring science to life and are aligned with the California Content Standards. The generous community support we receive provides 4,500 students each year with hands-on environmental education experiences in natural areas throughout Orange County. Over 40% of the students who attend an EEC program are from low income schools and have never been beyond the concrete streets of their community. Funding from Edison International will allow us to expand our programs to reach an additional 2,000 students annually. We share Edison s values and dedication to the environment. There is a community need for environmental education in natural areas of biological importance. EEC s wetland program will increase awareness about these areas and empower communities to make smart environmental choices. Program elements include: Wetland K 2 nd Grade environmental education EEC will create hands-on Field Trip programs to local wetlands with educational activities for 2,000 students each year. Students will: [Insert program elements here] Transportation for students EEC will provide transportation grants to schools participating in wetland programs to assist with the cost of busses. Success of the program will be measured using multiple methods. Pre- and post-assessments will be part of the student programs. Evaluations, surveys, and commitment pledges will measure the wetland program s impact on environmental behaviors and attitudes. Community interest to this project is evident. OC Parks has already committed to provide instructional supplies and marketing materials. A local teacher will be donating his time to review the curriculum for alignment with content standards. Two of our long-time volunteers, both retired educators, have offered to teach the program. Environmental Educators of California has been operating programs for over nine years. All EEC programs are self-funded and sustainable. These new programs will be modeled after existing programs. Beyond Edison s support, the programs will be funded through community partnerships, student and participant fees, and grants or other designated giving. Thank you for taking to time to our request. We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Please contact me at. I got invited to submit a full proposal. I want to: Note the deadline for the submission! Pay attention to the guidelines. If a question is asked twice, answer it twice. If there is a page limit, font-size/type requirement, follow it. Don t attach anything extra. Proofread. Verify that I have the name of the funder correct, numbers served and funding requesting are consistent throughout, etc. I got funded! Now what? I need to: SAY THANK YOU! Call if there s a phone number listed. Send thank you right away and cash the check ASAP. Funders expect this. Note any interim or final report requirements. If there are none, do an interim and final program update anyway. 13

14 Step 4. Seek cause-related marketing dollars This is where my board members, local business council, and chamber of commerce can help. Identify businesses in my area that have similar interests environment, education, children, community improvement. I can go to any businesses site and check out their about us page to get hints. I happen to know Sole Technology, an action sports apparel company in my area is doing very well, but I m not sure if they align. Looks like they do! I don t know anyone from Sole Technology, so I search their site. I can t find any contact information, so I search LinkedIn. There are no connections. I move on to my next tactic. I Google Sole Technology environmental initiatives and I find the name of the Environmental Sustainability manager. Before contacting the manager, I need to remember that I m asking for marketing money. My pitch is essentially the same BUT I need to talk about ways for Sole Technology to get visibility to potential customers. I decide to offer various levels of brand exposure based on the amount of funding. Check the Nonprofit FAQ for advice on levels This type of support is open to negotiation, so I need to BE PREPARED. I have to be able to articulate what I need and what s in it for the company. Cause-related marketing, or CRM, has exploded in recent years even though it is a relatively young concept. It began, on a national scale, in the early 1980s when American Express joined with the nonprofit group that was raising funds to restore the Statue of Liberty. American Express gave a portion of every purchase through their credit card to the endeavor and an additional amount for every new application that resulted in a new credit card customer. The company also launched a $4 million advertising campaign. The results are now legendary: the Restoration Fund raised over $1.7 million and American Express card use rose 27%. New card applications increased 45% over the previous year. All this was accomplished with a three-month campaign. Joan Fritz, Cause-Related Marketing: What You Need to Know 14