November 22, 2016 Sara Byrnell Director, Corporate Partnerships Plan International Canada
Today s session State of Foundations in Canada Trends Organizational Readiness From the Funders. Finding alignment Making the Ask setting your organization apart Letters of Intent and Budgets Sit in the Funder s Seat!
Source: www.pfc.ca
Philanthropic Foundations Market Source: www.pfc.ca
Source: www.pfc.ca
Trends IMPACT aligned fit Go beyond the numbers Unique Are you the only organization address the community need? Is your solution different from others? Collaboration Stretching dollars doing more with less Organizational capacity Sustainability
Organizational Readiness: Questions to Ask Aligning Fit What is the case? Duplication in the community? Your organization s qualifications? Do they give in your geographic area? Building Partnerships Board members connected to Foundations? Who are the key players/ staff at the Foundation? Other external partnerships? Making the Ask How much will it cost? Who/how much is already committed? Timeline? How will you evaluate outcomes?
From the Funders We have had situations where organizations will write us a letter and we are tentatively interested in having a conversation. We call them, and they really don t know how it is we can help them other than the fact that we have money, and they have need. -Kelly Meighen, President, T.R. Meighen Family Foundation *Source: Imagine Canada interview, Grantseeker Monthly, August 2011
From the Funders.. The ultimate proposal is important, but what is as important is the preliminary conversation. The most important things for us: what is the organization all about, what the project is all about and what is the request about. -Richard Irish, Vice-President of Community Affairs & Area Marketing, Investors Group *Source: Imagine Canada interview, Grantseeker Monthly, September 2011
From the Funders.. Why do applications get declined? The project impact is weak compared to other applications Charities don t answer questions clearly Too many applicants from one community -Seline Kutan, Executive Director, First West Foundation *Source: Imagine Canada, Grant Seeker Monthly, August 2014
Aligning Fit Past support? Vision for impact Before you contact funders, do your homework Connections? Granting guidelines Giving history to all organizations
Focus on funders who Know your organization Give in your geographic area Have a similar mission Have guidelines/ deadlines that are realistic for you to meet
Research with Few Results What if I can t find any contact information? What if they don t have a deadline? What if they support a number of sectors? How do I determine how much to ask for if I can t speak with them first?
Next Steps You ve identified a potential funder and you want to start building a relationship with them
Contact with funders Introduce organization Introduce project Talk about fit Gauge interest Questions! Request permission to submit full proposal
Key Questions What should we be asking funders when we do get in touch?
Building Relationships Key Questions: Does our project fit with your mandate? Deadlines, meeting dates Amount to request Exceptions geographical, capital campaigns Number of copies of proposals/materials Is recognition important? Will you consider multi-year requests?
Making the Ask: How to Set Your Organization Apart Don t just blanket every foundation with the same request. Make your request fit the Foundation s range of giving. -Preparing for Foundation Partnerships, What Charities Should Know About Foundations, Canadian Centre for Philanthropy, 1996
Set your organization apart Have a specific request Know your program/project Know your audience Follow instructions
Follow instructions! Request amount within indicated range Word count Number of pages Put information in the order requested Deadlines Copies of materials Answer every question
The 6 C s Credible Concise Creative Clear CONTENDER Collaborative
Letters of Intent (LOI) Elements (generally 2-3 pages) Request (1 sentence) Intro/organizational background (1 paragraph) Need/problem (1-2 paragraphs) Solution/project (1-3 paragraphs) Budget summary Thank you
Application Forms Sample questions (seeing more and more online) Organization history, mission Charitable Business number Project description Request amount Project timeline Objectives/Expected outcomes Other funders of the project? Do you have an employee champion? How can our employees get involved?
Proposals Elements Executive summary (include the ask) Introduction (who are you, what you do, project, what makes you qualified, & the ask!) Problem/Challenge Objectives & Methods (Timelines?) Evaluation Budget Reiterate the ask Recognition opportunities (if available) Your contact info!
Funders can t read your mind Don t assume they know anything about your organization or project (even if you have already made contact or have a connection) Explain acronyms i.e. Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Review your documents Follow instructions Don t promise what you can t deliver Provide all your information (don t make them go looking for it)
Budgets Expenses Overhead (rent, utilities, etc) Salaries Benefits Materials & Office supplies Travel Equipment Consultants/Contracts Miscellaneous (food, meetings, etc)
Budgets Revenue Individuals (direct mail, major gifts, etc) Corporations Foundations Events Government United Way *Don t forget In-kind!
Sit in the funder s seat Reach for the Stars Foundation is a small private family Foundation with $1 million in assets Grant $50,000 a year Grants range $1,000-$5,000 Focus: youth, education, Ontario Previously supported: Convenant House, Toronto Public Library, Junior Achievement, University of Toronto Application process: Provide a two page letter of intent including charitable business number, amount of request, organizational background and budget
Answer Time. No not this time Ask for feedback Ask if they know other funders who might be interested No doesn t mean never YES!!! You ve got the grant! But you re not done yet.. Negotiations Gift agreements
If you take nothing else from this session, remember this!
sbyrnell@plancanada.ca