KateBNE

 

Author: Kate Sunners

 

We're hitting the conference circuit hard in 2017...why? Because we really love getting out and meeting people from nonprofits from all the different sectors, and hearing about their challenges and successes. There's nothing better than a huge group of fundraisers for sharing information and helping each other grow!

1picWe've got some pretty exciting things planned for our theming this year...you may have seen us in previous years dispensing therapy (you can still phone us for grants therapy sessions!) and helping you find your way though the grants jungle. This year we've cooked up something truly magical which we'll be taking to the FIA Conference on the Gold Coast in February!

You'll also see us in Auckland in mid-February for the Grow National NFP Conference, where we'll be presenting. Then we're in Auckland again in mid-March for the Techsoup Conference where we'll be running a grants masterclass.

We'll be attending Generosity in Melbourne in late March to learn, and chat and meet new friends.

Queenstown is the lovely location for the 2017 Fundraising Institute of New Zealand Conference in May – so it's off to views of snowcapped mountains for us...and then we'll be in Wellington for the Philanthropy Forum with Philanthropy New Zealand.

2pic...Then Jo's off to IFC Asia in Bangkok in June to lead some round tables and discussions with funders and Asian fundraising counterparts! Very exciting!

We're sure there'll be plenty more to come mid-year, so if you miss us at these or our Grant-Seeker Workshops we're sure to catch up in the latter part of the year.

All the Strategic Grants team are always happy to meet new folks, chat with old friends and discuss all things grants. Each of us absolutely loves being a part of the real community that exists in the nonprofit sector, and we are champing at the bit to impart our years of grants wisdom, so we really hope that if you've seen us in previous years and haven't stopped by our exhibit stands or chatted to us after a presentation that you'll take the opportunity to come say hi in 2017.

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KateBNEAuthor: Kate Sunners

This one’s a must-read for small nonprofits just beginning to look at fundraising strategically.

You’ve got your nonprofit set up, you’ve got some great programs in place and you need funding urgently to run your program through the next two months or so. Where do you turn for funding?

Sad to say, but not grants. Or at least, not only to grants.

Why?
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Because seeing success from grants can take up to 12 months, due to deadline dates, turnaround time between submitting and receiving notification of success, and then the time between notification and the money arriving in your account. And grant funders do not fund retrospective projects, nor in most cases ongoing operations. So if your project is already mid-way completed by the time a grant deadline comes around next month, it won’t be eligible for funding.

The other reason is that when we do look for grants there’s a certain way to go about it to ensure success, and this takes strategy, relationship building, process, key documentation and skill – not things you’re going to be able to put in place overnight (but which you can read more about here and receive training in setting up here). Building a grants program takes time, and you get out of it what you put in.

Grants are not the silver bullet to meet all your funding needs – they are suited to time-limited projects with concrete outputs and outcomes (which you will also need to factor time in to report on). Different funding streams are suited to different needs – for example events might be better suited to sponsorship, or operations and salaries might be funded by individual donations and bequests – and it’s necessary to have the right mix to ensure your organisation has what it needs to continue carrying out its great work for the community into the future. More about fundraising diversity for sustainability here.

But what you should know about grants is that if you set everything up well, you plan your projects and package them, you go in with open eyes as to how much of your time it will take before you see a return, and you have a strong grant writer who understands how to communicate need and your organisation’s strengths, and you put time and effort into building funder relationships – you’re well on your way to ensuring both the sustainability of your organisation and its reputation among funders.