Welcome to the first in a series of posts by KDS designed to help small and new nonprofit organizations in their fundraising efforts. Just because you’re new to the game doesn’t mean you don’t have something valuable to pitch to foundations – the trick is to find out who will be most receptive, how to tell your story, and how to define a long term strategy of relationship building.

And you – small non profit – we see you! You’re tiny but mighty and there’s plenty of funding out there for your big-impact programs that mean the world to your communities.

It’s difficult to find agreement on just how many foundations there are out there who give grants, but we know it’s a lot. The Chronicle of Philanthropy cites that the United States boasts a charitable organization for every 860 citizens and a private foundation for every 4,000.

But how do you find them? Which foundations care about the kind of work you do? Which care about the geographic area you serve? Which ones will even speak to you if they don’t know you already?

The best places to start looking are on foundation databases such as GrantStation and Foundation Directory Online. Both require a subscription fee (the former is way cheaper than the latter, but some public libraries may pay for a premium subscription for FDO – call to ask!). You can search by a number of fields and parameters – you can also look at who is funding organizations similar to yours! Make sure to look at the foundation’s IRS Form 990 – we’ll talk more about that in a future post but you can glean a lot of good information about who they give to (and how much they have given) to help you in your decision-making and planning.

Don’t discount a Google search! It might feel like you’re combing the desert (Spaceballs reference!) but using search terms that can narrow your population and geographic focus can yield viable results.

Before you start searching, think about the following questions:

-What are you trying to find funding for? A program? Core mission support (aka “overhead”)? Seed funding? Yes to all the things?

-Who are you serving, and where?

-How large a grant are you ready to accept? Remember: with great, big numbers come great, big responsibilities!

While you’re researching and learning about each funder, think about:

-Whether this funder shares your organization’s and community’s values.

-What type of funding they provide and for what: Some funders only give for new programs, some want a prior track record of success. Some invest in capacity building, while others are willing to pay for overhead or general operating support (we wish more did). Some want to pay for supplies and not salaries – some want to pay for salaries but not supplies! Some want to pay for research, and some focus their giving on collaboration between organizations to create bigger community impact.

Researching funding opportunities is a critical service that KDS provides to our clients, who are perpetually expanding, revising, and developing new programs and partnerships. Each new program or partnership creates new potential to attract different funders. Politics, pandemics, inflation, and other big societal/economic shifts can impact philanthropic giving and priorities. And we strive to be on top of it when they happen!

There are as many types of private funders and opportunities as fish in the sea, and the ocean can feel like a big place. At KDS our resources can be fine-tuned and customized when conducting our searches to cast the right net to catch the right fish. We research using multiple platforms and search engines, our own internal database, and comb the numerous funding opportunities that cross the threshold of our inboxes every day.

Still not sure how to start your research? Want to chat about a specific opportunity? Or do you just need some help in visualizing how to launch your grantseeking strategy? Make an appointment for a consultation with KDS – we’re here to help! Give us a shout at heythere@kazanasstrategies.com!

Benefits:

-The grant awards are often way bigger than those of private foundations. They often give you adequate resources AND multi-year contracts so you can focus on program delivery and QI rather than worrying about finding new funding to replace it.

-Federal grants give your organization heightened credibility and visibility in your field.

-Federal Grants give you access to technical assistance, resources, and connections from within the funding agency.

-Winning a federal grant makes it more likely that you’ll be competitive for others. Building your portfolio of federal grants gives other federal agencies confidence in your ability to administer and manage their funds responsibly. It also helps you build cache in the private philanthropy world.

Things to keep in mind:
-You need to do time-consuming research on both the granting agency AND the grant program before writing the proposal. Going in cold is not advisable.

-Read the RFP. Then read it again. And then one more time. Also, invest in highlighter pens. Every federal agency has both standard and unique technical, programmatic, and administrative requirements, and not knowing what they are or what they are invites delays and T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

-Competition is always fierce, and the success rate is low. According to the Society for Non Profits, on an average day, roughly 2,700 grant proposals are submitted – fewer than 200 will receive funding.

-There are strings attached to the funding you receive. So, so many strings. Consider whether your organization has a strong enough infrastructure to manage the financial and reporting requirements in accordance with Federal guidelines and regulations.

-You need a grant writer talented and experienced in writing federal grants and who is also extremely knowledgeable of how to navigate the Federal systems and resources you need to even submit an application.

(Adopted from an article from the Society for Non Profits – www.snpo.org)

During Covid-19, virtual peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns have risen in prominence and frequency as the future of in-person fundraising events remains in flux. Peer-to-peer fundraising leverages the enthusiasm and social connections of your organization’s supporters and volunteers to raise your profile (and revenue!) via social media posts and direct emails. They are generally tied to a fundraising campaign that is fully virtual.

According to pandemic-era research by nonprofit tech provider OneCause, peer-to-peer campaign participants are TWO TIMES as likely to be recruited by a friend, family member, or coworker than the nonprofit itself! Research also shows that the best way to insure that peers can recruit widely and efficiently within their circle is via social media and email, so nonprofits should focus efforts on these two top channels for recruitment.

If you’re considering putting together a peer-to-peer campaign, keep in mind as you design your campaign that you’ll want to:

• Center the mission. The same research from OneCause indicates that 72% of peer-to-peer participants are driven by a connection to the mission.
• Make it fun and easy! Make sure you have provided all of the social media links, logos, images, and invite templates to your participants and provide some training and talking points so they are comfortable with talking and writing about the mission. Come up with something exciting and share-able.
• Aim high! Don’t lower the bar on your fundraising goal. A low fundraising goal won’t seem more attainable, just less motivating!

For more insight, check out the original post at: Virtual Peer-to-Peer Campaigns: 4 Tips to Attract Social Fundraisers

In this blog post from May, we talked about how inflation is wrecking havoc all over the non profit sector – simultaneously creating greater demand for services while increasing the cost of doing business.   It’s an unprecedented experience that needs to be heard by those in the best position to do something about it: your funders.  As an organization on the frontline, you have an important story to tell about what’s it’s like right now for your revenue streams, your expenses, your programs, and your clients, and how precarious a position you’re in.

And why tell that story at all?  Because philanthropy needs to get with the times:  they are holding on to trillions in wealth and there isn’t going to be a better time than RIGHT NOW to let go of more of it! Whether your story is in a grant proposal, an appeal letter, a blog post, or even in your pitch to your donors, now is the time to get comfortable asking for more from those who have more.

Craft a compelling picture of what’s happening in your organization, why it’s REALLY BAD, and what philanthropy can do to get you through the storm and make your organization stronger for when the next crisis hits.  How do you do that?  Glad you asked!  Feel free to use and modify some of the following language:

• “We are expanding our organization’s reach in the community during the steepest rise in expenses for basic needs in 40 years.  And we as an organization find ourselves near the end of our ability to do more with less, or even with what we have in hand.  Compared to last fiscal year, our expenses have increased by XX%, while our revenue has decreased by/remained stagnant.  There has been a X% increase in demand for (specific services), and for the first time ever we have had to implement a waitlist while our clients struggle.
• “While our annual operating budgets account for rising costs every year, we were not prepared for a rise in inflation to the extent we have seen since late 2021.   Everything has become more expensive to operate: our programs (by X% over last FY), our indirect and administrative costs (by x% over last FY), even our fundraising expenses, effectively reducing the value of every dollar contributed to us.  And as inflation devastates our clients/families/community’s household budgets, their need for our services increases.
• “The COVID-19 pandemic threatened our communities to a degree that had been previously unimaginable.  Now, inflation has inflicted yet another threat upon them as the cost of basic needs rises beyond what their household budgets and circumstances can bear.  Without support from (name of funder), (your org) will be severely challenged to maintain its commitment to provide a meaningful level of support to anyone who comes through our doors for help.”

Other points to consider:

Don’t be afraid to use a real example of a terrible choice you had to make that threatens your org and/or its programs and impact.  For example, if you had to lay off staff and put more work on the plates of your remaining staff to cut expenses, tell that story.  And describe how it threatens to perpetuate a toxic culture in your organization that cannot be allowed to fester and grow.  Talk about staff morale as a result.

If you have reserves that you have had to tap into to get through the year, tell your funders about that.  This inflationary period is testing those internal “lifelines” you’ve worked hard to grow, and risks weakening them if things don’t get better…or when crisis hits again.  Because it will.

Lastly, be direct about what you need from them: an x% increase in their grant/gift over last year to help make up for what’s been lost or diminished.  A multiyear grant so that your organization can develop a real multi-year growth strategy instead of the single-year budgeting and planning that contributed to the crisis you’re in now.  Or both!  Both is good!  Frame it as financial disaster planning.

But don’t be scared to make the ask bigger and bolder than before, because bigger and bolder is what you will need to be to face the future.

Need some help?  Get in touch with us at heythere@kazanasstrategies.com today.

Everybody benefits from a nurturing workplace…staff, employers, and clients. Given that 100% of our staff are women- who still bear the brunt of household and child responsibilities in addition to their careers- KDS has taken huge steps towards creating a working environment that promotes flexibility, respects boundaries, and guards against mental and emotional burnout.

Whether it’s our 4 day/32 hour work week, our 100% remote environment, our flexible work schedule, or our honor system paid time off policy, KDS is a small business with big ideas about what makes a healthy workplace and a happy workforce.

And who benefits? EVERYONE. When KDS’s development associates are able to manage their health, their minds, their hearts, and their lives, our clients get the best of their work. And that means your communities reap the benefits!

We’re happy to share how we made this happen if you’re looking to make similar changes to your work culture…contact us at heythere@kazanasstrategies.com !

It’s a most wonderful tiiiiime of the yeeeeeear! GrantStation has just released the 2022 State of Grantseeking Report. Get a fresh cuppa, because it’s time to pull up a chair and say “haven’t I been saying this for YEARS” approximately 45,000 times.

While we could drag the white supremacy inherent in philanthropy making itself felt in every section of the report FOR DAYS, we’re choosing to go high today. You can find the full report at The 2022 State of Grantseeking Key Findings Report.pdf (grantstation.com) , but we’re picking some data points that we think are most meaningful for your organization’s grant seeking strategy (and of course, editorializing, because that’s our favorite past time!):

Thing One: Non-governmental funders need to give more money, and more of it needs to be in large multi-year grants.
“The median largest award from non-government funders (an aggregate of private foundations, community foundations, corporate grantmakers, and “other” funding sources) was $37,000.”

Oy. The world is falling apart at the seams, non-profits are at the frontlines of holding it all together, and yet…$37,000?!? Do better, funders. The gravity of the issues facing our society demand more from everyone, including you. Greater giving amounts and longer term investments (Say, 5 year grants as opposed to 1 year terms subject to competitive renewal) are necessary for non-profit to be able to engage in and execute long-term strategies. Multi-year grants are more sustainable, efficient, and effective.

Thing Two: Whether you’re sticking with private foundations or venturing into the state and federal end of the pool, you need a grant writer who knows what they’re doing. Many, many (SO MANY) non-profit staff hours are being spent on application development. That’s a logical outcome of not having a seasoned professional who knows how to streamline the process and navigate the environment.
“The grant process takes staff. For 63% of respondents, one to two people were directly involved in the grantseeking process for the largest individual award, while 25% of respondents reported that three to five people were directly involved.”
“The grant process takes time. Grant research took three days or fewer for 67% of respondents. Developing a strategic plan took three days or fewer for 52% of respondents, while writing the grant application took between two days and two weeks for 71% of respondents.

Thing Three: We are disappointed (although not surprised) to see that though smaller nonprofits are perfectly positioned to be highly influential and impactful in their communities, funders are passing them by in favor of larger organizations. Please turn this around, funders.
“Community Improvement organizations reported a median award total of $27,000, while Educational Institutions reported a median award total of $3 million.”

Thing Four: In the meantime, one way for smaller nonprofits to secure transformative grants is by collaborating with other organizations, especially those with a successful track record and a strong financial infrastructure. According to the survey, smaller organizations are less likely to submit collaborative grant applications, even though the success rate for collaborative applications is pretty good. Find a buddy!
“Fifty-seven percent of organizations with budgets of $25,000,000 or more participated in collaborative grantseeking in 2020, whereas 18% of organizations with budgets under $100,000 engaged in collaborative grantseeking during this period.”
“Forty-two percent of those respondents that did submit a collaborative grant application reported winning an award.”

Thing Five: If you want to win, you have to play. It’s true for the lottery, and it’s true for grant seeking. It really is a numbers game.
“Applying for at least three grant awards increased the frequency of winning an award. Twenty-five percent of organizations that submitted one application won no awards. However, the percentage of organizations that won at least one award was high among organizations that submitted three to five applications (91%), six to ten applications (96%), or eleven or more applications (98-100%).”

“Lack of time and/or staff (23%) continued to be the greatest challenge to grantseeking among respondents.

“Increased funder practices and requirements (15%), competition for finite monies (14%), building funder relationships (11%), and difficulty in finding grant opportunities that matched with specific missions, locations, or programs (11%) were also frequently cited as the greatest challenge to successful grantseeking.”

This is why having a dedicated grantwriter (on staff or a consultant) is so important. If you aren’t applying for enough grants, all those wasted staff hours don’t pay off in successful awards.

And you’re in luck! This is what we do. Hit us up at heythere@kazanasstrategies.com and let’s figure out how we can help you get in the game!

The current inflationary period we’re experiencing isn’t just hitting our household budgets hard – it’s impacting non-profit organizations, too.

Non-profits are still reeling from the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, which left so many organizations with bare-bones budgets and major personnel turnover and layoffs. Adding inflation to the mix is creating a perfect storm for continued financial hardship for organizations and the communities they serve.

Non-profits are small businesses. When the cost of doing business increases, their ability to meet current community need and their increased demands on their programs is affected…even damaged.

How a non-profit talks about the impact of inflation is critical to helping donors understand how their philanthropy can help weather the storm. KDS is working with its clients on how to craft grant application narrative that explains in no uncertain terms that there is no more belt-tightening to be done – inflation is threatening their programs, their impact, and their very existence, and the time for increased investment is now. KDS will be sharing template language over the next few weeks that your organization can use to tell your own tale.

In the meantime, we’d like to leave you with a few links to thought pieces around the impact of inflation on the non-profit community:

• Donors Don’t Understand Inflation’s Impact on Charities. That’s Why Fundraisers Must Tell Them. (philanthropy.com)
• Nonprofits and Foundations Need to Be Prepared for the Effects of Inflation on Services, Operations, and Endowments – Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (iupui.edu)

We always look to thought leaders like Vu Lee at Nonprofit AF to say what needs to be said. So here’s the truth:

“Inflation doesn’t affect everyone equally. It most severely hurts lower-income families. In our sector, it will be organizations led by Black, Indigenous, AAPI, Latinx, women, disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, rural communities, and their staff and the people they serve who will be most affected. These are organizations that have already been struggling through decades of lack of investment from philanthropy. They now face additional and disproportional challenges that come with inflation.”
Inflation is killing nonprofits. Funders, you need to supplement your grants immediately. – Nonprofit AF

Chrysalis Center’s mission is to provide supportive services to assist people in need to transform their lives. Located in Hartford, CT, they were among the first in the state to embrace supportive housing.

Currently, Chrysalis owns and operates housing sites throughout Connecticut and provides case management services to thousands of individuals scattered throughout the State. They help individuals living below the poverty level and struggling with food insecurity, dealing with substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, release from incarceration and homelessness.

Over time, their services have grown beyond community support services and case management to include employment services, supportive housing, recovery services and affordable housing.

“We believe that each person, regardless of their illness, disability or life circumstance, has strengths, skills and experiences to build on. We work to offer quality services that respect the dignity of each person and their cultural background. We offer hope and guidance as individuals make choices to rebuild their lives.”

Since we at KDS completely missed the social media boat for Volunteer Week 2022, we thought we’d try to make up for it by recognizing the benefits of volunteerism on wellness and mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month.

When we think of volunteerism, it’s only natural to focus on the benefits to others. That’s why we volunteer, isn’t it – to contribute to a community or cause so that others may benefit and flourish? But according to a 2020 research paper published in the Journal of Happiness Studies (yes, that’s a real thing. yes, it’s amazing), volunteering actually makes volunteers happier over time.

Volunteering is intrinsically rewarding, it increases our sense of social connection, it helps develop our self-esteem and confidence, and it creates opportunities to learn new things and develop new skills – all of which contribute to a greater sense of joy and happiness. And let’s face it, after the last 26 months, we could all use a little more happiness.

Our team at KDS is no exception. We are all bringing our skills and passion to causes we feel strongly about, and that make us feel grounded and hopeful:

Kathy dedicates her time and effort as a Commissioner of her town’s Planning and Zoning Board and its committee that is studying options for affordable housing development. Kathy is living that mission-driven life that gives her a sense of purpose and joy!

Christina volunteers her time campaigning for candidates for local and state office, and then turned around and ran herself for the land use board in her hometown (and won!). She also teaches shot put and discus technique to high school students on varsity track and field teams. She values being able to dedicate her time towards things that give her hope for the future.

Cassandra is determinedly making change in the Hudson Valley as Vice President of the Common Ground Farm Board of Directors; working to create food systems and foodways, sustainable sales channels for local producers, and towards greater food justice in the region.

And Phoebe loves being a Trustee of her local Library Board and gives her time to local political campaigns. She also volunteers at her children’s public school. Working to bring about positive local change brings her a renewed sense of community.

We’d love to hear how you benefit from your volunteerism! And if you have volunteer projects and opportunities going on, let us know…we’re happy to share them!

Link to research study:
Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering

For many non-profits, having a dedicated grant writer is often seen as a luxury they can’t afford. But you may be leaving money on the table by not having a seasoned grants professional with a proven track record of success working for you.

And if you don’t have the bandwidth internally to take on the task, the question really becomes: can you afford not to have a grant writer?

What can a grant writing professional do for you? Let us count the ways…

You might need to hire a grant writer if:

…you need to find grant opportunities.

If you don’t have the staff, time, or resources to research and vet opportunities, a grants professional can definitely help you. We’re not going to lie: it’s a seriously tedious task. KDS invests thousands of dollars each year in tools and resources that help us navigate the philanthropic and government labyrinth of funding opportunities so that our clients don’t have to. We often suggest that anyone considering hiring a grant writer -be they staff or consultants – start this journey by investing in opportunity research and developing a calendar of deadlines. Investing in a grant writer can also ensure that you are on top of unexpected or new opportunities as they emerge throughout the year.

…you don’t have the time to do it right.

Writing a grant proposal takes time. A lot of time, And an attention to detail that most leadership and staff don’t have because they’re busy leading and doing the work of the organization. A dedicated grant writer can take the reigns and dedicate the effort needed to satisfy the proposal requirements and develop a competitive application. It’s not just writing: there’s collecting and staying on top of critical organizational documents, proposal planning and program brainstorming, working with your finance team to develop a budget, requesting and integrating key information and data, project management to make sure all the wheels are turning, and the final submissions.

…you need some “polish”.

Professional grant writers are skilled at the art of telling a story in the way funders want to hear it. It goes beyond being a “good” writer – that definitely helps, but grant writers know how to weave a story out of a combination of historical facts, emotionally-charged experiences, and (often) tragically boring data. They know how to make you stand out in a competitive sea of applicants by being organized and clear in the telling of the “tale” you want to tell. If you’re clear and compelling, funders are more likely to see you as a good investment of their funds.

Staff Writers vs Consultants

We may be biased here at KDS but we think grant writing consultants bring a lot to the table, be they short term or long term resources. If you are an organization that has never professionalized or formalized its grant seeking, a consultant can help you assess your readiness to seek and manage grants, develop internal policies and procedures around grant seeking and management, conduct opportunity research, establish “first contact” with funders on behalf of your organization, develop narrative, and get you started in your proposals and submissions. We can actually get your organization ready to bring on and support an on-staff grant writer down the road so that they can be as successful as possible for you.

Organizations also use consultants when they want to add expertise, bandwidth, or both to their grant seeking. Maybe you’ve done really well with private foundations, but haven’t quite figured out how to crack the federal funding nut yet. A consultant with demonstrated success in securing publicly funded grants can give you that expertise to compliment your team.

How much is this going to cost?

That’s a trickier question to answer. It depends. Really… it does, and on a lot of factors: where you’re starting from, what you’re trying to raise funding for and how much, where you’re located and the market rate for that area, and the level of expertise you’re looking for. We know of colleagues that have charged as low as $40/hour to as high as $150 an hour.

When you do your research, don’t be afraid to ask candidates about recent their recent successes. Ask if you can see examples of their writing (they’ll likely need to redact identifying and sensitive information). And definitely ask them about their process for developing a proposal. Keep in mind that there are a ton of factors that go into whether a proposal is selected for funding that are out of the control of the grant writer and that have little to do with the quality of the proposal.

NOTE: be aware that ethical grant writers NEVER work on a contingency basis, or ask for a success fee. That’s a HUGE no-no in our line of work. If someone propose that kind of fee structure, run for the hills!

Still not sure? Wanna talk it out? Reach out to us and we’d be happy to help you make an informed decision!