Spay USA Southern Regional Leadership Conference New Orleans, LA, October 3-6, 2002

Fundraising III: Grantwriting workshop 9:00 AM Sunday, October 6, 2002
Panelist: Jim Mason, Director and Secretary, Two Mauds Foundation

Do's, Don'ts, and Development

A. Communication… Do's
Read-- foundation guidelines and correspondence, movement publications.

Listen-- pay attention, make notes. Make sure you get the funder's point.
Talk-- telephone, Email, fax, US mail.

Be honest and open-- hiding the problem doesn't work, doesn't help.
Keep in touch-- keep us in the loop or we can't fairly evaluate your program.

Follow through-- send documents, figures, etc. promptly, not deadline eve.
Know your documents-An IRS Letter of Determination of Tax Exempt Status is not a state tax ID number is not a Form 990.

Mind the competition-- there are many grant seekers out there. How will you stand out from the others?


B. Development… Three Don'ts
 Don't count on foundation grants.
Don't depend on foundation grants.
Don't rely on foundation grants.

Development means growing your organization and its program.
Follow the Ten Commandments; make a Development Plan to set goals and strategies for growth in each of these ten areas of organizational life:
  1. Money-- donations, grants, sales, services.
  2. Members-- mailing list, loyal supporters, large donors.
  3. Volunteers-- orientation, training, supervision, motivation.
  4. Board of directors and core group-- keep it alive and rich.
  5. Personal growth-- maturity, group dynamics, conflict resolution.
  6. Networking-- for information, ideas, help.
  7. Visibility-- publicity, reputation, standing.
  8. Community involvement-- churches, local government, civic groups.
  9. Education-- yourselves; your community (to stop the treadmill).
  10. Coalitions-- have a bigger vision and mission for animals.

At the end of each year, be Janus (the Roman god of the New Year):
The year past: How well did you do on last year's Development Plan?
The year ahead: A new Development Plan: review goals, adjust strategies.

Jim Mason: (417) 466-4213

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Articles:
Writing A Grant Do's and Dont's
Successful Grant Applications (a PDF of a PowerPoint presentation)

Granting Foundations:
DJ & T Foundation
PETCO Foundation
PETsMART Charities Foundation

Fundraising Initiatives:
Putting the Fun Back in Fundraising
Finding Funding to Fix Feral Felines
iGive.com

Government Grants or Appropriations:
Block Grants

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If you live outside the above listed areas, please fill out the Registration Form to be referred to a low-cost clinic in your area.