The Culture of Our Community is Can Do

10/31/2011

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So many positive things to think about and know and acknowledge, it’s tough to pick one thing to begin with. First of all, Saturday, in between picking up gadgets and spray paint for a robot costume, my kids and I stopped downtown to grab a book from the Rebecca Caudill reading list required for voting. While walking around under the canopy of bright yellow and oranges, gobs of little creatures were bopping about under foot. Witches, Warlocks, Nurses, Storm Troopers - all drawn by Naperville’s merchant’s association celebration of the fall fun. The light heartedness and generosity of spirit could only be greeted by smiles (although - I bet there were more than a few parents who welcomed espresso or a glass of wine upon collapsing on their comfy couches afterward). 

Anderson’s Bookstore - every kid’s favorite Indie bound bookseller - greeted us with the nice surprise of Clifford and Curious George. Later that evening on the way home from a Halloween kid fest, I decided to bring my 20 bucks to the Glancer tent at Potter’s Place, the local
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Naperville Forum for Business and the Arts: Grantwriting and Volunteerism

10/21/2011

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Many, many thanks to Kathy Blair of Giving DuPage and Barb Szczepaniak of the DuPage Community Foundation and all of the audience members for coming out to the NAL Fine Art Center and Gallery Friday, October 21st for the workshop. The topics of the day were 1) grantsmanship and 2) volunteerism. Here’s a recap with some tips from Kathy and Barb:

On Grantwriting:
  • Think about how to have a broad impact with limited resources
  • Understand that 85% of giving comes from individuals
  • Know your organization and be able to clearly express your message
  • Look for matching missions when you are searching for grant opportunities or other potential funders. If a corporation, for example, primarily supports human services, they might not be a good match for a ballet company.
  • Use the Philanthropy Center at the College of DuPage where you can search many funding opportunities and foundations
  • As a grantwriter, you want to be considerate about how much you ask for in your application, if you need or request three times what the granting organization considers normal, they may not want to move forward out of the sheer fact that they wouldn’t want to disappoint or give an inadequate amount
  • Follow the guidelines exactly as the granting organization requests. Especially in a competitive environment, this is one of the first things the granter will look at
  • Be sure to use good grammar. It sounds silly, but in today’s world of making shortcuts, grammar can fall to the wayside. Have a friend or colleague proofread your application if you can.
  • Don’t turn in your application late. 
  • Don’t use jargon or too much, if any, industry specific language or excessive statistics
    • KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE (your readers) - who you are writing for!
  • Apply for grants that you need. Don’t create a new project just so you can write a grant.
  • Don’t assume everyone knows about your organization - even if you are a large organization. Take a step back and write a considerate and clear portrait of who you represent and what you do.
  • Avoid saying, “Our doors will close if we don’t get this grant.” Funders want to know the organization is sustainable.
  • Don’t promise more than you can deliver.
  • Be passionate about the project or subject. If you hire a grantwriter be sure they are equally as passionate as it does come through in the writing.
  • Talk about how your project will impact the lives of others.
  • Don’t bash other organizations.
  • If you do not receive the grant, call and ask for feedback! It may really help you in your next application. BUT BY ALL MEANS, do not argue about why the grant was rejected.
  • Say “Thank you”! 
    • Funders really LIKE to know what you did with the grant and they want to be included. Let them know how you and so many others appreciate their partnership in your organization’s mission.
On Volunteerism (you may use/ see pdf handouts at bottom):

  • Giving DuPage was originally called ‘The Philanthropy Project’ - Soon Giving DuPage will join “Hands On” which is a national database with tracking ability.
  • Giving DuPage manages smaller giving and matching volunteers to projects
  • See the Self-Inquiry Questionnaire (classroon use only)
  • Train your volunteers to work for you - Often we get people in the door, but are not good at having the tasks laid out. Designate training times.
    • They do it because they believe in giving back or your mission
    • The volunteers themselves carry a story
    • This can be the doorway to building a new relationship
  • Make a list, get organized, make good matches between your volunteers and the tasks - Where can you best use a volunteer:
    • Be clear: Marketing? Accounting? Maintenance? Will it be onsite or offsite? Do you need individuals or groups? Are these on-going needs or one time?
    • Create position descriptions that outline duties and expectations
    • What skills or benefits to the volunteers? Will they learn skills to add to their resume? Is there an internship opportunity that the volunteer position could lead into?
  • Don’t undervalue your volunteers!
  • Look into training programs luke Betty Stallings - Ask Kathy about the $55 training series: recruitment, screening, management and nine other modules
  • Look into associations such as DAVA (DuPage Association of Volunteer Administration) which you can join for only $25
    • Next DAVA meeting Tomorrow, October 26th @Giant Steps
givingdupagehandouts.pdf
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