Fundraising professionals should be on the lookout for these new books — one that offers guidance for grant seekers and one that aims to answer questions that all nonprofits need to be able to answer for their donors.
New Guide for Grant Seekers
“The Grantseeker’s Guide to Winning Proposals” provides 35 actual proposals for general operating support, program development, staff salaries, program evaluation and other needs.
The book — geared toward helping development officers, nonprofit board members, fundraising consultants and volunteers seeking foundation grants — is available for $34.95 on the Foundation Center Web site.
“Grantseekers often tell us that they want models of successful proposals so they can learn how to improve their odds of securing funding,” Judith Margolin, editor of the guide and the Foundation Center’s vice president for planning and evaluation, said in a center press release. “The proposals in this guide are extremely varied, with examples of almost every size and kind of grant project.
“But the hidden treasure here is the very candid commentary from the grantmakers who said ‘yes’ to these requests while at the same time sharing some of their concerns and, in some instances, indicating how these proposals might have been made even more compelling,” she is quoted as saying.
Proposal types included in the guide are letters of inquiry, completed applications and full proposals. One chapter is dedicated to constructing budgets.
Regional, national and international grant makers, including small family foundations and grant-making public charities, approved the proposals, and a critique from the grant maker who awarded the funds accompanies each one.
For more information visit the Foundation Center Web site or call 212.620.4230.
Donors Questions Answered Here
Harvey McKinnon’s book “The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave” is intended as a guide to help nonprofits inspire donors.
In the book, McKinnon, president of Canadian direct-mail consultancy Harvey McKinnon Associates, identifies 11 core questions, ranging from “Why me?” to “Will my gift make a difference?” to “Will I have a say over how you use my gift?”
“If you remember that ‘me’ is everyone’s favorite subject, it will help train your focus where it should be: on the prospect and how his or her gift will make a difference in the world,” the author writes.
“Your goal as a fundraiser is to show donors, in practical, tangible ways, how their financial support will change and improve the life of a fellow human being, or a dog and cat, or protect an environmental treasure,” he writes. “If you don’t show this, your prospect will give to another cause where he can see a positive impact.”
McKinnon peppers his responses with dramatic, real-life stories, including how a development officer at a technical institute turned a $100,000 gift into a $1 million gift and how the chair of a YWCA sparked a first-time gift of $100,000 with a single question from her heart.
“To succeed at fundraising, it’s essential to know the questions that are on your donor’s mind,” McKinnon writes. “And the better you are at answering those questions, the more money you’re certain to raise.”
The author also promises that tapping into your own thoughts and feelings will equip you with the best responses to donors’ questions.
“The rich are no different from you or me, except they have more money and better teeth,” McKinnon writes. “Probably better holidays too. But essentially they’re the same. They constantly ask themselves questions too.”
“The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave,” Emerson & Church, Publishers, 2008; $24.95 plus $4.95 for shipping.
Book Previews
Fundraising professionals should be on the lookout for these new books — one that offers guidance for grant seekers and one that aims to answer questions that all nonprofits need to be able to answer for their donors.
New Guide for Grant Seekers
“The Grantseeker’s Guide to Winning Proposals” provides 35 actual proposals for general operating support, program development, staff salaries, program evaluation and other needs.
The book — geared toward helping development officers, nonprofit board members, fundraising consultants and volunteers seeking foundation grants — is available for $34.95 on the Foundation Center Web site.
“Grantseekers often tell us that they want models of successful proposals so they can learn how to improve their odds of securing funding,” Judith Margolin, editor of the guide and the Foundation Center’s vice president for planning and evaluation, said in a center press release. “The proposals in this guide are extremely varied, with examples of almost every size and kind of grant project.
“But the hidden treasure here is the very candid commentary from the grantmakers who said ‘yes’ to these requests while at the same time sharing some of their concerns and, in some instances, indicating how these proposals might have been made even more compelling,” she is quoted as saying.
Proposal types included in the guide are letters of inquiry, completed applications and full proposals. One chapter is dedicated to constructing budgets.
Regional, national and international grant makers, including small family foundations and grant-making public charities, approved the proposals, and a critique from the grant maker who awarded the funds accompanies each one.
For more information visit the Foundation Center Web site or call 212.620.4230.
Donors Questions Answered Here
Harvey McKinnon’s book “The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave” is intended as a guide to help nonprofits inspire donors.
In the book, McKinnon, president of Canadian direct-mail consultancy Harvey McKinnon Associates, identifies 11 core questions, ranging from “Why me?” to “Will my gift make a difference?” to “Will I have a say over how you use my gift?”
“If you remember that ‘me’ is everyone’s favorite subject, it will help train your focus where it should be: on the prospect and how his or her gift will make a difference in the world,” the author writes.
“Your goal as a fundraiser is to show donors, in practical, tangible ways, how their financial support will change and improve the life of a fellow human being, or a dog and cat, or protect an environmental treasure,” he writes. “If you don’t show this, your prospect will give to another cause where he can see a positive impact.”
McKinnon peppers his responses with dramatic, real-life stories, including how a development officer at a technical institute turned a $100,000 gift into a $1 million gift and how the chair of a YWCA sparked a first-time gift of $100,000 with a single question from her heart.
“To succeed at fundraising, it’s essential to know the questions that are on your donor’s mind,” McKinnon writes. “And the better you are at answering those questions, the more money you’re certain to raise.”
The author also promises that tapping into your own thoughts and feelings will equip you with the best responses to donors’ questions.
“The rich are no different from you or me, except they have more money and better teeth,” McKinnon writes. “Probably better holidays too. But essentially they’re the same. They constantly ask themselves questions too.”
“The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks and the Answers All Donors Crave,” Emerson & Church, Publishers, 2008; $24.95 plus $4.95 for shipping.