Five Tips for Building Stronger Relationships With Foundations

The following are tips to help nonprofits build strong creative partnerships with foundations.

1. Attend to the basics. There’s no substitute in any working relationship for simple human decency. Be honest in your dealings with foundation staffers — they don’t like surprises any more than you do. And be merciful — like you, they’re busy and face their own institutional pressures. If a foundation provides detailed application guidelines, follow them closely. Submit a proposal that shows a regard for the values, priorities and general practices of the foundation. If you’re funded, thank the people involved in making the funding decision. And always keep the communications channels open — even when things go wrong.