Volume 1 Issue 8 Todays Nonprofit Leader

newsletter specifically targets nonprofit organizations that serve the African-American community and in addition have a governing board of at least 50% African Americans. The intention of this newsletter is to inspire, educate & unify a community that has been historically underrepresented in both for-profit & nonprofit ventures.

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Are you scared to CREATE your own Business? Each month Todays Nonprofit Leader Focuses on Non profit and grass roots organizations that have Dared to manifest their dreams, talents & passions and help others in the process. This is no easy accomplishment. It takes a lot of courage to have a vision, take steps to make that vision a reality and then maintain that reality, while simultaneously, raising kids, paying bills, feeding the family and tending to a million other of lifes realities. It takes courage because it can be a scary thing to create your own business or organization especially when the IF Monster is always lurking in that dark corner. What IF no one likes my idea? What If I dont succeed? What If Im too old? What IF I run out of money? What IF I cant find fundng? Then as IF the IF Monster wasnt bad enough, he is always accompanied by his twin named WHEN. Ill create my business, When the kids go to college. When I do more research. When I check out the competition. IF and When, can scare you right out of your mind and your idea. Lets conquer these fears together, manifest our dreams, provide a service to the community and still have the ability to put food on the table. Creation is in each of us. Just take a step. Email me if you have questions or would like to contribute to articles, discussions, etc. Stay tuned for HOPE roundtables & business seminars. Thanks for reading and please take a moment to forward Todays Nonprofit Leader to a friend and encourage them to subscribe. ITS FREE! Terrance Harrington

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Tech Tidbits: How Google Grants can help you

Did you know that 501(c)(3) organizations may be eligible to receive free advertising from Google? The Google Grants program, founded in 2003, donates advertising to nonprofits focused on a variety of issues, including health. Grantees use Googles AdWords system to promote their mission with ads that appear in Google search results and on other sites that are part of the AdWords network. There are a number of guidelines to be aware of before applying. For example, ads must link back to the grantees Web site, and the AdWords account must be actively managed to make the most of the grant. If your organization has the resources to manage such a program, Google Grants may be a great way to promote it. You can learn more at http://www.google.com/grants/. www.hopeinchicago.org |1

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2 5 Step Internet Centered Strategy for Nonprofits 3 How To Get Funding For Your Nonprofit

Todays Nonprofit Leader

5 Step Internet Centered Strategy for Nonprofits

The nonprofit sector is often looked at as a second rate world for professionals when compared to the private sector. The reasons for this are many. Nonprofits often (not always) have less flashy logos, slogans and catchy advertising. Now for some the answer as to why this is obvious their mission normally isnt to try to look the coolest. In recent years the nonprofit sector has experienced dramatic decreases in the availability of its traditional funding. This would include government supported grants, grants from foundations, large gifts from individuals and collective individual giving. In some cases of course there are exceptions, but by in large this has been the trend. With so many nonprofits providing essential services neither the government or private sector are able or willing to provide, its important these organizations find a way to survive and thrive. For this article, well discuss a strategy a local nonprofit uses. This strategy has two centers. The first center piece is their website, the second is their annual main event. Follow the list and match it to the picture flow chart below. 1. The website starts as the main hub. The website contains information about everything pertaining to the organization. This includes links and access to other networks, communication pieces, and promotions. 2. The website directly leads to the next major piece to the strategy its communication channels. In the model below youll find listed the specific channels that an actual nonprofit in the Harrisburg area is using. Your channels may differ slightly. This specific nonprofit is highly dependent on volunteers so the number of channels is limited and kept simple. a. Youll notice to the far left a box that reads Other revenues/ways to help. This box represents exactly that all other revenues or ways people can help outside of the second major hub (main event). People will find out about this other ways to help through the communication channels already in place. 3. Next, follow the path that each form of communication points to called Events. This particular nonprofit hosts events throughout the year to fund its mission. These events are often run with or in conjunction with other nonprofit to enhance their impact, efficiency and effectiveness. 4. Each event however is not the highlight. The highlight or second major hub is the Main Event. Each event throughout the year is a platform to promote and build up to the annual main event. The main event is the
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If you have news to share or would like us to cover a particular subject, send us your news and story ideas.
Contact us at info@hopeinchicago.org or 773-823-1459. Todays Nonprofit Leader is published monthly.
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prime bread winner or revenue generator for this nonprofit. 5. After the main event the cycle returns in 3 ways, New Resources (could be volunteers, equipment, in-kind donations, etc), Revenues and PR. Each of these items cycle back to the prime hub of the strategy which is the website. If this form of strategy fits into your organization, or is similar and you wish to use these ideas well go for it! HOPE is a supporter of nonprofits in the Chicago area. It is core belief of ours that supporting local organizations that fill meaningful missions is one of the most important things we can do. So if we can help you shape a strategy that enhances our community through your services then were happy!

How To Get Funding For Your Nonprofit

It is the burning question of every nonprofit organization: How do we get funding? With the economy in the dumps, and recovery looking like a distant hope, this question screams for an answer. In fact, we get more requests from newsletter subscribers for articles on funding than just about any other topic. The purpose of this article is to do just that, but maybe not like you expect. We could present an article on the howto of bake sales or silent auctions or raffles. We could lay out, point-by-point, the best method for putting on a firstclass consignment sale or Spring Fling carnival. We could wax eloquent about the best practices of grant writing and we probably will discuss all these things later on. But for now, we would rather challenge you to think about the bigger picture. We believe it will provide a much better environment for specific ideas to flourish. So, what does it take to get funding? Lets look at several, key concepts. Purpose. First and foremost, your organization must have a compelling Todays Nonprofit Leader purposeone that resonates with the public, or at least with a segment of the public that shares your passion. Without this, you simply will not attract dollars. There is a persistent and, frankly, bizarre notion in the nonprofit community of Build it and they will come. That is especially true regarding the pursuit of grant funding. Well, that may work well in baseball movies, but not so much in the charity community. Your organization is one of literally millions of projects that are competing for someones charitable dollar. You can conduct all the cake walks you want, but if no one cares about your cause, funding is not on its way. Many of you reading this are probably saying, Well, thats not very helpful. Were already formed to do what we do. Thats trueand were not saying you should change your purpose to something more attractive. The point is this: If your purpose is therapeutic arts for handicapped kids, then your ability to attract a broad base of support is many times greater than if your purpose is to operate an injured
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I will help HOPE reach its fundraising target of $5,000 with a donation of:
$25 $50 $75 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $______

My donation will help HOPE continue to build the nonpro t leadership capacity of emerging African American professionals that are committed to creating new opportunities and eliminating persistent disparities faced by African Americans and the Black community at-large. Name Address City/State Zip Telephone Email

Checks should be made payable to: HOPE P.O. Box 19223 Chicago, IL 60608

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organization accomplished? Let people know about it. That is really true when pursuing grant opportunities. People are not as likely to give to plans as they are to helping you do more of what youve already done. If you are just starting out, you better concentrate on #2! Reliability. You must be able to show your potential donors that your organization is properly structured, has good governance and that it is operating in compliance with governmental regulations. If not, you will have difficulty projecting a posture of trustworthiness. If people do not have confidence that their donations are going to be used wisely, and by an organization who takes things seriously enough to follow the rules, they will not give. Period. Motivated leadership. It all starts at the top. If those who are leading the organization are not fully engaged, why should anyone want to support your efforts. This concept goes back to a point weve made in prior articles: never, ever have a place holder board. Make sure your board members are motivated leaders who care about the mission and

who have something to contribute. And by contribute, we mean time, talent and moneyall three. People look to see if the leadership walks the walk, or just talks the talk. Dogged determination. This is important at all times. In bad times, it simply means life or death to your organization. Determine to succeed. Stay motivated. Its contagious. You cannot give up. Our staff could tell you story after story of clients weve worked with who, by all outward appearances, couldnt find their way out of a wet paper bag, much less succeed in running a nonprofit. But they have. By sheer force of determination and belief in their cause, and by surrounding themselves with competent help, they made it happen. Weve also seen the opposite: people who shouldve hit a home run, only to strike out because of neglecting one or more of these issues. Were all about building foundations. Its in our name. We hope by helping you see the big picture, youll be in a much better position to work on developing specific funding ideas that will work.

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skunk rescue. If yours is the injured skunk rescue, then you need to be realistic about your lack of mass appeal and be extra aggressive in finding likeminded donors. Vision. People give to vision, not need. They sound the same, but they are not. Vision paints a picture of a better situation that results from your organizations efforts. Need, on the other handwell, right now everyone has needs. Paint a picture instead. Accomplishments. Nothing attracts people like a winner. What has your

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