Philanthropy Front and Center-Cleveland

Your Proposal Writing Questions, Answered - Live Chat

Our trainers get these questions often in our proposal writing classes:

• How many foundations should we approach?
• What if we get more money than what we need for our project?
• How often should we follow up with a funder after submitting a proposal?

Think you know the answers? Chime in with your comments below.

But the real stumpers come up when you actually start the writing and info-gathering process, right? Bring those questions, and any others you may have about grant proposals, to our free live chat on GrantSpace next Tuesday, June 18, 2-3pm ET. Two of our seasoned trainers, Dave Holmes and Kim Patton, will answer as many of YOUR questions as we can take in an hour.

Want to make sure that your question gets asked? Send it to us in advance at grantspace@foundationcenter.org.

Meanwhile, bone up on your proposal writing knowledge with these resources:

• Developing Proposals on GrantSpace
• Knowledge Base Articles on proposal writing
• Sample Documents

Hope to "see" you at our live chat next Tuesday!

 

#CLE4Good Tweet Chat, June 10, 12-1pm | Special Occasion Fundraising Campaigns

On the second Monday of every month we join with The Cleveland Foundation to host a #CLE4Good tweet chat. These chats are open to everyone everywhere, especially those located throughout Northeast Ohio. Join us to meet new colleagues, share information, get advice, and have fun.

On Monday, June 10, 2013, we are exploring fundraising for special occasions (anniversaries, holidays, major organizational milestones, etc.). Some of the questions we'll explore include:

1. How do you determine what milestones are truly worthy of a celebration/fundraising campaign? 
2. How much lead time should organizations use to plan a fundraising campaign for “big milestones?"  
3. Has your organization attempted any year-long celebrations? How did it go?  
4. How can nonprofits leverage this occasion to excite supporters and reach out to new donors?
5. What social media and traditional media approaches are effective for promoting milestone events?
6. If a nonprofit has limited staff, time, and resources, how can they add on something special to regularly scheduled events?
7. What are the different roles board and staff members can assume in planning and executing the celebration?
8. How might a nonprofit measure the impact of their campaigns (increase in number of individual donors, new grant money, new partnerships)?

Details for the chat:

Make sure you are following either @FCCleveland or @CleveFoundation on Twitter. To participate, you'll need a Twitter account, which you can create for free at Twitter.com. At 12pm we will announce the chat has begun. The moderator will post questions to get the discussion flowing, and get people talking! Make sure to use the hashtag #CLE4Good at the end of each tweet so your opinions are included in the discussion. 

One tool I would recommend is TweetChat. TweetChat is a web app that makes Twitter chats feel more like an old-school chat room. The best part about TweetChat is that it will automatically insert the hashtag for the chat at the end of all your tweets so you don't need to remember to add it. To use:

1. Go to http://tweetchat.com
2. Use the sign-in button at the top right corner of the screen to authorize TweetChat to use your twitter account
3. Once you're signed in, enter the chat's hashtag (in this case, #CLE4Good) without the # sign into the search box at the top center and press go.
4. You're ready to go. Write your tweets in the box without worrying about the hashtag and enjoy the chat.

We'll see you then!

June 10 - June 14 at the Foundation Center

Wednesday, June 12
New Ideas Sounding Board, 5:30 - 7:30pm
Come meet and mingle with other innovators and share your experience getting your idea off the ground.

Thursday, June 13
Brown Bag Social:  Capital Campaign Basics, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Grab your lunch and join Bill Mountcastle for a discussion on the basics of creating a capital campaign.

Friday, June 14
Coffee and Conversation:  The Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, 9:30-10:30am
at the Idea Center, Playhouse Square
Come meet trustee Chann Fowler-Spellman and learn about this growing local independent foundation.

Hours:
Monday:  12:00 - 4:30pm
Tuesday:  9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00 - 8:00pm Extended hours!
Thursday:   9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday:  12:00 - 4:30pm

June 3 - June 7 at the Foundation Center

Wednesday, June 5
Is Starting a Nonprofit Right for You? 6:00 - 7:30pm
In this special evening session, learn the pros and cons of starting your own nonprofit organization. Todd K. Masuda and Steve W. Day, local nonprofit lawyers, will be on hand to answer questions and discuss what legal issues you need to think about when forming a nonprofit.

Hours:
Monday:  12:00 - 4:30pm
Tuesday:  9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday: 12:00 - 8:00pm Extended hours!
Thursday:   9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday:  12:00 - 4:30pm

Scholarships Available for Full-Day Training Classes

Foundation Center scholarships are now being offered to build the internal capacity of under-resourced nonprofits in Northeast Ohio. Scholarships may be applied to the full cost of attending one of the following full-day seminars offered in Cleveland this summer:

• Foundation Fundraising Essentials
  Tuesday, June 25, 2013, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Proposal Writing Workshop
  Tuesday, July 30, 2013, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A substantial number of scholarships are available for organizations located or doing business in Lorain County. A limited number of additional scholarships are available to organizations located or doing business in Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Summit, Medina, or Portage Counties.

Learn more and submit your application today at: http://foundationcenter.org/cleveland/scholarships.html