Here For Good: Sustaining Your RHY Program With Local Support

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Acknowledgments
Dozens of individuals and organizations assisted in the development of this
resource. The following FYSB grantees contributed by sharing their wisdom
and experience:

Bridget Alexander, Waking the Village (Sacramento, California)


Pauletta Red Willow, OST Emergency Shelter (Pine Ridge, South Dakota)
Judith Dittman, Second Story (Dunn Loring, Virginia)
Bess Nuland, YouthCare (Seattle, Washington)
Rachel Francis, Synergy Services (Kansas City, Missouri)
Carlee Smith, Oasis Center (Nashville, Tennessee)
Andrew Fike, LifeWorks (Austin, Texas)
Julian McGinn, Urban Peak (Denver, Colorado)
Paul Kosowski, Youth Continuum (New Haven, Connecticut)
Bethany Pombar, Vermont Coalition for Runaway and Homeless Youth
Programs (Montpelier, Vermont)

The RHY grantee organizations below shared their resources and information:

Sasha Bruce (Washington, DC)


Northeast Kingdom Youth Services (St. Johnsbury, Vermont)
Karis, Inc. (Grand Junction, Colorado)
Daybreak (Dayton, Ohio)
Youth Services of Tulsa (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Bill Wilson Center (Santa Clara, California)

Additional resources were contributed by:

Paul Neville, St. Vincent de Paul Society (Eugene, Oregon)


Meagan Downey, Youth Catalytics
Sharon Vardatira, University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute

Authors
Jennifer Smith, Youth Catalytics
Melanie Wilson, Youth Catalytics
Shauna Brooks, National Safe Place Network
Tammy Hopper, National Safe Place Network

April 2018
www.rhyttac.net

Funding provided by Health and Human Services via Administration on


Children, Youth, and Families to National Safe Place Network as operator
of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance
Center (90CY6498-05-04).
Table of Contents
Forward
Introduction
Section 1: Deciding To Plan, Starting Now 1
What Your RHY Program Does Best 2
Naming Your Core Priorities 4
Your New Budget 7

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 9


Your People 9
Proof Your Program Is Effective 10
Your Expertise, Accomplishments, and Reputation 11
Deep Knowledge of Your Community 13
Partners, Allies, and Champions 14
Other Assets 15

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 17


What Do You Want from Your Community? 17
All Communities Are Diverse 18
Getting to Know Your Potential Supporters 18
Communicating about Runaway and Homeless Youth 19
Characteristics of Compelling Stories about Young People 20
The Power of Getting Personal 21
Formats for Stories 22
Communicating about Your RHY Program 23
Using Statistics Effectively 24
Data Visualization 24

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 27


Creating a Culture of Philanthropy in Your RHY Program 27
Making Fundraising a Part of Everyone’s Job 29
How Different Fundraising Methods Stack Up 31
A Note about Jumping at Opportunities 36
Private Donor Development 39
Private Foundation Funding 43
New Partnership Models with Public and Private Entities 46
Using Volunteers to Extend Your Reach 49
Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Approaches 51
Pay for Success 53
Social Media and Apps 54

Bibliography 57
Foreword
Each year, approximately 600 non-profit organizations across the country
receive funding from the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) to provide
critical emergency shelter, basic needs, and transitional housing to homeless
and disconnected young people. These runaway and homeless youth (RHY)
program grantees provide services to young people who, for a variety of
reasons, are drifting on their own, without the family support most youth take
for granted. Through case management, individualized planning, and short-
term provision of the basic necessities, including housing, these programs
help young people stabilize, finish school, gain job skills, and transition
successfully into adulthood. RHY grantees offer standard core services, yet
they also vary in significant ways depending on the needs of the young people
in their communities. Those needs are deep and growing in many places, and
FYSB grants rarely cover all of a program’s costs. For that reason, successful
programs work hard to build other sources of support by cultivating private
donors and foundations and by establishing cost-sharing collaborations with
other non-profit organizations that can extend the reach of their services and
even sustain basic services over time.

“Here for Good: Sustaining Your RHY Program with Local Support” offers an
abundance of information, resources, tips, and promising practices on how
to cultivate and grow strong local support for RHY services. The information
you’ll find here comes from many sources, some familiar but others less so.
The notable practices described likewise come from a variety of programs
and places. The report taps RHY grantees themselves, highlighting how many
have grown programs by leveraging local resources in distinctive and creative
ways. But this report also studies the impressive work of youth-serving
agencies that are not FYSB grantees, many of whom have also built thriving
programs.
Introduction
The work your RHY program does is vital. There’s no question about it—you
know it, the youth in your programs know it, your partners know it, and your
funders know it. But over the years, the competition for federal support of
RHY programs has grown fierce. Some long-time RHY grantees—grantees
that have come to depend on their FYSB grants cycle after cycle, sometimes
for decades—aren’t getting re-awarded. Have their programs suddenly fallen
apart? Did they write a poor grant? What happened?

Sometimes there are quality issues that affect a program’s chance for re-
funding. If that’s the case for your program, you’ll know about it. But often,
nothing is wrong at all. Your program performed well, you submitted your
reports on time, and you wrote a solid proposal for the next grant cycle. But
still, you weren’t re-awarded. You might already know this, but it’s a point
worth repeating: Failing to be re-funded doesn’t mean your program is to
blame.
Sustainability is an

The truth is RHY grants were always meant to fund startup projects in opportunity to continue
communities, not to be a primary, ongoing source of support. To get the doing what works best
most out of the limited pool of federal money available, FYSB has to spread while shaping your
it around, occasionally giving priority to new programs that also need and
program in new ways
deserve support. That reality doesn’t invalidate your program’s importance.
your community and local
This workbook is meant to prepare you for life without the federal grant you’ve funders will enthusiastically
been relying on. It reframes sustainability as an opportunity to continue doing embrace and support.
what works best while shaping your program in new ways your community
and local funders will enthusiastically embrace and support.

Many excellent resources on program sustainability exist, and this workbook is


not an attempt to duplicate them. Nor is it meant to examine in depth any one
approach or technique, with all the attending pros and cons of each. Instead,
it lays out a practical, easy, task-oriented approach to looking at your RHY
program with fresh eyes, toward the goal of continuing, and even flourishing,
with or without a FYSB grant. For readers who want to explore any particular
concept more deeply, links to additional resources are provided at the end of
each section.

Section 1 discusses the big questions your RHY program needs to ask itself
and offers exercises that will help your staff hone in on your strengths and
prioritize the services that are most important to your community. Section
2 is about the inherent, mostly non-financial assets your program already
possesses—the human and reputational capital that are your biggest selling
points. Section 3 outlines how you can build authentic and deep-rooted
community support for your RHY program. Finally, Section 4 looks at ways to
grow financial support for your program.
If you have been an RHY grantee for a long time, or if you have operated
programs funded by other federal agencies, you may think you’ve done this
type of thinking and planning before. Public funders have been stressing
the importance of sustainability planning for at least 20 years, after all, and
most grant proposals require you to describe how you intend to sustain your
services into the future. But for many RHY programs, those plans may be an
afterthought—secondary to your program proposal and often a perfunctory
nod to a reality you hope you’ll never have to face. At the very least, you
may assume there’s nothing left to learn about the topic. You’ve already
thought it through, and your program already does whatever it can to plan for
uncertainty. What more is there?

Actually, there is a lot. This workbook is for RHY programs in particular, with
information and exercises narrowly crafted for the kind of services you provide
and utilizing the resources you and your staff are most likely to have right now.
So structure some meetings around this resource. Pull your key staff together,
print out copies of sections, sharpen your pencils, and start talking. This
workbook is intended to provide inspiration and guidance, along with one or
two completely new ideas.

 5
Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now
Some RHY programs have deep wells of support in the community, lots of
go-to foundation funders, and strong partners who are able and willing to
collaboratively fundraise with them. For them, losing a federal grant isn’t easy,
but it’s not the end of the world. But for other programs, operating without
federal support may seem impossible. After all, how can a program keep
doing everything it does without that one large chunk of dedicated money?

The truth is you may not be able to do everything you’ve been doing.
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Community-based social service
Planning for life without a
programs continually change for all kinds of reasons, and your RHY program
federal grant, even if that
should evolve as well. Planning for life without a federal grant, even if that
circumstance turns out to be only temporary, gives you a chance to focus on circumstance turns out to
the core services your organization, and only your organization, can do well. be only temporary, gives
You can tailor your program to fit your community’s needs and at the same you a chance to focus on
time make new partners while drawing your old ones closer. This isn’t pie-in-
the core services your
the-sky thinking. You can sustain the most important elements of your RHY
program without federal funding if you methodically build up support, from organization, and only your
different sectors and at different levels of your community, over time. This organization, can do well.
workbook is full of examples of organizations that have done just that.

It’s great to start early—in fact, it’s great to start immediately, the very day you
get your grant award. But no matter where you are in your current federally
funded RHY project, you can get serious about preparing for life without
federal funding—a life where your program is still strong and healthy and
meeting the most urgent needs of youth and families in your community.

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 1


What Your RHY Program Does Best
Consider this question from two perspectives—those of your staff, and your
community.

Exercise: How Your Community Sees Your RHY


Program

You probably think you have a good idea of how your community views your
RHY program—and maybe you do. But it could be you’ve never had truly
candid discussions with a range of stakeholders about your program. This is
your chance to do that. Ask your board and top leadership to conduct most
of these interviews.* It’s a great outreach and public relations opportunity and
will send the message that your program isn’t an add-on to the community but
part of its fabric.

1. Who should be interviewed?


»» Current and former youth in your program, plus families, as appropriate
»» Partner organizations such as schools, job programs, law enforcement,
homeless advocacy groups, and housing organizations
»» Local political leadership, such as mayor and city council members
»» Donors and funders

2. Generate a list of names associated with each of the groups


above, and assign them along with a semi-structured
interview template.
Each interviewer prepares written notes that are then shared. Be sure to set a
deadline. Ten days should be more than enough.

3. Questions to ask community stakeholders.


1. What do you value about your relationship with the Sunrise RHY
program?

2. In what ways has the Sunrise program been most successful, in your
view?

3. In your opinion, what is the unique service Sunrise alone can offer, or it
offers better than anyone else in the community?

4. What are Sunrise’s challenges, or what should the program be working


on improving?

5. What trends are you seeing that Sunrise should pay attention to?

6. If you could change anything about Sunrise’s services, what would it be?

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 2


4. Convene to review. What are people telling you? What
did you already know? What was a surprise—pleasant or
otherwise? What new opportunities could be emerging?

*As noted, there are great benefits to asking board members to make these
calls. But there are times when your program should consider paying an
outside consultant instead—for example, if a controversy is brewing and
there is reason to believe a neutral interviewer could achieve more candid
responses, if board members are new and unfamiliar with the organization’s
history and services, if board members cannot make the time to play phone
tag with interviewees, or if you would like input from a source that has been
critical of your program in the past.

Exercise: How Your Staff Sees Your RHY Program

Now that you’ve gathered information from the community and reviewed it
together, ask yourselves these questions:

1. As program insiders, what do we know for a fact that our


program does exceptionally well?

2. If given the choice, what would we keep, improve, or


outsource to some other program, or even get rid of
altogether?

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 3


Naming Your Core Priorities
If you’re having a hard time prioritizing or trimming your current services,
consider that not all standard elements of RHY programming fit every location.
If your RHY program is located in an area with harsh winters, you know
sending outreach workers onto the streets may not be particularly effective
in the coldest months. Or perhaps you know your drop-in center has never
attracted the young people most in need of shelter or supportive services.
Now is the chance to take your experience and create a slightly different
program, possibly one that is narrower but goes deeper in some important
way.

And consider something else. Society, the economy, your community, and
Is your RHY program
youth themselves are always changing, and your services should change
addressing all the issues it as well. Is your RHY program addressing all the issues it could be, or is
could be, or is something something going on locally you know you should take on directly but haven’t?
going on locally you If there’s a new underlying risk factor for young people, working on it (either
alone or with a partner) can make you more relevant to your community and
know you should take on
more competitive for new sources of funding.
directly but haven’t?

Exercise: Zeroing in on What You Do Best

Now that you’ve discussed these questions as a group, fill out the following
table. The left column names typical RHY program components. No RHY
program will do all of them, and your program may offer services not noted
here. Find the ones your program offers, and consider how you would change
them, if at all. Again, you’re thinking about what you know your program does
well and what is most needed and appreciated by the community.

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 4


BASED ON WHAT OUR RHY PROGRAM DOES BEST, WE SHOULD . . .

Begin sharing Begin sharing


Maintain core
Scale up or expenses costs with Drop service
service at the
down across our outside altogether
current level
organization partners

Academic tutoring

Adolescent
counseling

Basic needs (hygiene


items, socks,
blankets)

Case management

Childcare

Drop-in location /
services

Educational testing /
referral

Emergency housing
(shelter, host home,
etc.)

Family counseling

Food (pantry or meal


site)

Formal mentoring

HIV/STI testing

Jobs program

Mobile crisis
response

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 5


Onsite health care
(including mobile van)

Prevention

Recreation

Relationship/sexuality
education

Service learning /
youth volunteer
projects

Street outreach

Substance abuse
prevention

Substance abuse
treatment

Transitional housing

Transportation

Truancy reduction

Young parent
education

Youth social
enterprise

Additions and
innovations

Source: Adapted from Nonprofit Funding & Fiscal Solutions, University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, 2017.

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 6


Your New Budget
If you and your colleagues have worked through the preceding section, you’ve
just finished the hardest part, which is re-imagining your program. That’s hard
work, so congratulations! You’ve named the program you want to run and the
one your community needs. Now you need to figure out what that program
costs. This is different from the amount you spend on your program now,
given that you’re used to covering services and activities that may no longer
be relevant.

To get started, try this mental exercise. Take your current grant amount and
cut it in half. How would you continue providing your core services on this
reduced amount? Hopefully you will never have to operate on half of your
usual budget or trim it so dramatically. This is a “what-if” exercise to get you
and your colleagues thinking about your non-negotiable priorities.

Exercise: How Much Funding Do You Actually Need?

The tool below, from GuideStar, presents the budget of a youth organization
and poses a series of questions you can ask about your own program, such
as how much of your budget is fixed, how much is flexible, and whether you
are in a position to turn down funding that may take you off course.

Financial SCAN Report for Local Youth Group, GuideStar/Nonprofit Finance


Fund (2013): https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/733304/docs/AnonymousReport-
final.pdf?t=1503341477278

Once you’ve figured out what financial support you absolutely must have to
run the program your community needs, you’re ready to think about:

1. How you can operate those services at a lower cost, and/or

2. How you can raise new funds to support them.

Both topics are addressed in detail in Section 4.

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 7


Want to go deeper?
Resiliency Guide 2.0, S. D. Bechtel, Jr., Foundation (2016). This is a discussion
of the seven factors of organizational resiliency, how to know if you have them,
and what to do to strengthen them.
http://sdbjrfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ResiliencyGuide.pdf

Building Sustainable Programs: The Resource Guide, Office of Adolescent


Health (2014). Developed for teen pregnancy prevention grantees, this guide
includes tips and exercises applicable to any youth-serving program. https://
www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/sites/default/files/sustainability-resource-guide.pdf

“When You’ve Got to Cut Costs Now,” Harvard Business Review (2010). This
is a discussion of how organizations can trim 10% or more of their budget
without major ramifications.
https://hbr.org/2010/05/when-youve-got-to-cut-costs-now

Section 1: Deciding to Plan, Starting Now 8


Section 2: Building to Your Strengths
RHY programs are good at seeing youth from a strengths-based
perspective. They need to see themselves that way, too. No matter how
concerned you are about financing your program without a large federal
grant, it is vitally important that you take some time to think about all the
resources you do have. Now is the time to take inventory, because these Does Your RHY Program Have
are truly the arrows in your quiver—what you bring to the challenge of a Culture of Learning?
sustaining your program. You may never have thought about your assets in Does
»» As Your RHY
a program, Program Have a
we invest
this way. If not, you probably haven’t utilized them to the fullest extent that Culture
considerable of Learning?
time in
you could. So let’s break it down. reflection and learning.
»» As a program, we invest considerable
time
»» We’re in reflection
good and learning.
idea generators and can
Your People name times we’ve
»» We’re good ideaexperimented
generators and can
withname
new times
ways of doing
we’ve things.
experimented
Your people are your greatest asset. You have staff at many levels with
many different kinds of expertise; you also have advisors, board members, »» Wewith new ways examine
constructively of doing things.
organizational leaders, and young people. All are ambassadors for your mistakes and missteps.
»» We constructively examine
program, capable of spreading the good word about what you do and
»» Wemistakes
have, andand missteps.
use, accountability
building important relationships in your community. But it’s unlikely you’ve
mechanisms suchuse,
»» We have, and as performance
accountability
intentionally mobilized all of them to advance your mission. In fact, they may
management systems.
mechanisms such as performance
have never even considered the fact they are emissaries, representing the
program to everyone in their social and professional circles. »» Wemanagement systems.
regularly collect and analyze
data
»» Weto regularly
evaluate collect
our performance.
and analyze
Resilient programs need everybody on board toward the larger mission,
»» Ourdata
stafftounderstands
evaluate ourthe
performance.
basics
from the board chair to the part-time overnight respite worker. Every
of
»» evaluation and why collecting
Our staff understands the basics
individual on staff should know how to do two essential things:
quality data is necessary.
of evaluation and why collecting
(1) summarize your RHY program’s work in compelling language, and (2) tell
stories from your program. »» Wequality
have a data is necessary.
strong infrastructure to
manage dataa and
»» We have useinfrastructure
strong it to track to
Both of these issues are discussed at length in subsequent sections. [See progress toward our goals.
manage data and use it to track
Communicating About Your RHY Program on page 23 and Creating a »» Weprogress toward our
invest in external goals.
evaluation.
Culture of Philanthropy in Your RHY Program on page 27].
»» We
»» We useinvest in external
our data evaluation.
to inform
decision
»» We usemaking.
our data to inform
decision making.
Source: Adapted from Resiliency Guide
2.0,Source: Adapted
S. D. Bechtel, Jr., from Resiliency Guide
Foundation
2.0
(2016).

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 9


Proof Your Program Is Effective
As a current or former FYSB RHY grantee, you have the data you’ve been
required to collect and report, plus any additional data you’ve decided to
gather over time. At a minimum, you know:

»» How many young people you have served


New Stories Your Data Can Tell
»» Their demographics and incoming status (educational, mental health, etc.)
For the past decade, Northeast
Kingdom Youth Services (NEKYS) »» What services you provided to them
in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, has been »» Their status upon leaving your program
collecting data using a survey based
on the Search Institute’s developmental
These are powerful indicators of your program’s scope and impact, and you
assets. The survey was designed
already have them. Use them! These statistics should go in your standard
by members of the statewide RHY
case statement and in your social media, newsletters, and other regular
coalition and refined over time, and
communications with stakeholders, donors, and current and potential funders.
it now includes 22 questions in three
domains, with responses entered
As helpful as your RHY-HMIS data can be, other information can be powerful
into a central database managed by
as well. Think hard about other data you have collected over time. What
the coalition. Agencies can run their
evidence do you have that your program helps young people stabilize, reunite
own reports and use before-and-after
with their families, or become successful adults?
youth scores to talk not just about
what services they’ve provided but the
Now think about what else you could be collecting going forward. If you’re not
differences they make in young people’s
already doing it, consider measuring growth in:
attitudes, beliefs, and relationships
to the community. Staff fill out the
»» Attainment of life skills (mastering self-care, home maintenance,
survey at entry, six-month intervals, budgeting, saving money, etc.)
and exit, based on what they’ve
»» Social competencies like how to resolve conflicts peacefully or repair
learned during case management
relationships with family
meetings and interactions with clients.
Statements young people respond »» Number of youth graduating from high school, entering college, or
to include: “I do at least one thing to graduating from college
be healthy,” and “I have supportive »» Number of youth getting jobs, particularly living-wage jobs, and number of
relationships with one or more family youth retained in jobs more than six months
members.” NEKYS notes improvements »» Number of youth reporting improved mental or physical health
in scores in grant applications as
»» Post-exit housing stability
evidence of the protective factors
its program helps to build.

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 10


Return on investment (ROI)
Part of your effectiveness can be framed in terms of cost savings to
society. For every dollar invested in your RHY program, how much is being
returned to society in the form of salaries and taxes and in reduced public
assistance costs? As complicated as such calculations can be, there is
substantial evidence to support the idea that services to homeless youth
do yield considerable social savings. The Jeremiah Program, a national
program working in multiple cities, provides housing, education, job training,
and childcare to poor, single-mother families. According to evaluators, the
program’s “two-generation” approach returns $2.47 in net benefits for each
dollar invested (Diaz & Piña, 2013). Those savings come from the mothers’
increased taxable income and lower reliance on public benefits. In the second
generation, they derive from children’s higher eventual wages and decreased
costs associated with special education and crime. A similar analysis of a
family-style housing program for homeless youth in Australia suggested
even more impressive results, calculating that society as a whole reaped
$12 for every dollar spent (Lighthouse Foundation, 2012). In that analysis,
benefits to all stakeholders, including youth workers who grew in professional
competence as a result of their employment, were estimated.

Your Expertise, Accomplishments, and Reputation


Chances are good that your RHY program does something in your community
that no one else does or could do. Chances are also good that you’ve
developed important processes or tools for your community or even for the
RHY field in general. These are important markers of your expertise, and you
should claim them proudly. The following exercise will help you identify your
program’s bona fides.

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 11


Exercise: Your RHY Bona Fides

Check all that apply:


1. Our RHY program has won:

●● Awards

●● Other official local, state, or federal recognition

2. Our RHY staff has created, produced, or collaborated with


outside professionals on:
●● Innovative practices in working with young people

●● Research (self-published or peer-reviewed)

●● Needs assessments

●● Qualitative or quantitative program evaluations

●● Innovative partnerships

●● Conference presentations

●● Media op-ed pieces

●● Toolkits

●● Case studies

●● Tip sheets for youth, family, or caregivers

●● Online mapping tools

●● A blog

Now answer these questions, filling in the blank on #5.

3. Our RHY staff has taken leadership in these coalitions or on


these committees:

4. Our RHY staff has been active in these coalitions or on these


committees:

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 12


Deep Knowledge of Your Community
Your RHY program may be one of many social service programs in your town,
city, or county, but your expertise and experience are likely unique. Your staff
understands homeless and disconnected young people and their needs in a
way no one else does and has a keen appreciation for the array of supports
your community currently does, and does not, offer. Your program also knows
what new trends are creating opportunities and risks for young people. This
knowledge makes you an important and respected voice.

So, knowing what you do, what can you demonstrate about current youth
needs in your community? What can you say about what is going right
and wrong for vulnerable young people, and what absolutely needs to be
improved? Consider the Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara, California. In
2017, its staff utilized a large-scale peer-report survey process to develop
an estimate of the number of homeless young people in their area. The staff
surveyed high school students in low- and high-income communities and
found that 17% were either homeless or couch-surfing or knew someone
under the age of 19 who was. The agency also surveyed students in two
community colleges and found that an alarming 44% of respondents were
unhoused or knew another student who was. The agency plans to use the
data to persuade local partners to engage with these young people now,
before their housing problems escalate and derail them. It also started an
online campaign to get parents to talk to high-school-age couch-surfers.
Finally, the agency plans to use the information to apply for additional funding
to support programming for homeless youth and young adults in the county.

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 13


Partners, Allies, and Champions
Your RHY program likely has a large network of partners, allies, and
champions—schools, advocacy groups, local employers, police, other
social service providers, youth, and parents. Think about them. Who in this
circle will actually notice and be upset if your program can no longer serve
vulnerable young people? These are the individuals who will make calls
for you, collaborate with you on new funding initiatives, and help you think
through your options. Some of these friends will be obvious; you’ve known
them a long time and have them on speed dial. Others may be people you
have not been in frequent contact with but who have seen the benefits of your
programming and will happily carry water for you if asked. Name them and
their organizations, and then name any decision makers or funders with whom
they are associated.

Exercise: Your Wells of Support

Name Organization Important


Connections

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 14


Other Assets
Most RHY programs don’t stand entirely alone. Usually they are part of more
comprehensive services; perhaps they operate alongside programs serving
youth in foster care, for instance. Contraction in one program area can
sometimes be offset by expansion in another, and occasionally funding can be
blended to serve populations with overlapping characteristics or needs. The
property your organization may own—the multi-bedroom home that houses
your maternity group home or transitional living program, for instance—can
likewise find flexible uses between periods of active program operation, even
purposes (such as providing low-cost rental housing) that generate income.

Finally, from consultant Sandy Rees, consider the assets you have that don’t Contraction in one program
fit into any of the above categories: area can sometimes be
offset by expansion in
»» A compelling mission
another, and occasionally
»» A large, active donor base
funding can be blended
»» Well-known staff or board members
to serve populations
»» A facility that lends itself well to tours
with overlapping
»» Organizational vehicles that are visible and driven around town regularly
characteristics or needs.
»» An attractive, active website and social media presence with many likes,
follows, and visitors who post
»» Opportunities for earned income
»» A celebrity who supports your organization

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 15


Want to go deeper?
“From Tokens to Leaders: Youth Perspectives on Youth Organizing” [Podcast],
University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute (2017). This is a discussion
with young people on youth advisory councils around the country. https://
soundcloud.com/user-598962638/from-tokens-to-leaders-tpp-youth-leaders-
share-their-experiences

“Boards: The Secret to Successful Fundraising” [Blog post], Amy Eisenstein


(2011). This describes how to intentionally create dynamic boards, train
board members in fundraising, and leverage their contacts. http://www.
amyeisenstein.com/boards-the-secret-to-successful-fundraising/

Homeless Youth Estimation Project, Youth Catalytics (n.d.). This describes


peer-report methodology designed to provide a reliable estimate of the
number of youth in any given school district who have left home and are living
somewhere else temporarily. https://www.youthcatalytics.org/tools/homeless_
and_transient_youth_counting/

Youth Count! Initiative, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (2012). This


describes innovative strategies piloted for counting and understanding the
needs of unstably housed youth populations. https://www.usich.gov/tools-for-
action/youth-count

Voices of Youth Count, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (n.d.). This
includes tools and resources for homeless service providers, including
“Missed Opportunities: National Estimates,” a research brief on the prevalence
of youth homelessness issued in October 2017. http://voicesofyouthcount.org/
chapin-hall/

Asset Mapping, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (n.d.). These are
training materials on the what, when, and how of asset mapping. http://
healthpolicy.ucla.edu/programs/health-data/trainings/Documents/tw_cba20.
pdf

A Super Simple Fundraising Plan Template, Network for Good & Third
Space Studio (2017). This includes seven steps that help small, non-profit
organizations set priorities and goals for individual giving plans (or any kind of
fundraising). http://bit.ly/2xqqsv1

Section 2: Building to Your Strengths 16


Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow
Community Support
How is your program perceived? Is it a well-known institution in the
community, recognized for doing vitally important work with young people
who need urgent help? Or does it operate under the radar, known primarily
to just a few community partners? If you have a great deal of support, good
for you; keep going and grow it further. If you don’t, you’ll need to cultivate it,
reaching out in ways you may never have done before. But before you ask for
your community’s help, consider what it is you truly want.

What Do You Want from Your Community?
Before you start promoting your program extensively, it is important to be clear
about what you are asking from your community. Or, more precisely, what
is it you are asking of the various groups within it. What are you trying to do,
create, or grow? Who can help you, and what precisely do you want them to
do?

For instance, your primary goal as an RHY program is undoubtedly to ensure


homeless young people in your community make successful transitions to
adulthood. For them to do that, they need a number of things, including a
healthy place to live at least until they graduate from high school. To control
the cost of your housing program, you may determine you need volunteer
host homes. How many? Five? Twenty? Who are the people in your
community most likely to be able and willing to provide host homes? Young
people also need places to gain job skills and work in the community. What
kinds of employers are the best matches for your youth? How many jobs or
training sites would be ideal? How can you influence those who make hiring
decisions?

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 17


All Communities Are Diverse
The key to crafting effective messages and requests is tailoring them to the
intended audience. Aiming a message at “the general public” won’t work—the
general public, as such, doesn’t even exist. Think of all the people in your
community. You know they don’t fit into one box, and you know they have
varying assumptions about vulnerable youth and the work programs like yours
do.

Different people also have very different things to offer your program. Some
are in a position to improve state policy on housing and supports to homeless
youth. Others are in a position to put vulnerable youth high on the local
government agenda. Some can advance your cause with large donors or local
foundations. Still others can refer their friends to your services.

Think about whose opinions matter the most to your success and who is
closest to the individuals making important decisions. Is it young people ages
15 to 21, middle and high school administrators, juvenile justice workers, local
small business people, or local foundations dedicated to improving education?
Think narrowly. Each group needs a separate message and a separate “ask.”

Getting to Know Your Potential Supporters


How do you persuade people in your community to care about homeless
youth and the services you provide them? The short answer is by trying to see
the world as they do. Staff in RHY programs tend to subscribe to a similar set
of core beliefs and values. Not surprisingly, others may not share them. Since
you’re unlikely to fundamentally change anybody’s worldview, you must learn
to align your messages with the values of each particular audience.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 18


Exercise: What Do Our Audiences Care About?

Spend some time getting to know your audiences. For each audience that
is important to the success of your program, ask yourself the following
questions. (The point is not to judge people for their attitudes but to identify
those attitudes so you can approach your audiences in ways they can “hear.”)

»» What media do they consume? It’s natural for people to tune in to news
and opinions that reinforce their worldview. What are those news sources?
Note the articles and videos your target audience members forward to
friends and family and the sources of information they rely on to justify their
positions.

»» What issues do they publicly associate with? What causes do they


support? What networks and associations do they belong to?

»» What do they care about and worry about most? What’s their
fundamental concern when it comes to young people? Public health
funders may be primarily interested in the spread of HIV among vulnerable
teens. High school administrators may be interested in finding a housing
solution for the young people in their schools who are drifting from couch
to couch and sometimes approaching teachers or guidance counselors for
help. Business people may mostly care about the readiness of the entry-
level workforce. You will secure these groups’ support when you offer to
help them advance their own agendas, not just yours.

Communicating about Runaway and Homeless Youth


To be moved to action, people in your community must be persuaded of the
following:

»» Homeless youth aren’t to blame for their own homelessness.


»» Housing instability among youth is more common than most believe.
»» Homelessness leads to adult poverty and greater social costs for
everyone.
»» The action you want them to take is consistent with their own values.

Personal stories about young people who have experienced homelessness—


ones that explain why youth ended up on the streets, what they had to endure
there, and how they’ve worked to improve their circumstances via your
program—can get this message across better than any set of statistics.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 19


Characteristics of Compelling Stories about Young
“I Thought I Wasn’t Meant for
People
Anything More”
My name is Carol and I’ve been All stories are not created equal. Some are inauthentic-sounding or patently
a resident at Sasha Bruce’s manipulative. Others are powerful and even life-changing. What’s the
Transitional Living Program for difference between the two? Effective stories:
eight months now. Before I came
here, I did not have a GED or
»» Tell the true story of an individual, not a composite story.
diploma or job. I was involved in
an unhealthy relationship, and was »» Focus on an actual person.
addicted to drugs. My family had
»» Follow a narrative arc, presenting an individual in a bad situation that leads
even turned their backs on me. I
to crisis, which then leads to resolution.
felt at the time that that was how
my life was supposed to be; that I »» Tell the story from the perspective of the individual experiencing the crisis
wasn’t meant for anything more. or a first-hand observer or helper.

The staff here has helped me deal »» Don’t use acronyms or social services jargon.
with a lot and shown me there are »» Are short enough to tell in 1 to 2 minutes or even to post on Twitter.
people who care and who won’t
throw you away because you made
a mistake. TLP has shown me that Are you conflicted about telling stories about the young people receiving your
when a problem comes up, I can’t services? Professionals in the field respect and honor young people and want
react with a temper, and that I have to celebrate their strengths. Sharing sensational or lurid details about their
to think about ways to resolve the lives denies youth dignity.
issue. They’ve taught me how to
live with other people, negotiate on
Using vague, sterile language to mask the reality of their experiences doesn’t
things with my roommate, and how
to appropriately stick up for myself. serve young people’s interests either. Engendering support for youth requires
The staff helped me with finding a speaking plainly and concretely—not to sensationalize or pander but to simply
job and activities to get involved in. tell the truth. Just as you speak to young people in ways they understand;
working hard every day to “meet them where they are,” the same skills are
Since finding out about this program needed to communicate with adults who may have misconceptions about
and being here my life has changed
youth experiencing homelessness.
significantly. I’ve been sober for
almost a year. I got my GED in June.
Once again, I have a relationship The six primary types of stories described below put personal narratives
with my family and go to church front and center. Called the “Sacred Bundle” by corporate and non-profit
every Sunday with my mom. I’m no communications consultant Andy Goodman, these are the six buckets every
longer in an abusive relationship. organization should be filling with stories.
The staff here has helped me do
things I never thought I’d be doing.
I’m now enrolled at Gibbs College »» The “nature of our challenge” story: This story describes the problem
to get my Associates Degree in you are trying to address with your services. Don’t rely heavily on statistics.
computer networking. I just know Stories mean more to people than numbers.
I wouldn’t be where I am today
without the TLP program and staff. »» The creation story: This is the “how we started” story—the story for
internal or external use everyone in the program should know. (A good
Source: Stories of Hope, Sasha example of a creation story comes from Karis, Inc., in Grand Junction,
Bruce (n.d.). Colorado: http://thehousegj.org/index.php/history/.)

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 20


»» The emblematic success story: This is the story that proves your
program is having an impact, and in a way no other organization in your
community could.

»» The values story: How much do your services align with your values?
Since many organizations proclaim similar values—collaboration, integrity,
respect, etc.—you need to describe how your organization uniquely lives up
to its beliefs.

»» The “striving to improve” story: This story is for internal use. It says,
“Sometimes we fall short, and sometimes we outright fail, but we always
learn from our mistakes and do better next time.”

»» The “where we are going” story: This story presents an idealized vision
of what the world would look like if your program were wildly successful.
(This video, made for the British homeless charity Crisis, is a powerful
example of this kind of story: https://lbbonline.com/news/new-crisis-film-
imagines-waking-in-a-world-without-homelessness/.) If you say, “We empower
Source: Adapted from How to Create Nonprofit Stories that Inspire, Goodman, youth,” instead of, “A
A. (2017). 15-year-old girl came to us
last week who had been
The Power of Getting Personal
living in a car with her
You’re sitting in the stands at a local softball game, and you meet a person boyfriend,” you’re missing
who asks you what you do for a living. You say, “I work for Sunrise Youth
a chance to convey the
Services.” The person says, “I don’t think I’ve heard of Sunrise Youth
life-and-death importance
Services.” You say, “We offer an array of supports for vulnerable youth.” The
person says, “Oh.” of your work. Be specific
and convey the details.
Instead, you could have said the following: “Teenagers who have no homes
come to us to get off the street. We take over the role of loving parent for a
while, making sure the youth have a safe place to stay while we help them
get healthy and finish school. Since they can’t rely on their own parents, we
teach them how to be adults, so they can go back out into the world and be
independent.”

This clearly isn’t the only thing you could say, and it may not even reflect the
central thrust of your work. Maybe your work is more about helping teens who
have been sold for sex heal from the experience. Maybe it’s about helping
angry and fearful young people leave gang life and work toward something
better. The point is to describe your work in simple and specific language—the
language you would use, for example, with someone who knows absolutely
nothing about your issue.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 21


Talking about your program and clients in lay terms doesn’t necessarily come
naturally. The first step is recognizing some of the language you routinely
use—with each other, with funders, and with the community—is insiders’
lingo. For a clearer picture of do’s and don’ts, try the exercises in “Words that
Can Help Your Program, Words that Definitely Won’t,” a blog post from Youth
Catalytics: https://www.youthcatalytics.org/8004-2/.

Resource: Storytelling Capture Tool


Most RHY programs understand they need to tell stories but don’t have a
way to consistently capture information on which those stories would be
based. Ideally, your RHY staff should be developing many stories and banking
them so you have them when you need them. This storytelling capture tool,
developed by Youth Catalytics, is meant to help staff at different levels, and
across sites, document the stories they see and follow up for more details if
necessary. It also provides tips for documenting young people’s consent to
use their stories. Access a one-page printable PDF of this form here: https://
www.youthcatalytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/story-capture-tool.pdf.

1. How did this young person come to your attention?


2. What did you initially notice about him or her?
3. What was his/her family situation like?
4. What was he/she struggling with?
5. What was his/her past like?
6. What did he or she do in your program—what actual activities?
7. How did you see him/her changing?
8. Was there a pivotal moment when you realized something had changed
for the better? Describe if so.
9. What’s his/her situation and attitude like right now?
10. What surprised you or impressed you about this change?

Source: Storytelling Capture Tool, Youth Catalytics (2017).

Formats for Stories


There are, of course, many ways to create stories about young people and
many types of media in which they can appear. Today, storytelling technology
is relatively cheap and easy to use. Digital stories, photovoice projects, and
youth-led social media campaigns are all realistic possibilities for nearly any
youth program.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 22


For instance, Health in My Hometown was a youth photovoice project
conducted in 16 communities in Minnesota, produced by Community
Blueprint with funding from the Minnesota Department of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In it, young people received basic
photojournalism training and then were asked to record the forces in their
communities that kept them healthy and the forces that worked against their
health. See the photos here: http://healthinmyhometown.org.

Digital stories by or about individual young people, such as Jason & Ebony,
produced by Covenant House, can offer powerful portraits of young
people navigating crisis and coming out the other side with new resources,
opportunities, and hope. See the story here: https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=4AohxX4LUvo.

Not all digital stories need to be professionally produced. Sometimes, lack


of polish itself is a mark of authenticity. For instance, this digital story, made
by a young Native American man seeking to reconcile his sexual identity with
his religious faith, is compelling precisely because it looks so homemade. My The right messages from
Calling: Isaiah’s Story: https://vimeo.com/142911828 the right messengers can
persuade and build good
Even public art can raise the profile of homeless youth. See this work,
created as part of Street Stories, a creative partnership between Depaul, will among your donors,
a British charity, and a London advertising firm: http://www.huffingtonpost. legislators, community
com/2014/03/28/street-stories_n_5030021.html. partners, and others.

Communicating about Your RHY Program


You likely know you should have a written communications plan—one that
lays out clear goals, overarching strategies, and tactical activities. If you don’t
have such a plan, it is probably because either you view communications
as a secondary activity, or your program simply doesn’t have the time and
expertise to think much about it. To sustain your program, however, you
need the active, ongoing support of key audiences and stakeholders. The
right messages from the right messengers can persuade and build good will
among your donors, legislators, community partners, and others.

It isn’t necessary to communicate with every audience about every aspect


of your program, but it is important to identify your programmatic goals, the
specific audiences that can help you achieve them, and the messages they
need to hear to take action. Then and only then do you need to decide what
tactics (e.g., video, mail, traditional and social media) to use to reach your
target audiences. (To build a solid and practical communications plan, see
Smart Chart 3.0, cited at the end of this section, along with many other tools
and resources.)

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 23


Once you have crafted your plan, you’ll need to devote some resources to
executing it effectively. At a minimum, you will need:

»» Internal agreement and alignment on the goals stated in your plan.


»» At least a small budget and dedicated staff time.
»» A staff person trained to speak to the media and a staff and board that
know to direct questions from the media to the spokesperson.
»» A way to measure progress toward communications goals.
»» A crisis communications plan in case something comes up that could hurt
your public reputation.

Using Statistics Effectively


For decades, federally funded RHY programs have been required to collect
data on their clients and services. They have also been encouraged to use
those data to educate their communities about the positive outcomes their
programs achieve. A decade ago, this meant sharing bulleted lists of your
most impressive statistics in every newsletter, program brochure, and grant
application. Contemporary understanding of how human brains receive and
process information indicates statistics rarely have the persuasive power once
assumed. Indeed, brain and behavior science demonstrates that if you’re
trying to convince someone who doesn’t already believe in your cause, leading
with a statistical argument can actually backfire.

So should you throw data out the window when it comes to communicating
with potential partners or supporters? No. But use it sparingly and present it in
visually appealing ways. People in your community will be most persuaded by
just one or two compelling statistics, ones that are carefully chosen because
they relate to the story you’re telling and the intention you have for your
audience’s response.

Data Visualization
Attractive, simple data visualization techniques, expressed as infographics,
charts, or maps, are powerful ways to:

»» Launch a fundraising campaign and provide updates.


»» Express the scope of need
»» Share a human story.
»» Create annual reports that graphically summarize your work, clients,
transformations, donations, and budget.
»» Describe your services. See the example to the left from Waking the
Village in Sacramento, California.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 24


In Section 2, you considered the data you’re already required to report,
plus any additional information you may be collecting. Infographics are one
potential vehicle for these data.

Even if you don’t have access to a graphic design professional or advanced


design software, there are a number of free or low-cost tools available online
that can help. Additional resources with examples of data visualization
approaches and tools are included at the end of this section. Learning to use
appealing visuals can help programs capture an audience’s attention and
simplify complex issues.

Video
In these days of YouTube, Vimeo, and other online video sites, many RHY
grantees find it simple to make and upload videos about their programs.
Again, the most powerful videos you can create are those that tell stories—the
stories of young people, the stories of their families, or the stories of your staff.
Again, the most powerful
Depending on how professional you need those videos to be—and, as noted,
videos you can create are
“polish” isn’t always necessary or even desirable—you could spend almost
nothing or several thousand dollars. (If you have a video producer on your those that tell stories—the
board or among your friends, you’re in luck!) stories of young people,
the stories of their families,
See how Daybreak Inc. in Dayton, Ohio, and Vermont Coalition of Runaway
or the stories of your staff.
and Homeless Youth Programs offer very different examples of how to bring
members of your community into your day-to-day work with young people.
See Daybreak’s video series here: http://daybreakdayton.org/index.php?/a/
News/Videos.html. In Vermont, the coalition hired a professional ethnographer
to capture stories. The coalition has used the videos in staff training and on
social media, and is exploring entering them into the film festival circuit and
airing them on public access channels. See the Vermont videos here: https://
vcrhyp.org/site-snapshots.html.

Not surprisingly, one of the best ways to plan and create videos is by engaging
young people themselves, particularly if the audience is other youth. In this
Q&A, youth media consultant Kenny Neal Shults offers insight on how to
harness the talents of young people to create powerful video campaigns:
https://www.youthcatalytics.org/publications/interviews/qa_youth_digital_
messages/.

Are you looking for additional inspiration? Focus Ireland released a video on
youth homelessness that trended on Twitter immediately following its release.
Take a look at I Can’t Sleep to discover why: https://vimeo.com/233299441.

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 25


Want to go deeper?
Smart Chart 3.0, Spitfire Strategies (n.d.). This is a step-by-step guide for
creating or upgrading a communications plan. http://www.spitfirestrategies.
com/tools/#tab1

Digital S.M.A.R.T.S., Spitfire Strategies (n.d.). This includes tips for non-profit
organizations looking to expand digital reach, understand different platforms,
and engage effectively through digital formats. http://www.spitfirestrategies.
com/tools/#tab5

Discovering the Activation Point, Spitfire Strategies (2006). This includes best
practices for planning for persuasion, tailored to the unique needs of social
change organizations. http://www.spitfirestrategies.com/tools/#tab2

Heartwired: Human Behavior, Strategic Opinion Research and the Audacious


Pursuit of Social Change, Pérez and Simon (2017). This offers the latest
research on audience research, storytelling, and persuasive communication.
http://heartwiredforchange.com/download/

Free-Range Thinking, The Goodman Center (n.d.). This is a monthly newsletter


devoted to helping non-profit organizations advance their strategic goals
through effective storytelling. http://www.thegoodmancenter.com/resources/
newsletters/

Project Zoom-In, Youth Catalytics (2009). This provides tools for youth-driven
community needs assessments, plus a photovoice manual. https://www.
youthcatalytics.org/tools/project_zoom-in/

“Data Visualization 101: How to Choose the Right Chart or Graph for Your
Data” [Blog post], Hubspot (2017). This offers five questions to ask yourself
when deciding which type of visual representation to apply to data. https://
blog.hubspot.com/marketing/data-visualization-choosing-chart

“Let’s Get Visual: Nonprofit Data Visualization” [Blog post], Elevation (2016).
This provides basic tips about how to add visual appeal to communications
and where to find tools. https://blog.elevationweb.org/nonprofit-data-
visualization

“The Top 9 Infographic Template Types” [Blog post], Venngage (2018). This
explains the advantages of using different infographic layouts and includes
examples of each version. https://venngage.com/blog/9-types-of-infographic-
template/

Section 3: Shaping Perceptions to Grow Community Support 26


Section 4: Building Your
Program’s Financial Resources
Most RHY programs know diversity in funding and partnerships is the most
effective way to build financial stability and long-term sustainability. And they
also know it’s important to start thinking about sustainability early, in fact
immediately upon award of a federal grant.

Of course most programs do think about how they’re going to fund their
programs from year to year. In fact, many continually wrestle with financial
worries, knowing that at least some of their programs are at risk of shrinking
or even disappearing. But cultivating new, sustaining resources requires you
Beliefs Common to
Organizations with Successful
to think in new ways, invest your time differently, and do different things. One
Fundraising Programs
of the most important strategies is to create a culture of philanthropy in your
organization as a whole, or in other words, find ways staff and leaders at all »» Fundraising is a form of organizing
levels can play a role in sustainability. and power-building, not
merely a strategy for financing
That’s what this section is about. the organization’s work.

»» Development and communications


Remember this: (a) It’s never too early to start, and (b) it’s never too late to start. are inextricably linked.
No matter where you may be in your federal grant cycle, now is the time to Compelling communications
jump in and begin creating a solid plan for life after your federal grant. You’ll be are a powerful way to acquire,
stronger as a result. engage, and retain donors.

»» With support, all staff can play


Creating a Culture of Philanthropy in Your RHY important roles in fundraising.
Program
»» The conversation about
Some RHY programs rely on a dedicated development person or department to fundraising goals and progress
write grants, run annual appeals, and organize fundraising events. If that’s you, belongs everywhere. It’s not
and your program is embedded in a much larger organization, perhaps that contained in a single department
development department is generally adequate for your needs. On the other or confined to a single team.
hand, perhaps it can’t spend as much time on your RHY program as you would
like. Or maybe you don’t have an actual development person at all and instead
parcel out grant writing and fundraising duties to a small number of individuals
in your leadership. If they’re stretched, perhaps you keep small projects in-
house but hire outside grant writers to do the heavy lifting on big grants.

Whatever your arrangement, it’s likely you consistently find yourself needing
more support to provide the quality or quantity of services you wish to offer.
“More support” generally means support from without—more donors, for
instance. But more support should also come from within. Generating adequate
support for your program can never be the job of just one or two people. That
doesn’t mean every single staff should be soliciting donations, but it does
mean everyone has to play an active role in representing the program in the
community and building the support it needs.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 27


Exercise: Do You Have a Culture of Philanthropy? A Quiz

Ask your staff to consider these statements individually, and then share their
thoughts in a group setting. Encourage everyone to be totally candid.

1. Fundraising is our development department’s job; the rest of the staff is


only involved in superficial ways.

2. Everybody in our program knows how to talk effectively about our mission.

3. Sometimes we have to take on projects that aren’t really our specialty—


financially, that’s the only way to survive.

4. We contact donors during fund drives, but aside from that, we’re not
particularly engaged with them.

5. Our entire board is active in fundraising.

6. Our main goal is growing our donor list.

7. Our staff and board members interact frequently—they know and like each
other.

8. We put particular focus on keeping the donors we have.

9. Every staff member in our program understands how to be a good


ambassador to the community.

10. If I want to find additional money for my program, it’s up to me. None of my
colleagues can offer substantial help.

11. Outside of our federal grant(s), my RHY program doesn’t really have a
funding strategy.

12. In my program, we tend to work in silos; everybody has a particular role


and sticks to it.

13. We make an ongoing effort to thoughtfully involve young people in our


fundraising efforts.

In a truly philanthropic culture, answers should be: 1, no; 2, yes; 3, no; 4, no; 5,
yes; 6, no; 7, yes; 8, yes; 9, yes; 10, no; 11, no; 12, no; and 13, yes.

Source: Adapted from Beyond Fundraising: What Does it Mean to Build a Culture
of Philanthropy?, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund (2015).

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 28


Making Fundraising a Part of Everyone’s Job
Asking RHY staff to take a measure of responsibility for the well-being of the
program as a whole is asking them to keep the big picture front and center. At
the most basic level, the big picture will always be the organization’s mission,
vision, and values. It may sound corny, but you should laminate and post
these in a highly visible location so staff and leadership alike can be reminded
daily of your overarching goal—the reason you all come to work, the reason
you work here instead of someplace else.

Below are specific points of entry where your program can acclimate staff to
the idea that everyone is responsible for the program’s quality and longevity.

Hiring
In a standard interview, applicants are asked why they are drawn to the
position and to the organization itself. Even at this early point, they should be
able to express the mission as they understand it and why the services being
New staff should be
provided in the community are important and necessary. You might consider
adding these two questions: thoroughly briefed in the
messages the program
»» How would you describe the RHY population in our community to has developed for
someone who doesn’t know anything about them?
particular audiences and
»» How would you describe our program and the work we do?
stakeholder groups.

Orientation
If you’re setting new expectations for hires, or formalizing ones that have
previously gone unspoken, orientation is the most effective time to do it.

»» Include some time with the development and communications directors


(in many cases, these duties fall to the same person). New staff should
be thoroughly briefed in the messages the program has developed for
particular audiences and stakeholder groups. There should never be a
time when a staff person is stumped on how to describe the program
to teachers, guidance counselors, businesspeople, or local city council
members—or anyone else, for that matter.

»» During orientation, new hires should learn where and how they will be
expected to assist development efforts—for instance, by selling tickets to
fundraising events, representing the organization at community events on
and off duty, noting and passing on information about potential volunteers
and donors, or thanking supporters.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 29


Job Description
All staff should have a section of their job description that makes plain the
expectation that they are an emissary for the organization, and beyond the
day-to-day work, they are expected to both initiate and accept any and
all opportunities to educate the community about the organization and its
mission.

Weekly Supervision and Staff Meetings


The standard agenda for individual and group meetings should include time to
review community outreach experiences staff members have had in the past
week and anticipate those coming up. Staff should be reminded to think about
Each time you introduce and identify new opportunities in those interactions. Did a staff member attend
your RHY program and a meeting with new people who are open to partnering on a critical new
its work to someone issue? Did someone meet a clergy person who mused out loud about how her
congregation is trying to increase its engagement with young people? Did you
new, you’re potentially
run into a member of the local parent-teacher association who confided that
introducing it to everyone the school district is struggling to serve more and more disconnected youth?
that person knows as well. Each time you introduce your RHY program and its work to someone new,
you’re potentially introducing it to everyone that person knows as well. Make
the most of these chances to draw new supporters, donors, and volunteers
into your orbit.

Annual Review
In most annual performance reviews, the supervisor and staff member reflect
on their established goals, achievements, and any obstacles they experienced
during the past year. It’s unusual for an individual staff member (other than
development personnel) to be held responsible for achievements that benefit
the organization as a whole. This is a missed opportunity for praise where
an employee stepped up, or encouragement where an employee could have
done more. Include a section in the performance review that addresses this
specifically.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 30


How Different Fundraising Methods Stack Up
If your organization is already juggling multiple funding sources for a single program, you likely know each
has its own benefits and challenges. For example, while state contracts might represent a reliable, ongoing
source of revenue, they may be prescriptive and rigid in terms of program eligibility and requirements.
Private donations are generally the most flexible, but soliciting them may feel like a never-ending chore. The
table below details the pros and cons of a range of revenue sources.

Funding Sources: The Easy, the Difficult, and the In-Between

Pros Cons

»» Most effective of all fundraising methods »» Labor- and time-intensive,


requiring high levels of board
»» Fastest turnaround time
and volunteer engagement
»» Cultivated and engaged donors
»» Need to train and prepare
often give repeatedly and
solicitors to ask for money
increasingly over time
Individual »» Need clear case statement
»» Builds community support
Solicitation and purpose of ask
»» Creates a diversified funding stream
»» Requires ongoing, active program
of donor research and cultivation
to build support over time

»» Requires planning and follow-


through to be successful
»» Grants may be sizeable, »» Highly competitive
sometimes multi-year
»» Time-limited grants; unlikely to
»» Clear, prescribed, and accessible provide ongoing support
application process
»» Later-stage grant development
Large Private or »» Initial letter of inquiry can be time-intensive
Family Foundations requirement can save time
»» Preference for innovative,
»» May foster partnership with replicable, high-impact projects
grantee, even guiding later-
»» Unlikely to fund local direct service
stage grant development
programs, unless the local community
is a specific focus of the funder
»» Simple, often unstructured »» Often without professional staff
written application process and thus less accessible

»» Personal connections with »» Awards are often small


Small Private or foundation/family members may
Family Foundations »» Awards may go to predetermined
increase funding success
organizations
»» May provide ongoing funding over time
»» Applicant may not receive award
without personal connection

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 31


»» May make sizeable grants »» Grantee’s program may need to have
“public appeal”/not be controversial
»» Clear, prescribed, and accessible
application process »» May have geographical requirement
that program is located near businesses
Large Corporations »» Initial letter of inquiry
or corporate headquarters
and Corporate requirement can save time
Foundations »» Grants may be highly competitive
»» May suggest or encourage
cause-related marketing

»» May be influenced by employee


recommendation
»» Clear, prescribed, and accessible »» Often award smaller sums of money
application process
»» May focus giving on specific
Community »» Good source for local, direct- initiatives or purposes
Foundations service, non-profit organizations

»» May be dependable source


of continuous funding
»» Good source of in-kind donations »» Unlikely to support issues that do
or giving tied to a group project not resonate with congregants’
or group members’ beliefs
»» Responsive to requests made by
Civic and Religious
congregants or group members »» Tend to focus locally
Groups
»» May be a good source of »» Not likely to be a major
volunteers to help with specific source of cash revenue
fundraising efforts/initiatives
»» In-person approach or informal/ »» Gifts tend to be relatively small
brief written request
»» Repeated requests may
Local Businesses »» Accessible result in giving fatigue

»» Usually reliable source of support »» Often more success if solicitor is


for special events/fundraisers friend/patron of the business

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 32


»» Steady source of relatively large awards »» Generally don’t fund start-
up organizations
»» Clear process
Federated Funds »» Lengthy entry process
»» Professional staff
(United Ways,
»» Time-consuming and somewhat
United Arts)
bureaucratic, with annual fundraising
process and periodic in-depth
review of agency recipients
»» Grants often sizeable and »» Grant proposals often lengthy,
awarded for multiple years detailed, and time-consuming

»» Public agencies often hold bidders’ »» Failure to adhere to even


conferences to provide applicants seemingly minor requirements
with Q&A opportunities may doom a proposal

»» Public agencies strive to create level »» Must adhere to complex reporting/


Government (State playing field for potential applicants fiscal tracking requirements
or Federal) »» Application process highly prescribed »» Government-funded programs
are dependent on legislative
approval and political interests;
programs can be defunded

»» Service delivery must conform


to government requirements

»» Usually highly competitive


»» Can be a good way to build »» Labor-intensive and time-consuming
community support and reinforce
»» Requires strong cadre of volunteers
branding/purpose of program
»» May not generate expected revenue
»» May be a renewable or annual source
of funding that builds over time »» Annual events may take several years
Special Events
to begin generating substantial profits
»» Brings together constituents
and community »» Depending on the event, donors
may make small contributions but
»» Can be a major source of revenue
fail to engage in a more substantial
way with the organization

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 33


»» Validates expertise of staff »» Requires marketing and outreach
»» Promotes message and »» May not generate significant
cutting-edge practices income depending on marketing/
outreach strategies
Professional »» May generate significant income
Fees (speaking, if the product has wide appeal »» Expertise may be identified with speaker
consultation, or trainer more than with the organization
technical »» Reinforces expertise and
assistance, and accomplishments of agency or program »» Increasing focus on professional
training) consultation may pull some agencies
»» Furthers mission/purpose through
away from their mission
dissemination and replication of
models, approaches, etc.

»» Depending on items being sold, »» Occasional sale of promotional items


can raise significant income may not generate significant income

»» Can build community support, »» Successful marketing strategies


reinforce branding require expertise and dedicated
Sales*
staff or volunteers
(promotional items, »» Sale of items made by participants or
training manuals or staff/volunteers validates individual skills »» Upfront funds are usually required
videos, etc.) for the production of sales items
»» For some organizations (such
as arts programs), products »» Inventory needs to be maintained
*See page 51 for can reinforce mission and teach
information on marketing skills to participants
social enterprise
»» Avenue for volunteer involvement
and entrepreneurial
approaches.

Source: Adapted from Nonprofit Funding & Fiscal Solutions/UMass Donahue Institute (2014). Based on
Overview of Nonprofit Fundraising Sources and Approaches, McNamara (1999).

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 34


Giving Circles
If there’s a new kid on the funding block, it’s giving circles. Giving circles are
networks of individual donors who come together to pool their contributions.
The circles are growing in popularity, particularly among women, people of
color, and small donors, all of whom have historically been under-represented
in the philanthropic sector. Giving circles create the opportunity for groups to
decide which causes they want to support and then direct significant funding
toward them. Some giving circles function almost like foundations, with well-
defined interests and eligibility standards. Many even issue their own RFPs. If
you don’t know of any giving circles in your city or region, do a quick Internet
search. If they don’t exist in your area, or they don’t focus on vulnerable young Giving circles create the
people, encourage your board, volunteers, or long-time donors to start one. opportunity for groups
By drawing in others interested in providing critical support to homeless young to decide which causes
people, they can dramatically increase the impact of their gifts. Amplifier is one
they want to support and
example of how a network of giving circles inspired by Jewish values created a
website to maximize its impact: https://www.amplifiergiving.org/. then direct significant
funding toward them.
In addition to understanding your organization’s capacity to effectively pursue
various sources of revenue, RHY programs should also consider what the
likely ROI will be for its efforts. Every mature program should have a balanced
fundraising portfolio, and one approach isn’t inherently superior to any other.
But, all things considered, some tend to yield a greater bang for the buck. The
following table is standard in the fundraising field and is intended not so much
to predict costs of any particular approach in your case, but to suggest that
costs can vary tremendously.

Return on Investment by Fundraising Method

Special Events .35 to .50 cents per dollar raised

Direct Mail List Acquisition $1 to $1.25 per dollar raised

Direct Mail Renewal .20 cents per dollar raised

Planned Giving .25 cents per dollar raised (eventually)

Foundations .20 cents per dollar raised

Major Gifts .05 to .10 cents per dollar raised

Source: Adapted from Fund-Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Development


Process, Greenfield (1999).

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 35


A Note about Jumping at Opportunities
Savvy non-profit organizations generally review dozens of requests for
proposals and funding opportunity announcements each year from a range
of public and private funders. Every one of those grant competitions (unless
they are unusually restrictive) will attract many more proposals than they can
possibly fund. Since proposals can take an enormous amount of time and
effort to prepare, it makes sense to consider very carefully (a) whether your
program should expend the effort, and (b) whether getting the award would
actually be a good thing for your program.

These are particularly important questions if you intend the new grant to partly
cover some of the services your RHY program used to provide. Before looking
for replacement support from a funder that might be able to support some of
your RHY services, ask yourself these questions.

Exercise: Assessing the “Fit” Between Program Vision


and Funding Opportunities

Program Delivery

1. Which of the following statements is most true about the


new funding opportunity?
a. The funded service would be core to our organizational mission, vision,
and values.

b. It would be complementary, even if it is not fully within the core mission.

c. It is outside our mission focus as currently defined, but other benefits


from this contract/award could support organizational goals (e.g.,
satisfying a stakeholder, such as a board member or political ally).

d. It would be a substantially new service area for us.

2. In the event our organization’s application for this funding


source is unsuccessful,
a. We will still provide (or seek to provide) this specific service.

b. We will not seek to provide this specific service.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 36


3. Which of the following statements is most true about the
service this opportunity will fund?
a. If we do not provide this service in our community, it is unlikely any other
organization will.

b. At least one other organization provides a similar service in this


community.

c. There are several organizations that provide a similar service.

4. Which of the following statements is most true about the


physical facilities required to deliver these services?
a. The service would be delivered in existing facilities our organization
currently owns, leases, or has access to, or in facilities provided for by
the contract/award itself.

b. The service would be delivered in existing facilities our organization has


identified but does not yet own, lease, or have access to.

c. The service would be delivered in facilities our organization owns,


leases, or has access to, but would require renovation.

d. The service would require construction of new facilities by our


organization.

e. The facilities required to deliver the services are unknown or have not
yet been identified.

5. Which of the following statements is most true about the


staff needed to deliver the service you’re seeking to fund?
a. Our organization currently has all the personnel and expertise on staff
necessary to manage and deliver the program/service.

b. Our organization currently has the personnel and expertise on staff to


manage the service but would require additional staffing to deliver the
program/service.

c. Our organization requires additional managers and direct-service staff.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 37


6. Which of the following statements is most true about the
service you’re considering seeking funding for?
a. Our organization currently delivers or has recently delivered a service
equivalent to the one that is the subject of this contract/award.

b. Our organization currently or has recently delivered a service similar to


the service that is the subject of this contract/award.

c. Our organization currently delivers or has recently delivered a service


of this basic type, though of a significantly different scope from the one
we’re considering here.

d. Our organization has never delivered a service in this area.

If the potential grant is a good fit, most of your answers will be a’s or b’s.
If they are not, reassess whether you really want to spend your time on
the proposal. Unless your program is applying in partnership with other
organizations, the work may simply be too much of a stretch, pulling you away
from your core area of expertise.

Source: Adapted from Fund-Raising: Evaluating and Managing the Development


Process, Greenfield (1999).

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 38


Private Donor Development
Most RHY programs have private donors, of course, and large, well-
established agencies may have scores of donors, including major donors who
contribute large sums. If this describes your program, you no doubt already
know how important it is to both maintain these relationships and cultivate
new ones. If you don’t have a particularly long donor list, however, and don’t
have many large donors, here’s a bit of advice on how to get started.

What You Need


»» Training and staff support. You might think you can skip this step, but
unless you’re a seasoned development professional, assume there’s a
lot you don’t know. Free or low-cost resources can be found through
BoardSource and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
AFP has chapters across the country with local networking opportunities,
trainings, and referrals to consultants specializing in resource development.
Visit CFRE International to search for fundraising professionals in your area.

»» Policies for gift acceptance and procedures for gift processing.


Having a board-approved gift acceptance policy in place is considered
a best practice by the IRS and fundraising experts alike. Gift processing
procedures create protocols for how to accept, process, and thank
donors for gifts, and they include policies for storing and protecting donor
information electronically. Donor database solutions range from simple,
inexpensive systems such as Little Green Light to more robust systems
with special modules for events, volunteers, and financial tracking, such as
Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge.

Sample gift acceptance policies can be found online at National Council of


Nonprofits here: https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/gift-
acceptance-policies.

»» A compelling case for support. Not surprisingly, this is most important of


all. No matter what vehicle you are using to raise funds, you must be able
to communicate strong reasons why your program both needs and merits
support. Here’s a short checklist to use when creating or measuring the
effectiveness of your current case for support.

An effective case for support:


»» Is audience-centric (not organization-centric).
»» Describes why your organization exists.
»» Succinctly describes the problem you are trying to solve or vision you are
trying to create.
»» Clearly states how the donor can join or contribute to your work.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 39


Writing an audience-centric case for support can be difficult for two reasons.
First, it requires internal alignment around organizational goals and priorities,
which, depending on the complexity of your programming, can be more
difficult than it sounds. Second, and this is perhaps even more important,
many organizations simply struggle to see their organization from the donor’s
perspective. For this reason, consider recruiting a consultant to assess your
organization’s case for support. At the very least, talk with a range of current
donors about why they give to your organization, and build your case for
support based on what they tell you.

You also need a continually growing list of prospective donors from whom to
cultivate and solicit gifts. Remember that “prospective donors” typically don’t
The Ideal Prospective Donor: identify themselves as such. They may be volunteers, community leaders,
»» Is connected to your organization or or even former beneficiaries of your programs. While buying or sharing lists
a member of your board in some way is common in sophisticated direct mail programs, building and carefully
»» Has demonstrated an interest maintaining your own list is likely to be more effective. The better known you
in your issue or organization become in your community, the longer your list should become.

»» Has a history of making large


Once you have donors, it is critical you do everything you can to retain them.
charitable gifts, or has the
Why? Because the cost of acquiring a new donor is far higher than keeping an
means to make them
existing one. Simply put, ensure every donor has a positive experience when
A would-be major donor doesn’t making a gift to your organization. At the minimum, making a donation should
have to meet all three of these be simple, and every gift should lead to a timely, warm, and personal thank you.
criteria, but those who do are
obvious additions to your portfolio. Major donors
Cultivating strong relationships with potential major donors takes time and effort,
but it is essential for a healthy development program. Strong fundraising efforts
are built on these steps, in sequence: identification of donors, qualification,
cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Use “The Five Intentions” exercise that
follows to see if you are effectively covering all five aspects—not just one or
even just four. Note what your organization is already doing and brainstorm new
ideas.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 40


Exercise: The Five Intentions

These questions will help your program document the ways you already
approach and manage potential donors and additional things you could be
doing. Spend some time on this exercise; it is rare to find a program that is
doing everything it can in this area.

1. Identification. Research prospective major donors. For instance, you might


ask board members for recommendations, review annual reports and donor
lists of similar organizations, or review connections of supporters on LinkedIn.

Tasks:
a. List the identification activities your organization already engages in.

b. List the identification activities your organization could try.

2. Qualification. Determine the level and nature of a prospective donor’s The best source of
linkages, interests, and ability. Is he or she capable of making a major gift?
information about the donor
If so, at what level? Remember that the best source of information about
the donor will come from the donor personally, rather than from secondary will come from the donor
sources. In this phase, you might, for instance, conduct Internet searches on personally, rather than
charitable gifts the prospective donor has made to other organizations, and from secondary sources.
then meet with the prospective donor about where your organization falls in
his or her giving priorities.

Tasks:
a. List the qualification activities your organization already engages in.

b. List the qualification activities your organization could try.

3. Cultivation. Make direct, meaningful contact with the potential donor and
test his or her level of interest. Does he or she have a particular connection
to one or more aspects of your programming? Is your work a philanthropic
priority for this person, and if not, what would it take to become one? Work
in this phase might include sending the prospective donor news articles of
interest or inviting him or her to exclusive calls or VIP receptions with agency
leadership.

Tasks:
a. List the cultivation activities your organization already engages in.

b. List the cultivation activities your organization could try.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 41


4. Solicitation. Meet with or write the donor to request a gift of a specific
amount. The solicitation of a gift should never be a surprise to the donor.
Instead, it should be a natural culmination of the interactions that have
preceded it.

Tasks:
a. List the solicitation activities your organization already engages in.

b. List the solicitation activities your organization could try.

5. Stewardship. Thank the donor and communicate the impact of the gift
privately and publicly, depending on the donor’s preferences. You may send
personalized acknowledgement letters, arrange phone calls from board
members or leadership describing the impact of the gift, or share stories or
profiles of those who have been helped.

Tasks:
a. List the stewardship activities your organization already engages in.

b. List the stewardship activities your organization could try.

Now that you’ve identified what your program already does or could, ask
yourself which activities have been most effective or seem to be the most
promising. Make a list. You may not be able to implement all of them at once,
but ensuring you have at least a few meaningful activities expressing each
intention is key. Engaging in each one gives you the best chance at building a
strong development program.

Source: Adapted from “Beyond Fundraising: The Five Intentions” [Blog post],
Praximity Consulting (2014).

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 42


Want to go deeper?
Fundraising Bright Spots: Strategies and Inspirations from Social Change
Organizations Raising Money from Individual Donors, Evelyn and Walter
Haas, Jr. Fund (2016). This is a report on the habits, mindsets, and systems
of organizations that excel at donor development and fundraising. http://
www.haasjr.org/sites/default/files/resources/Haas_BrightSpots_F2_0.pdf

The State of Giving Circles Today, Collective Giving Research Group (2017).
This is a report on the changing face of collective giving and how giving
circles interact with recipient organizations. https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/
doc/institutes/giving-circles2017-executive-summary.pdf

Securing Stopgap Support


“Network Power: Giving Circles Are on the Rise and Engaging New Voices,”
Inside Philanthropy (2017). This describes results from a Gates Foundation Community foundations familiar with

study exploring how giving circles function and who participates. https:// your organization can come through

www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2017/12/5/giving-circles-are-on-the- for you in a pinch. When Synergy

rise-and-engaging-new-voices Services’ street outreach grant


wasn’t renewed in 2017, the Kansas

“Successful Endowment Fundraising,” Garecht, J. (2013). This City, Missouri, agency immediately

offers the five steps to raising funds for an endowment. http://www. approached a local health foundation

thefundraisingauthority.com/endowment-fundraising/successful- and said, “This program serves a

endowment-fundraising/ vital need for youth in the community,


and we need your help to keep
it going until we can re-apply for
Private Foundation Funding
federal funding.” The result? A one-
Most RHY programs have received at least some local or family foundation year grant that enabled the agency
funding. Those grants are usually small (under $25,000) but are obviously to maintain existing staff positions.
helpful. Better yet, they may be relatively easy to get. Not surprisingly, large
foundations are a different story. Their grant programs can be astoundingly
competitive, and on top of that, they frequently aim to seed innovative
solutions with national replication potential rather than more standard, day-
to-day interventions, however much they are needed.

Approach the quest for large foundation funding carefully, researching


possibilities thoroughly before writing even a single word. Realize that most
foundations want to know your organization before they commit funding to
you, which means you may need to develop a relationship with them over
time, submitting several well-written and on-target proposals before getting
awarded.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 43


A general database (such as the Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory
Online) is a good place to start identifying potential private grant makers.
When you have identified a foundation that gives in your geographic area and
to your cause, go to the foundation’s website and view its publicly available
Form 990, which lists all its charitable donations for any given year, sometimes
even detailing what those grants were meant to support. Does the foundation
support programs like yours? Are the funded organizations comparable in
size to yours? Even if, for example, a foundation says it focuses on “youth
development for disadvantaged populations,” it may exclusively support
national-impact programs, meaning it is unlikely to support a local drop-in
center for homeless youth. Consider whether something you are doing is new,
innovative, or unusually effective given the population you serve. If so, you may
If the grant maker’s be able to make the case for program funding as a demonstration project—
but before you go down that path, make sure running a demonstration
guidelines allow you
project (which could involve earmarking substantial funds for evaluation and
to contact and consult packaging your model for replication) is really what you want to do. If ongoing
with foundation staff operating support is actually what you are seeking, this isn’t the foundation for
before submitting the you.

grant, always do that.


If the grant maker’s guidelines allow you to contact and consult with
foundation staff before submitting the grant, always do that. This gives you
another avenue to make sure your request is a good fit for the foundation.
Be prepared to pitch several ideas—or variations on your basic request—if
it becomes apparent the grant maker has more interest in some aspects of
what you do than others. Then be sure to take the staffer’s advice when you
prepare your request. The same goes for pre-proposal applications. Even
if yours is rejected, use it as a springboard for further discussion with the
foundation.

By virtue of having prepared successful federal proposals, all RHY programs


have shown the ability to follow grant guidelines and write clearly and
comprehensively about their services. Those same skills are critical to
writing cogent requests to private foundations. There are a few differences,
however. Unlike federal proposals, which typically require copious amounts
of information about how a program is to be delivered (often as much as
10–20 pages of detail), most private foundations ask for this information in
extremely condensed form, sometimes just a page or two. Local funders may
require less information about the community but more information about the
need your program seeks to address. And because the private grant may be
competing with hundreds (or, in the case of larger foundations, thousands) of
requests, your narrative must be persuasive and succinct, painting a picture of
the problem you seek to address in vivid, human terms. Unless the foundation
specifically funds general program operations, consider requesting support for
much-needed tangible resources. For example, a small family foundation may
agree to replace an antiquated kitchen in a TLP apartment house or supply
computers for a learning center.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 44


Even if the private foundation rejects your request, that “no” can present an
opportunity for further discussion and relationship-building. Ask what factors
went into the decision, and be gracious in accepting the feedback. This is
not the time to suggest the foundation read your proposal more closely.
Instead, learn how your program and your proposal look from the foundation’s
perspective. If you still think the foundation is a good fit, add it to your
newsletter and general mailing lists, “friend” the foundation on social media,
and invite it to “like” your postings. Invite the foundation to open houses and
special events, and if it welcomes the idea, set up dates to speak informally
with project officers about the work your program does and new directions
you may be considering. In other words, court the foundation. It will be time
well spent.

Want to go deeper?
Foundation Directory Online, Foundation Center (n.d.). This is one of the
largest databases of charitable foundations in the world and a respected
source of technical assistance on seeking private foundation funding.
http://foundationcenter.org/

“Get Your House in Order: Spring Cleaning Your Fundraising Program” [Blog
post], Praximity Consulting (2016). This provides tips for donor retention.
www.praximityconsulting.com/blog/

Creating Programs That Last: Foundations of Sustainability [Webinar], UMass


Donahue Institute (2017). This is an archived webinar that offers step-by-step
instruction in building a sustainability plan for non-profit programs.
http://tpptoolkit.strikingly.com/

“The One Secret to Winning Foundation Grants” [Blog post], Nonprofit Hub
(2016). From a seasoned grant writer and consultant, this offers advice about
the importance of being systematic when submitting funding proposals.
http://nonprofithub.org/grant-writing/one-secret-winning-foundation-grants/

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 45


New Partnership Models with Public and Private
Entities
Across the country, RHY programs and agencies doing related work have
forged unusual partnerships that have both cut their costs and extended
their reach. Some of the partnerships are highly innovative, while others
stretch more typical relationships—for instance with public schools and state
child welfare agencies—into new and more effective shapes. Consider these
Finding Friends in Unlikely examples:
Places
Many organizations fear they’ll run into »» Synergy Services and ReStart, two agencies in Kansas City, Missouri,
zoning issues or “not in my backyard” decided in 2013 that instead of competing against each other, they would
(NIMBY) pushback when trying to apply jointly for a single street outreach grant. As the lead applicant,
establish youth housing. In a surprising Synergy provides day-to-day supervision to street teams from both
twist in Eugene, Oregon, it was agencies. The agencies divided an eight-county service area based on
actually the Council of South Eugene outreach and services they already provided and assigned one staff
Neighborhoods that approached St. member each to the largest county. Combining efforts meant there was
Vincent de Paul and asked the agency only one federal application to prepare, and it was easier to maintain
to establish housing there. Recent press services when the grant was lost in a subsequent round. Each organization
about a growing homeless population committed to raising the funds needed to maintain its own staff. For
and “tent cities” had made supportive example, Synergy secured private foundation funding, and the partners are
housing a topic of discussion at jointly applying for new funding through a county sales tax that is allocated
neighborhood association meetings, to children’s services.
so when a developer proposed turning
the neighborhood’s church into a
»» In New Haven, Connecticut, Youth Continuum collaborated with the
gym, members called up a trusted
Corporation for Supportive Housing and the U.S. Department of Housing
organization—St. Vincent’s—with the
and Urban Development to open seven permanent supportive housing and
hope the organization had a better
four rapid rehousing apartments for young people. The partnerships helped
idea. The lesson? A good reputation
support construction of a building to house young people who need more
with a small group of active citizens
structured, ongoing support. All units were filled when the site opened in
can be the spark for something
January 2018. State and private partners, including banks and foundations,
great. And after successfully raising
also contributed financially to the project. For example, the Community
funds for the first house, St. Vincent
Foundation of Greater New Haven provided funding for all the furniture.
received a $2 million corporate gift
»» Vermont’s Coalition of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs worked
from CBT Nuggets, a local IT firm,
with child welfare officials to secure state funding to support housing and
to open a second home for boys.
services for 16- to 17-year-old youth who had been, or could have been, in
state custody. The coalition, led by Washington County Youth Services
Bureau, negotiated an annual appropriation from the state’s Department
for Children and Families budget and distributed funds through sub-grants
to 13 coalition members that provide RHY services in the state’s rural
counties.

»» In Eugene, Oregon, a multi-agency partnership between St. Vincent de


Paul Society, Hosea Youth Services, and McKinney-Vento liaisons in three
school districts created new housing for 15 to 20 homeless high school
students in a renovated church. St. Vincent de Paul used a federal HOME

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 46


grant to acquire and renovate the church into 14 efficiency apartments and
will cover annual operations costs for the building, utilities, and supplies.
Hosea Youth Services covers case management staffing, and school
liaisons refer and support students. Young people are required to stay in
school and graduate during the two years they live on-site, and they are
employed by St. Vincent’s retail outlets or other partners. The organization
also engaged faith communities and service groups to provide $6,000 in
program support per youth per year and to provide individual youth with
coats, school supplies, and other necessities.

»» Second Story (formerly Alternative House) in Dunn Loring, Virginia, began


collaborating deeply with its school district in 2009 under its Homeless
Youth Initiative. The initiative was designed to help homeless and unstably
housed students who are without the support of a parent or guardian
stay in school through graduation. Second Story recruits local families to
provide host homes for homeless students at risk of dropping out and Second Story recruits
provides case management and other supports to promote students’ well- local families to provide
being. The school district’s McKinney-Vento staff coordinates educational host homes for homeless
services and refers youth to the program. Approximately 50% of necessary
students at risk of dropping
funding is provided by Fairfax County, and the rest is raised from the
community. Rental assistance and rapid rehousing services help youth out and provides case
transition to more independent living after graduation. management and other
supports to promote
»» In Seattle, Washington, YouthCare partners with FareStart, a non-profit
organization that provides culinary training to disadvantaged populations, students’ well-being.
to provide paid internships and employment opportunities for youth.
The partnership, started in 2003, offers one month of barista training in
YouthCare’s drop-in center followed by one month of on-the-job experience
in a cafe. Youth who do well can often be hired immediately upon finishing
the program, and up to 70% of youth barista graduates have good jobs
within 90 days of finishing the program. YouthCare says the keys to
success are getting youth in quickly, providing meals and paying youth for
participation, and starting with a “preview week” that is like an extended
interview. The partnership has included Starbucks and other coffee
companies over the years; at one point, Starbucks and YouthCare piloted
a program offering mock interviews to youth. YouthCare’s job training
program for RHY is supported financially by the city of Seattle and private
foundation funds.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 47


Exercise: Map Your Collaborations and Partnerships

The infographic below presents the range of ways independent organizations


can come together in pursuit of a shared goal. Each of these concentric circles
describes an entirely different level and type of relationship, each of which has
possibilities for you when seeking to sustain your work. Who does your RHY
program work with? Name each organization in the page margin.

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Source: Adapted from The Collaborative Map, La Piana Consulting (2015).

Want to go deeper?
A Network Approach to Capacity Building, National Council of Nonprofits
(2015). Case studies describe how non-profit organizations build their long-term
sustainability via networks, rather than individual capacity-building. https://www.
councilofnonprofits.org/sites/default/files/documents/a-network-approach-to-
capacity-building.pdf

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 48


Using Volunteers to Extend Your Reach
Volunteers can benefit your program enormously, allowing you to provide
both basic services and quality “extras” that you otherwise could not afford.
Volunteers need to be recruited and managed carefully, though, and what
your program ends up getting from them is directly related to how much
effort you put into them. Read the examples below, and ask yourself if your
own programs could use volunteers in new ways.

»» At Urban Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, volunteers prepare a


third of the meals served in the program’s shelter, and for dinner they
bring their own groceries rather than using supplies purchased by
the agency. Volunteers conduct meditation classes, lead running and Questions to Consider Before
hiking clubs, and provide one-on-one tutoring. They facilitate classes Launching a Social Enterprise
on topics such as financial literacy, job readiness, and discovering »» Have you conducted a market
your own learning style. They even represent Urban Peak at events in analysis to determine whether
the community. The agency makes it easier for potential volunteers by there is local demand for
posting extensive information about volunteer opportunities online, with your service or product?
applications and posted dates for volunteer orientations. Volunteers are »» Do you have, or can you afford
also the primary link for the community’s Safe Place network run by to contract for, the expertise
Urban Peak and the Pikes Peak Library District. Volunteers pick up and to run the business and
transport youth in crisis from libraries to the shelter. supervise youth workers?

»» LifeWorks in Austin, Texas, partners with The Open Table, a national »» Do you have enough startup capital
faith-based organization that trains small groups of mentors to meet to begin a business and see it
weekly over the course of a year with people in poverty, including through the early, lean phase?
homeless youth and teens exiting foster care. Tables help young »» Will the business provide
people work on self-identified goals, but they do so in ways that are substantial opportunity for youth
less clinical and more like family support. For example, table volunteers to build soft and hard skills?
invite youth home for holiday meals or let them practice driving in their
»» How important is it that the
own cars. The experience is non-proselytizing and starts with training
business eventually support
volunteers in youth development and trauma. LifeWorks staff say they
itself? Or even turn a profit?
like how congregations work in tandem with them, so they continue to
do what they do best without being asked to compromise boundaries
or professional standards. See this video about Jessica, an Open Table
“graduate” in Texas: https://vimeo.com/195853433.

»» Volunteers at Oasis Center in Nashville, Tennessee, help youth in the


emergency shelter get ready for school each morning, cook and eat
meals with residents, talk with young people who attend the drop-in
center, and check youth into the winter warming shelter. In addition,
six volunteers—who make a year-long commitment and get trained
in positive youth development and safety protocols—accompany

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 49


street outreach teams in the community. Staff say it’s important to offer
opportunities that match what volunteers can reasonably commit to (they
have learned, for instance, to assign volunteers short rather than long
shifts in the shelter and to steer first-time volunteers away from solo gigs
and toward group activities). Staff know from the time they’re hired that
supporting volunteers is part of their job and represents the organization’s
commitment to connecting youth with healthy adults.

»» Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) Youth Emergency Shelter, located on the


vast, rural Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, faces some daunting
geographical challenges. The nearest affordable groceries and clothes
are at least 50 miles away, and simply keeping buildings heated in sub-
zero temperatures can be a budget-busting expense. The shelter is partly
Staff know from the able to sustain itself through resource-sharing and giving campaigns
time they’re hired that run by Partnership with Native Americans and Friends of Pine Ridge
supporting volunteers Reservation, which solicit a wide variety of basic necessities, including
clothes and bedding, from donors around the world. Local tribe members
is part of their job
support the shelter as well, some by serving as volunteers who provide
and represents the or support cultural activities on-site and off. Linking youth to important
organization’s commitment cultural opportunities can be time-consuming and even expensive, given
to connecting youth the long distances between towns. In a typical recent outing, staff drove
shelter residents 95 miles to a ceremony honoring an elder, followed by a
with healthy adults.
community dinner and a winter solstice ceremony. Connecting displaced
young people to their heritage is an indispensable aspect of the shelter’s
work and one that supports sustainability by ensuring the shelter is
perceived as an integral part of the greater tribal community.

Want to go deeper?
The Hidden Workforce: Using Volunteers to Expand, Extend and Strengthen
Your Services, Youth Catalytics (2010). This toolkit addresses benefits,
challenges, and helpful strategies for implementing a robust volunteer
program. https://www.youthcatalytics.org/publications/reports/the-hidden-
workforce/

Insights That Make an Impact [Blog series], VolunteerHub (n.d.). This provides
free online resources on recruiting, engaging, and managing volunteers
effectively. https://www.volunteerhub.com/blog/category/best-practices/

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 50


Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Approaches
It is probably every RHY program’s dream to be self-sustaining. Given that
vulnerable youth often need help developing the job skills that will help them
succeed as adults, social enterprise businesses would seem to be a win-win,
especially if the business can mostly, or entirely, support itself.

Better yet are the cases—admittedly unusual—when youth enterprises actually


contribute to the overall organizational budget. Such is the reality for the
United Teen Equality Center (UTEC), in Lowell, Massachusetts, which has
developed three social enterprise businesses whose profits cover a third of
the organization’s overall budget. The businesses include mattress recycling, a
woodworking shop that produces cutting boards and merchandising displays,
and a cafe. The organization also augments its income and provides skill-
building opportunities for youth by renting out space for special events, in a
large commercial kitchen it opened in 2017, and in its own historic downtown
building for special events. UTEC will even provide catering for those events.

Waking the Village in


Detail Works, another social enterprise, operated by Spectrum Youth & Family
Sacramento, California, had
Services in Burlington, Vermont, helps teenagers and young adults learn the
soft skills they need to thrive in the workplace. The car detailing business, always wanted a “cottage
begun in 2017, purposely creates an environment where young people with industry”—some kind of
challenges can learn attention, communication, and accountability in a safe
side business that would
environment. Donations got Detail Works up and running, but Spectrum hopes
put its small, perpetually
it will be self-sustaining within three years.
underfunded agency on
Waking the Village in Sacramento, California, had always wanted a “cottage the local radar and that
industry”—some kind of side business that would put its small, perpetually was fun for staff and the
underfunded agency on the local radar and that was fun for staff and the
broader community alike.
broader community alike. “We didn’t want anything heavy,” said Executive
Director Bridget Alexander. “We wanted something we could really love doing.”
After a lot of exploration, the organization decided to make a “weird sideways
move,” opening a downtown arts exploration space for children it called
Art Beast. The center, developed for an upfront cost of about $10,000 and
with labor supplied by staff, family, and friends, was an immediate success.
Why? Such spaces already existed in wealthier places like San Francisco,
but Sacramento hadn’t had anything like it. It appealed to parents across the
economic spectrum, supplying their children with much-needed opportunities
to engage deeply with the arts. Art Beast spun off an annual arts festival that
has become so popular tickets sell out on the first day, and a second annual
festival is in the planning stages.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 51


Having captured the attention of the public and funders, Waking the Village
then decided on a second business—a licensed, 75-slot day care center,
branded with the now-popular Art Beast name, run by a former co-founder of
the agency and partially staffed by young parents from Waking the Village’s
transitional living and maternity group home programs. The center, which
opened in October 2017 and was expected to reach capacity by mid-spring
2018, offers Waking the Village numerous advantages. It provides young
people in its programs with real career opportunities in a profession that
can pay a living wage. It also can provide the flexible scheduling young
workers need to complete the college courses necessary to become certified
preschool teachers. Because the center is state licensed, the agency can
finally be reimbursed for the day care it had always provided for clients’
children. Finally, and very intentionally, the center represents something of a
positive social experiment, providing free slots to poorer parents while asking
for market rate from more affluent parents. The result is children across
the socioeconomic spectrum, so often segregated into different day care
programs, will learn together in a single space. The center is expected to turn
a profit of about $30,000 a year—money that will go straight back into Waking
the Village’s homeless youth services.

Want to go deeper?
Workforce Development: Employing Youth in Social Enterprise [Webinar],
RHYTTAC (2017). Available to staff of RHY programs in RHYTTAC eLearning
with course code RHYTTAC163. https://www.rhyttac.net/elearning

“A (Somewhat) Quick Guide to Social Enterprise Funding” [Blog post], Social


Good Impact (2017). This explores ways to fund social enterprise start-
ups, including information on foundations and public funders. https://www.
socialgoodimpact.com/blog/social-enterprise-funding

“Empowering Proven-Risk Youth” [Blog post], Social Enterprise Alliance (2016).


This describes United Teen Equality Center’s social enterprise programs and
what makes them work. https://socialenterprise.us/2016/08/15/utec/

“It’s All in the Details: Spectrum Launches New Enterprise,” The Other
Paper (September 28, 2017). An article in local press describing Spectrum’s
Detail Works program. http://www.otherpapersbvt.com/its-all-in-the-details-
spectrum-launches-new-enterprise.html

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 52


Pay for Success
Pay for Success is a relatively new funding mechanism that essentially seeks
private investment to fund prevention programs that allow non-profit organizations
to demonstrate they can produce results. The model was developed for
organizations serving particularly hard-to-reach populations where success can be
hard to achieve. One example of a youth-oriented Pay for Success project is taking
place at ROCA, in Chelsea, Massachusetts, which uses private investment dollars
to fund a program to keep previously incarcerated young people from going back
to prison.

Pay for Success programs involve city, county, or state agencies; private investors
of various sorts; direct-service organizations and partners; and an intermediary
who pulls it all together. The players agree on an outcome—for instance, improving
high school graduation rates among homeless or disconnected young adults ages
18 to 21 in a particular county—and set numerical benchmarks that will indicate
progress. If the direct service provider has an innovative model for increasing high
school graduation rates among homeless youth, and has already captured data
One example of a youth-
demonstrating its success, even if on a smaller scale, then the private investor
oriented Pay for Success
may agree to fund a demonstration project up front. If the provider is successful in
improving graduation rates as promised, and that success is verified via an external project is taking place
evaluator, the public sector entity (the state department of education, for instance) at ROCA, in Chelsea,
repays the private investor, sometimes with interest and sometimes without. As Pay
Massachusetts, which uses
for Success evolves, new “private” investors, such as foundations that may or may
private investment dollars
not require repayment, are emerging.
to fund a program to keep
The Urban Institute offers a trove of information on Pay for Success on its website, previously incarcerated
including readiness quizzes and technical assistance aimed at answering the first young people from
question any RHY program is likely to have: Is Pay for Success right for us?
going back to prison.

Want to go deeper?
Pay for Success: A New Way to Fund What Works, Urban Institute (n.d.). This offers
free online resources including expert tips, foundational training, and reports on
Pay for Success. http://pfs.urban.org/

Pay for Success/Social Impact Bonds, American Institutes for Research (2017).
This is a brief explanation of the Pay for Success model, followed by examples
of current projects and links to further reading. http://www.air.org/resource/pay-
success-social-impact-bonds

“What’s the Future of ‘Pay for Success’?” [Blog post], Youth Catalytics (2015).
This describes a Utah Pay for Success pilot program and lists pros and cons
youth-serving organizations should consider before applying. https://www.
youthcatalytics.org/pfs/

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 53


Social Media and Apps
Digital fundraising tools have made asking for donations easier and cheaper,
but there’s a big caveat. Relationships with donors and potential donors will
always be the vital, indispensable element of any fundraising effort. Digital
media can help extend and support those relationships and help you listen
to what others are saying about your work. But it cannot create relationships
where none exist.

Popular fundraising tools include:


»» Donation apps. You can register with a generic charity platform (either
for a small fee or for free) and donations to your organization are routed to
One campaign, featured you. Or design your own app to be issue-, city-, or organization-specific.
For example, WeCount, launched in Seattle in 2016, allows homeless
on YouCaring, sought
individuals to ask for donations of specific items, such as sleeping bags.
$80,000 to complete a Organizations partnering with WeCount to provide drop-off and pick-up
home for homeless LGBTQ sites include the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department, Union
youth at Lucie’s Place in Gospel Mission, the YMCA, United Way of King County, and other social
service provider.
Little Rock, Arkansas.
»» Crowdfunding. Typically used to fund new ventures or initiatives,
crowdfunding platforms vary in emphasis; sites designed for non-profit
campaigns include FirstGiving and Crowdrise. One campaign, featured
on YouCaring, sought $80,000 to complete a home for homeless LGBTQ
youth at Lucie’s Place in Little Rock, Arkansas.

»» Text-to-give. Text-to-give programs usually involve texting a keyword


to a phone number using a mobile device. There are many text-to-give
services; read a comparison in “Top 11 Text-to-Give Services” by Double
the Donation here: https://doublethedonation.com/tips/nonprofit-software-
and-resources/text-to-give-tools-for-nonprofits/#favorite.

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 54


Tips for digital or mobile fundraising
»» Create a communications plan before you start—know how much you
expect to raise, via which platforms, and over what time period.

»» Make it easy to give. Smartphone or tablet users don’t want to fill in long
forms or give away lots of details in order to donate, and they’ll be put off by
having to navigate from one page to the next.

»» Make sure your website is mobile-enabled, at the very least. (Note websites
can be web-enabled, mobile-optimized, or responsively designed. Web-
enabled sites look exactly the same on your smartphone as they do on Create a communications
a laptop or desktop, just in miniature. Web-optimized and responsively plan before you start—
designed websites reformat and rescale content, making them easier to know how much you
read and navigate on handheld devices.)
expect to raise, via
»» Tell people what their donation will buy in concrete terms. which platforms, and

»» Offer fixed donation amounts but always include an “other amount” over what time period.
option.

»» Publicize your progress using a donation tracker.

»» Use social media to promote your campaign. Craft messages, videos, and
tweets that are simple to share.

»» Say thank you to all of your supporters—both throughout the process and
when you reach your target.

Want to go deeper?
Crowdfunding for Nonprofits, National Council of Nonprofits (n.d.). This
describes what crowdfunding looks like for nonprofit organizations and
important regulatory considerations. https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/
tools-resources/crowdfunding-nonprofits

“9 Unique Crowdfunding Platforms for Nonprofit Fundraising” so please


replace the current title with this. Also the date is now 2018. This includes
unique features of a range of online crowdfunding sites and their associated
costs per campaign.
http://blog.capterra.com/top-crowdfunding-platforms-for-nonprofits/

“14 Innovative Online Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits & Charities” [Blog post],
CauseVox (2016). This offers ideas for online fundraising campaigns that can
capture the attention of existing and new donors or supporters. https://www.
causevox.com/blog/online-fundraising-ideas-nonprofits-charities/

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 55


“Seven Online Donation Tools to Delight Your Donors” [Blog post], Nonprofit
Hub (2017). This compares tools non-profit organizations can use on an
ongoing basis to accept online donations, including how features affect donor
experiences and behavior. http://nonprofithub.org/nonprofit-technology/5-
online-donation-tools-to-delight-your-donors/

“Best Charity Donation Apps—Our Top 5 for Mobile Giving” [Blog post], White
Fuse (2015). This provides examples on mobile apps used for donations,
including those that allow people to earn money for non-profit organizations by
taking actions they already do in their daily lives. https://whitefusemedia.com/
blog/our-top-5-charity-mobile-apps

“An APPealing Strategy to Raise More Money for Your Nonprofit” [Blog
post], Clairification (2017). This post tells why having your own organizational
app is important and how to solicit donations using it. http://clairification.
com/2017/08/25/appealing-strategy-raise-money-nonprofit/

“Mobile-Friendly vs Mobile-Optimization vs Responsive Design for Websites”


[Blog post], Torspark (n.d.). This helps readers understand which approach is
best for their nonprofit giving program. http://torspark.com/mobile-friendly-vs-
mobile-optimized-vs-responsive-design/

“New ‘WeCount’ App Enables Direct Donations of Essential Items to


Homeless People,” GeekWire (June 1, 2016). https://www.geekwire.com/2016/
wecount-app-enables-direct-donations-essential-items-homeless-people/

YouCaring (n.d.). https://www.youcaring.com/

Section 4: Building Your Program’s Financial Resources 56


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