Here For Good: Sustaining Your RHY Program With Local Support
Here For Good: Sustaining Your RHY Program With Local Support
Here For Good: Sustaining Your RHY Program With Local Support
FYSB
(w) acf.hhs.gov/
programs/fysb
RHYTTAC
(p) 888.290.7233
Operated by:
Acknowledgments
Dozens of individuals and organizations assisted in the development of this
resource. The following FYSB grantees contributed by sharing their wisdom
and experience:
The RHY grantee organizations below shared their resources and information:
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
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
*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.
Now that you’ve gathered information from the community and reviewed it
together, ask yourselves these questions:
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?
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.
Academic tutoring
Adolescent
counseling
Case management
Childcare
Drop-in location /
services
Educational testing /
referral
Emergency housing
(shelter, host home,
etc.)
Family counseling
Formal mentoring
HIV/STI testing
Jobs program
Mobile crisis
response
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.
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.
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.
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:
“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
●● Awards
●● Needs assessments
●● Innovative partnerships
●● Conference presentations
●● Toolkits
●● Case studies
●● A blog
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.
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
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
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.”
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 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.
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/.)
»» 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.
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.
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:
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.
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
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/
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.
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.
Ask your staff to consider these statements individually, and then share their
thoughts in a group setting. Encourage everyone to be totally candid.
2. Everybody in our program knows how to talk effectively about our mission.
4. We contact donors during fund drives, but aside from that, we’re not
particularly engaged with them.
7. Our staff and board members interact frequently—they know and like each
other.
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.
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).
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.
»» 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.
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.
Pros Cons
Source: Adapted from Nonprofit Funding & Fiscal Solutions/UMass Donahue Institute (2014). Based on
Overview of Nonprofit Fundraising Sources and Approaches, McNamara (1999).
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.
Program Delivery
e. The facilities required to deliver the services are unknown or have not
yet been identified.
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.
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.
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.
Tasks:
a. List the identification activities your organization already engages in.
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.
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.
Tasks:
a. List the solicitation activities your organization already engages in.
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.
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).
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
study exploring how giving circles function and who participates. https:// your organization can come through
“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
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/
“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/
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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
»» 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.
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/
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
“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
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/
»» 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.
»» 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
“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/
“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/
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