Funding
Examples Include:
- Board give and get policy
- Special events
- Cause-based marketing
- Capital campaigns
- Collecting donations through a website
What are different ways to raise money?
Follow Up Bonus: Who implemented a new fundraising strategy in 2024 and succeeded?
This tool is used to organize a schedule of grant applications and corresponding deadlines.
What is a grants calendar?
Follow Up Bonus: Who is currently using a grants calendar and what difference has using this tool made for your organization?
Examples of this practice include:
- Comprehensive agency overview
- Clear instruction of policy and procedures
- Department and staff introductions
- Thorough training on job duties and expectations
What is successful onboarding?
Follow Up Bonus: What lessons have you learned about onboarding new staff or volunteers in the last year?
Provide shelter to a minimum of 50 youth during the grant period.
What is an output?
Follow Up Bonus: Why did you select [output or outcome]? Did anyone think the opposite was true?
ChatGPT, can you please:
- Condense these paragraphs
- Tell me who provides grants for homeless services in LA County
- Summarize meeting action items
- Organize my to-do list
What is using AI in my fundraising efforts?
Follow Up Bonus: Is anyone using ChatGPT or other AI in their work? If so, how? What has worked or been helpful?
Different types include:
- Program support
- Capacity building
- General operating support
What are grants?
Follow Up Bonus: Which has your agency obtained in the last year? How did it identify and obtain it, what is it for?
Different types include:
- Charity Navigator
- Candid/Guidestar
- Great Nonprofits
What are Charity rating websites?
Follow Up Bonus: Is anyone currently using any of these rating websites to further their organizations? If so, how?
***DAILY DOUBLE***
In the movie Elf, when Buddy visits his dad at work, he gets sent to this area where he ends up dancing on the table.
75% of TAY will exit the program to permanent housing.
What is an outcome?
Follow Up Bonus: Why did you select [output or outcome]? Did anyone think the opposite was true?
Quotes from funders or donors:
- We’ve been funding homelessness for a while now and have decided to change our priorities
- Our donations haven’t made a difference with what we see on the streets
- Inflation is high; we have to cut back
What is funder and/or donor fatigue?
Follow Up Bonus: is anyone experiencing this? How are you countering it?
A tool to estimate grant applications that will be won during a fiscal year, sometimes confused with a cash flow estimate.
What is a grants forecast or projection?
Examples Include:
- Contacting City Council and Board of Supervisors offices
- Cold calling foundations
- Inviting program officers and other influential persons to special events
- Leveraging Board relationships to connect with potential funders
What are different approaches to grants cultivation?
Follow Up Bonus: Does anyone want to share about any grants cultivation successes they’ve had in the last year?
These include:
- Governance
- Fundraising
- Setting Priorities
- Advocacy and Network Building
What are the core functions of a board?
Follow Up Bonus: How have you worked to improve board engagement in the past year or what are you planning for 2025?
***DAILY DOUBLE***
150 youth will be engaged by the outreach program.
What is an output?
Follow Up Bonus: Why did you select [output or outcome]? Did anyone think the opposite was true?
Examples Include:
- Not being able to pay staff on time,
- Worrying about losing a major grant or funder,
- Concerns about program outcomes
What is what keeps me up at night?
Follow Up Bonus: anyone want to share about what’s keeping them up at night?
Sharing with program officers:
- Updates on achievements, awards, new projects
- Invitations to events, activities, or briefings
- Progress on your work
- Invitations to come visit a program
What are different ways to steward and maintain a grants relationship?
Follow Up Bonus: Anyone care to share any success stories they have had with building and maintaining relationships with funders? Any lessons lea
Examples Include:
- Doing web research
- Searching grants platforms like Candid’s Foundation Directory Online
- Talking to peers about who funds them
- Researching members of funder affinity groups
What are different types of, or ways to do, prospect research?
Follow Up Bonus: Who has learned new techniques or strategies for identifying potential funders and would like to share with the group?
Below are examples of:
- Hosting orientations, annual retreats, and covering expectations
- Developing realistic give-get policy and showing periodic progress toward the goal
- Creating resource one-pagers that can be brought or contributed to
- Developing talking points
What are tools and resources that foster connection and understanding for Board Members?
Follow Up Bonus: Anyone care to share any success stories they have had with developing or implementing tools and resources for their Board? Any lessons learned?
80% of youth will maintain participation in all program services for at least their first 6 months.
What is an outcome?
Follow Up Bonus: Why did you select [output or outcome]? Did anyone think the opposite was true?
This character in the movie Elf famously says:
"Bye Buddy, hope you find your dad!"
Who is Mr. Narwhal?
A recently approved ½ cent sales tax in LA County.
What is Measure A?
Follow Up Bonus: how do you plan to position your organization to take advantage of upcoming funding opportunities made possible by Measure A?
Examples of this include:
- Compelling storytelling and images
- Simple, consistent logos, colors
- Clear communication of goals: fundraising, advocacy, recruiting
- Understanding your audience
What are elements of effective branding?
Follow Up Bonus: How have you worked to improve your agency’s marketing or branding in the last year?
Examples Include:
- Shift to focus on racial equity
- Embrace of trust-based philanthropy
- Emphasis on collective impact
What are trends in grant making?
Follow Up Bonus: What trends are you seeing and how are you adjusting as an organization?
100% of youth will develop an individualized employment plan.
What is an output?
Follow Up Bonus: Why did you select [output or outcome]? Did anyone think the opposite was true?
Funders Are:
- Reassessing their strategies
- Waiting to see what happens with the presidential election
- No longer accepting unsolicited proposals
- Imposing a moratorium on new grant making
What is “a sign of the times”?
Follow Up Bonus: What are you hearing and seeing from grant makers and your individual and institutional donors and what are you doing in response?