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
Grant 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?
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
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?
An approach or process to estimate the likelihood of receiving grants over a year’s time to help inform revenue planning.
What is a grants forecast or project?
Follow Up Bonus: Who is not yet using these tools and not afraid to admit it?
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?