Grant for Children and Animals

Build a Bear Workshop Foundation supports children's health and wellness, animals and the environment, and literacy and education. Awards range from $1,000 to $10,000. the application process began in March 2010 and continues on a rolling basis. To learn more click this link.

Linkedin for Nonprofits

As I try to weed through the social media haze I do stumble upon some interesting sites. Twitter has not caught my interest yet. I dabbled with it a little during the Pepsi Refresh Project days then dropped it.

I may go back once I get my NPO's Facebook page working to my liking. I still am having a few issues with getting it to a place that merits the time I am putting into it.

One site that never seems to become uninteresting is LinkedIn. Through pure trial and error I have been able to link my blog to Linkedin. I also have a You Tube Video from the NPO I work at on my profile page. I have over 200 connections from fellow fundraising professionals to recruiters. Personally, there is a wealth of information on fundraising that is shared through groups of your personal interest.
Several NPOs use LinkedIn to invite connections to their functions or just to ask for help. The best part is that this site has a global reach. Experts in your field are ready to give advice. You can join in on the conversations or just read what others think.

I started out using LinkedIn as a personal tool for professional growth but it has quickly become a way to rally supporters for professional advice, camaraderie, and idea engines.

I have not used LinkedIn to find a new job but my son-in-law found his new job through the site and he wasn't even looking for a job!

Monore County PA Grant Opportunities

This week the Association of Fundraising Professionals Pocono Mountains Chapter hosted a "Meet the Funders" forum. Four area organizations were represented in a panel format discussion. A synopsis of the discussion is written below. For those of you not in Monroe County PA but still interested in funding opportunities in your area, contact me and I will spend sometime searching. I never know what I can find but like Best buy many of the funders are national in nature.

Best Buy Stores
Yazmin Malpica (contact for Stroudsburg PA only)
Community Lead Specialist
484-832-2391
Scholarships for 7-12th graders

Donates $1,000 for every 10 Best Buy employees that volunteer for an event. Three weeks notice is needed. Community Grants of $3,000 to $10,000. Gives for programs for 13 to 18 years-old. Application dates are June 1 to July 1 (We applied for this but did not get funded.)

ESSA Bank & Trust Foundation
Suzie Farley
Vice President/Treasurer of the ESSA Bank & Trust Foundation

Gives to Monroe county and contingent regions. Prefers bricks and mortar projects. Likes to be the match to other donations. Board meets quarterly Accepts all proposals over $1,000. Does not fund program costs. www.essasbank.com

Sanofi Pasteur US
Ellyn Schindler
Director, Community Relations
570-957-2689 ellynschindler@sanofipasteur.com

Funds education, sciences, economic development, health and medicine. Does not fund sports or the arts. No multi-year donations, Deadline is April 1st and September 1st All requests must be submitted online at www.sanofipasteurus.com

R. Dale Hughes and Frances M Hughes Foundation
Kevin Hughes
President
216 Cherry Court, Stroudsburg, PA 18360
Prefers to buy permanent things. Must benefit Monroe County clients
Hughes Foundation
Bryan Hughes
2666 Stage Coach Lane, Lancaster, PA 17601
Prefers to benefit in Monroe Bricks and mortar and small capital items
Avoids funding operating budgets
Both applications are due in March. The two foundations work together to make decisions. Final decisions are made in May

Sponsorships

When asking for a sponsorship, remember to highlight what the support of your organization will do for the donor.

Describe the project or event that you want a company to sponsor. Who will benefit form the sponsorship?

What will the sponsorship will do for the company. (increase awareness, increase sales, improve their reputation)

Provide demographic information on the participants of the event.

Did other sponsors have positive results from a previous sponsorship of your NPO? If yes, can you include a testimonial in the request?

Clearly state the benefits for each level. (full page ad, tv spot, etc.)

Direct Mail Tips

I recently attended a presentation by Catherine Connolly. Her presentation was called Tips, Tricks, and Trends in Direct Response Fundraising. Catherine went over the different types of direct mail and response rates for various types of asks. Here is my understanding of what was presented.

1. There are three basic types of lists. Internal Prospects, Exchanging lists with other organizations, and renting lists. The response rate is 5%, !% and ¼% respectively.
2. You can expect an investment cost of $35 per name for the internal prospects up to $75 per name acquired through rented lists.
3. Direct mail is how a person learns about your organization. Send at least 6 letters a year.
4. The sooner you mail after receiving a gift the more likely the person will give again.
5. The type of mailing that gets the best response contains a letter, separate response card, and response envelop.
6. Requests that contain brochures receive a lower response that the method listed in number 5.

Interesting. What do you think?

Grant for Education

Toyota Foundation's giving focus is on education. In addition to funding national programs, Toyota supports the social well-being of communities where it has major operations (Alabama, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York, Texas and West Virginia). This includes assistance for Arts & Culture and Civic & Community Development, Health & Human Services. Toyota prefers to support programs, rather than sponsor events.

Grants for Individual Artists or Artist Groups that Inspire and Interact with the World

The Black Rock Arts Foundation funds interactive art. Art that is accessible to the public, civic in scope and prompts the viewer to act. Awards range form $500 to $6000.
Request for Proposals (RFPs) are announced in the fall. Deadline for submission is usually in January.

Grant for Literarcy and Youths

Dollar General, in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA), the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the National Education Association (NEA), is sponsoring a school library disaster relief fund for public school libraries in the states served by Dollar General. The fund will provide grants to public schools whose school library program has been affected by a disaster. Grants are to replace or supplement books, media and/or library equipment in the school library setting.

Best Buy
Nonprofit 501(c)3 certified organizations that provide positive experiences that will empower early adolescents (primarily ages 12-17) to excel in school, engage in their communities, and develop life and leadership skills.
Organizations and/or programs applying for funding must fit into one of these categories and successfully complete the eligibility quiz below:
National - Must serve a national audience and have a national distribution plan in place
Community Grants - Applications will be accepted from non-profit organizations that are located within 50 miles of a store.