Nonprofits Urged Define Their Fundraising Needs Before Searching for Grants

Permission granted! That’s the time you’ve waited for, when the project you conceived has been approved by the Board of Directors and you can finally formulate a fundraising plan to raise the funds needed to make your idea a success.

Develop a plan to find the money you need to bring your concept to life.

A written account of your project’s demands will make your search for funding that much easier and can be used as a resource when the time comes to complete the grant application or start a crowdfunding campaign. Every plan should include:

• Background – Document that your organization is financially stable, well-respected, managed properly and worthy of receiving external funds;
• Mission – Articulate “why” your organization exists;
• Needs – Gather both facts and stories to support the requisites of your project and the needs of the target population;
• Timeline – Schedule of events or activities that will be conducted once the project is funded;
• Evaluation – Plans to assess the project and tools to measure its impact;
• Budget — Materials, supplies, and personnel required to achieve project goals;
• Costs – An estimate of the total amount of money needed to economically complete the project.

Once you have gathered this information, you can begin to identify relevant grants and their funding sources. GrantWatch.com is a popular online resource that matches nonprofits, small businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals to funding opportunities from local, state and federal agencies, corporations, foundations and other nonprofits. The process is simple. Sign up on GrantWatch and begin to search for funds.

Agencies, nonprofits, small businesses, entrepreneurs and concerned citizens frustrated by the often-overwhelming process involved with acquiring grants for their proposed programs and projects can identify funding opportunities that are easy to read and simple to comprehend at GrantWatch.com. Sign-up to receive the weekly GrantWatch newsletter which features geographic-specific funding opportunities.

About the Author: Staff Writer for GrantWatch