Issue 2
May 16, 2002

NEWSNOTES is a monthly email newsletter published by Nonprofit Enterprise at Work. It includes items of interest to the nonprofit community in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas, as well as resources available at NEW. Do you like NEWSNOTES? If so, please share this issue with friends and colleagues and encourage them to subscribe individually!

NEW would like to recognize the generous support of its partners:

IN THIS ISSUE

LEAD STORY

Laying a Foundation for Fundraising:
Resources To Get You Started

Whether your organization is a brand new nonprofit or one that has been in existence for many years, your top priority is undoubtedly raising funds to provide services. Perhaps you are considering a major capital campaign for a new facility, wishing to contact more individuals to bolster your donor base, or going after a grant from a major foundation - or all of the above. Philanthropy is alive and well in the United States, even in these days of strained budgets. But with stiff competition from an ever-increasing number of nonprofit groups, how does your organization vie for those dollars?

Successful fundraising requires planning. The following books by leaders in the field are just a sample of the titles available in the NEW Center's Nonprofit Reference Library that can help you with the planning process:

• Nichols, Judith. Transforming Fundraising. See also her article "Are You Positioned for Fundraising Success in the 21st Century?"
  
• Ciconte, Barbara & Jeanne Jacob. Fundraising Basics. "Planning does not take time, it saves time."
  
• Muehrcke, Jill. Are You Sitting on a Gold Mine? Fundraising Assessment Guide

These titles all provide guidelines for developing a strong fundraising strategy. The common theme among them is that before embarking on a fundraising campaign you must:

• Know your community and the clients you serve
• Know your organization, strengths and weaknesses
• Be ready to market your organization

Find sample forms, checklists and helpful guidance in the books cited above. Other useful resources from the NEW Center and the Internet:

• Knowing your community and the clients you serve
  • Michigan Giving & Volunteering - 2001 Highlights. Gives philanthropy statistics in our state.
  • Washtenaw County Nonprofit Resource Directory. Find other organizations providing services locally.
  • U.S. Census. Also see Michigan and Washtenaw County facts
  • Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide to Conducting Successful Focus Groups. How to get the information you need to make smart decisions.
• Knowing your organization's strengths and weaknesses
  • Drucker Foundation's Self-Assessment Guide, Process Guide and Participant Workbook
  • Basic Guide to Program Evaluation
  • Self-Assessment for Nonprofit Governing Boards
  • Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide to Crafting Effective Mission & Vision Statements
  • How to Write a Mission Statement
• Getting ready to market your organization
  • Marketing Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations
  • Guide to Getting Good Media Coverage (PDF File)
  • Publishing the Nonprofit Annual Report: Tips, Traps, and Tricks of the Trade

When the voices of the organization (board, staff, volunteers, clients, donors) have come together with a clear picture of the strengths of the organization, then fundraising is much more likely to be successful.

• First steps
  • Designate a person whose primary responsibility is fundraising and provide training. Jill Muehrcke advises, "Money for training is always money well spent! . . . The more people in your organization who participate in training, the greater the chances that new ideas will be put into place and that they will succeed."
    • Upcoming workshops at the NEW Center:
      • Fundraising Campaigns - Strategies and Trends, June 6. 9 a.m. - noon at the NEW Center. Learn about the various types of campaigns and how to run them, with Gary Dembs
      • Streamlining Development Processes. June 11. 9 a.m. - noon at the NEW Center. Diana Kohler has strategies to share on processing information and improving communications
      • "Raising More Money" Building Lifelong Donors. June 24. 1 - 4 p.m. at Washtenaw Intermediate School District. Terry Axelrod will enlighten us on her strategies for cultivating individual donors. See her book and Web site
  • Involve your board of directors in fundraising.
    • Board fundraising books, including Speaking of Money, a highly recommended video hosted by Hugh Downs.

Wishing you success! Remember: there are plenty of potential donors out there -- but they aren't likely to give unless they are asked. More on fundraising strategies will come in future issues.

FEATURED ITEMS

Nonprofit Excellence Awards

The 7th Annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards will be held on May 22, 2002 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor. All are welcome to join in celebrating the successes of Washtenaw County's nonprofit community. Please RSVP to NEW as soon as possible at 734-998-0160.

Arts Minigrant Program

Minigrant Application Deadline July 1, 2002: The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA) offers minigrants of up to $4,000 to Michigan nonprofit organizations for locally developed, high-quality arts and cultural projects that increase public access to arts and culture. Nonprofit Enterprise at Work (NEW) administers this program for Washtenaw, Livingston and Monroe counties.

The upcoming application deadline of **July 1, 2002** is for projects whose START AND END DATES are between October 1, 2002 and September 30, 2003.

NEW will be offering FREE Grant Assistance workshops to help applicants prepare for the July 1 deadline:

Please contact Daran Smith (734-998-0160) to register for one of the workshops above and/or to request a Minigrant Application and Guidelines. You can also learn more about the Minigrant program or download the application forms. Please note that applicants in other counties may visit MCACA's website to locate the regranting agency in their region.

Board Builders

Board Builders, NEW's board connecting program, serves nonprofit organizations by providing valuable, easy-to-use resources for finding trained, motivated and diverse candidates. Join us in connecting with active and energetic board members and learning more about our new online matching capabilities. Orientation sessions are already scheduled for this summer, so contact Liz Peintner (734-998-0160) today to start expanding your board with committed and skilled community members.

Nonprofit Reference Library

Nonprofit CARES (Computer Assisted Risk Evaluation System) is available for you to use in the library. It is a computerized risk assessment tool that can help you better understand your nonprofit organization and more effectively manage the risks it faces. The assessment guides you through an analysis of your nonprofit's policies and practices and provides a detailed printed report with specific recommendations, customized for your nonprofit and its operating environment. Contact Ann Gladwin (734-998-0160) to schedule an appointment.

Managing for Nonprofit Excellence Spring Workshops

See NEW's workshop offerings for more educational opportunities in nonprofit management. Take note of the newly-added June 24th workshop Raising More Money.

Onsite Training

Nonprofit Enterprise at Work offers a range of workshops in nonprofit topics for your organization, staff, and work teams. For more information, contact Patricia Pancioli (734-998-0160).

NEW Center Building News

NEW Center has office space available to rent to nonprofit groups: L-shaped private suite on first floor, 218 sq.ft., ¼ suite, 77 sq. ft. Contact Lia Stevens (734-998-0160 ext 210) for more information on rentals and our affiliate program.

Conference room space is available for area nonprofits: For general information on conference room rental visit our website.

Washtenaw County Nonprofit Resource Directory

The definitive online directory of Washtenaw County nonprofit organizations is now online. Don't be left out! Nearly 200 local nonprofits are already entered in the system. The "Submit a new organization" button is there for those of you who have not added your organization as yet. Thanks to Washtenaw County, The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, and Washtenaw United Way for making this possible.

Technology

Webmaster Assistance for Your Site: Is your organization looking for ongoing assistance with its Web site? If so, the right answer might be a volunteer Webmaster who can update the text contents of your Web pages. NEW's SBC Ameritech WebConnect program has started the process of matching qualified volunteers with organizations in need of basic Web site maintenance. If you would like to learn more, please contact Neel Hajra (734-998-0160).

Virus Vaccination Day - Organizations and Volunteers Wanted!: Virus Vaccination Day is a FREE one-day community service event devoted to helping Michigan nonprofits protect themselves against computer viruses. Michigan Comnet, a project of the Southeastern Michigan Information Center at United Way Community Services, is working in conjunction with NPower Michigan to recruit interested agencies and volunteers to participate in this special event. The Virus Vaccination Day will occur on Saturday, June 1 from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. For more information please visit Comnet's Web site.

Evaluation Conference May 29-30, 2002 in Lansing, MI

The Michigan Association for Evaluation brings together evaluation professionals in the private and public sectors with funders and service providers who use evaluation. MAE's annual conference is an opportunity to hear about current issues in evaluation, learn helpful tools, and gain access to useful resources and experienced evaluators. Download a pdf of the conference brochure.

REGULAR FEATURES

Nonprofit Bulletin Board

Visit NEW's Nonprofit Bulletin Board to post and view notices about free resources, fundraising opportunities, and other items relevant to the southeast Michigan nonprofit community.

Nonprofit Calendar of Events

Visit the Ring!Michigan Calendar to find and post upcoming nonprofit events. Just select a county below and GO!