[Nfb-fundraising] Imagination Fund & General Grant Tactics

[Scott Spaulding]

I have never done any grant writing, but the NFB of Kentucky Association of
Blind Students is looking to start doing more of this type of thing for our
fundraising. I know someone who gets all there financing done through
donations from companies and we have decided that we want to do the same
thing if possible, since it seems that we have not been doing all that great
lately. I am also on the board of our Technology Assistance Division, so I
will take what I learn to them also. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-fundraising-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-fundraising-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Joe Orozco
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 12:28 AM
To: NFB-FundRaising
Subject: [Nfb-fundraising] Imagination Fund & General Grant Tactics

Dear list,

David Andrews will forgive me for insisting on this list's creation and then
taking a leave of absence from promoting posts.  I have, however, been
following the threads and thank Everett Gavel, among others, for sharing so
generously of their resources and experiences.

I would like to encourage fresh activity in the list by proposing weekly
topic discussions.  It is my hope that through concentrated dialogue we can
find the means to bring fundraising operations in the Federation to a
dynamic and profitable science that will benefit the organization from the
local chapter to the national division level.

To start, I would like to invite thoughts on the intricate science of grant
writing.  I refer to it as such because for the past nine months I have
become familiar with the many nuances of putting together a winning
proposal.  I cannot claim to be an expert, but having worked on grants
ranging from general operations to capital campaigns, I've learned a lot
about tailoring materials for varying audiences.

So, I hope you all will share a little bit about some of the opportunities
for which you have submitted proposals.  One common factor some of you may
share is the Imagination Fund.  What activities have you sponsored through
these funds?  Would you be willing to share portions of your reports to
educate others?  What evaluation tools have you implemented to measure
output?  Are there any best practice models you cite in generating your
proposals?  Have you experienced success in applying for some of the
opportunities passed along by Everett and others that are not specifically
blind-related?

Mind you, I will also make my own contributions to the discussion.  For now,
I'm hoping to hear from you all, to find out about what has worked and what
requires improvement.  I realize not every chapter and/or affiliate is going
to utilize grants to generate funds, and I do not want to advance the notion
that we are only going to tackle proposals.  For now this seems as good of a
starting point as any other, and I hope you all benefit from what I am sure
will be an instructive exchange of ideas.  If you have previously shied away
from grants, perhaps this will be your nudge to begin considering it. 
Thanks, and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Regards,

Joe Orozco

"I came, I saw, I conquered."--Julius Caesar 

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