Fundraising and Financial Sustainability for Non-Profits in Zimbabwe

1. Fundraising & Financial
Sustainability,
identifying funding
opportunities, proposal
writing key
requirements & other
related issues

2. • Fund raising is key to non-governmental
organizations’ financial sustainability and is
valuable in strengthening their operations.
• Fund raising is a job to which all should
contribute, and for which all should be
responsible.
• Organizations that want to be serious
contenders for securing institutional funding
need to focus on organizational development
first prior to seeking funds by making sure that
they have good corporate governance
systems and operational procedures in place.

3. Identifying funding opportunities
• Identifying and accessing funding is
fundamentally a matter of staying abreast of
upcoming funding opportunities by
conducting regular research while staying
connected with key partners to learn about
funding opportunities.
• To identify as many potential grant-funding
sources as possible for your organization, you
need to carefully research various sources of
funding.

4. • After narrowing down the categories of
donors you would like to contact, the next
step is to find out as much as possible on their
programmatic & geographical priorities as
well as application procedures.
• Review each funder’s initial approach
preference to find what initial
contact or approach document it requires.
• Focus on finding open or current grant-
funding opportunities first, then later you can
look out for expired notices and contact the
grant-making agency to see whether the
funding will be available again in the future.

5. How to know if the funder is a
good match for your project
• Go to the funder’s website and read their
grant-making philosophy.
• Review the projects/proposals they have
recently funded. Notice the deadline for
proposals.
• Download or request the proposal guidelines
from the funder.

6. • Read (and reread) the guidelines carefully,
highlighting key words and phrases.
• Notice whether the initial submission is a
letter of intent (LOI), pre-proposal,
application, or full proposal.

7. What to do when you find the agency
is a good match
• After reading the guidelines, develop a checklist
for all the proposal components you will need to
assemble including whatever forms the grant
maker requests.
• Develop a concept paper which can be an
informal document or outline that answers the
basic questions that will be fleshed out in your
proposal.
• You will want to answer most if not all of the
following questions in your concept paper:

8. • What is the idea or problem I want to examine/address?
• Why is it important? To whom? What related project has
been done before and why is this different/needed?
• Why are we the ideal organization to address this topic or
do this project?
• Why now?
• How long will it take?
• What will be known/understood as a result of this project?
• What resources do I need to do this project (time, money,
access, collaborators, travel, materials, equipment, space,
etc)?
• What activities will take place?
• Why will this project succeed?
• What will success look like and how will it be measured?

9. • How will results be disseminated?
• Can this project be replicated or furthered?
• Will the project continue once grant funding ends?
• Identify if matching is a requirement of the grant
• Discuss your ideas and decide in house whether it makes
sense to contact the funding agency
• If it is allowed call the funding agency to discuss your idea.
Often they will ask you to send your concept paper in
advance of the conversation.
• Develop a timeline backing up from the deadline for
proposal preparation and submission.
• If letters of support or commitment are needed, contact
appropriate colleagues to make arrangements. You may
want to send them your concept paper as well.
• Begin to create a budget for your project. The funding
agency may have a required budget form that you can use
as a template to draft your budget.

10. Types of Funding Resources
• There are several types of funding resources that
include government grants, foundation funds,
corporate sponsorships, and service organization
grants.
• Some organizations provide grants on a national
or state level while others provide to particular
projects within specific communities.
• In the UK alone there are about 8,800 grant-
making trusts and foundations, giving in total
about £2.1 billion in grants to charitable causes
each year though some of it is funding for
academic research.
• The amounts they offer vary from a few hundred
pounds to multi-million pound grants.

11. • Federal and State Governments. Federal or
state governmental agencies often put out
calls for proposals on specific topic areas.
• They usually have a timeframe during which
they accept proposals and make funding
decisions.
• It is important to be aware of the timing for
different grant opportunities.
• Where possible, you may want to sign up for
email alerts to receive notices about new calls
for proposals.

12. • Foundations. Foundations can be a great
source for funding projects, and finding the
right foundation for your project is a critical
first step in the application process.
• There are several types of foundations
including community, family, and public
foundations.
• Some are small and serve a specific
community, while others may give millions of
dollars to fund projects all over the country.
• There are several websites that can help you
find a foundation that matches your initiative.

13. • Corporations. Many corporations offer grants
through a foundation or philanthropic division
– take a look at their website to see what
types of programs and initiatives they typically
fund.
• Companies tend to invest in the communities
where they are located so investigating which
corporations have headquarters or other
corporate facilities in or near your community
is a good place to start.

14. • Service Organizations. Civic and service clubs,
like the Lions Club, and the Rotary may also
have monetary or in-kind resources available.
• Members of service organizations represent
many sectors (e.g. business, education,
government, human services, or health) so
engaging with them can create great synergy
with these sectors.

15. • There are a number of helpful resources for staying
well-informed of upcoming funding opportunities
which you can look up on the internet and these
include the following:
• The Grantsmanship Center provides state-specific
information about the top grant making foundations,
community foundations, and corporate giving
programs, as well as links to state government
homepages.
• The Foundation Center is a leading source on
philanthropy worldwide and is supported by more
than 550 foundations. They have library or learning
centers and also maintain an online database of the
more than 100,000 foundations, corporate donors and
grant making public charities. However, searching the
directory requires a subscription, the most basic of
which costs $19.95/month.

16. • Grants.gov includes grant opportunities from
26 federal grantmaking agencies.
• The European Commission makes direct
financial contributions in the form of grants in
support of projects or organisations which
further the interests of the EU or contribute to
the implementation of an EU programme or
policy. Interested parties can apply by
responding to calls for proposals.
http://ec.europa.eu/contracts_grants/grants_en.h

17. Key Tips on Accessing Funds
• Most successful fundraising is carried out through
networking and the building of relationships with
funders.
• Fundraising success relies on superb marketing-
Make use of social media as there has been 4
straight years of double-digit growth in online
donations overseas.
• Plan ahead and know your specific needs – Clearly
define resources you need to accomplish your
initiative.
• Clearly understand funding goals and guidelines –
Customize your proposal with the funders’ goals and
objectives. Follow all technical guidelines as
requested by the specific funder.

18. • Have a clear picture of success – What are the
funders purchasing with their money? How
will you deliver your product? How will you
measure your progress toward reaching your
goals?
• Have measurable outcomes – Who will
benefit and how? How will your initiative be
evaluated?
• Plan for sustainability – Funders want
projects that will continue once the grant
period is over. How will you sustain the
program?

19. Approaching potential Donors
• Always try to establish contact with a potential funder
first and if possible try to meet with them.
• Introduce your organization and the programme you
wish to undertake, but also ask the donor about their
priorities and interests.
• Listen for clues as to how you can make your
programme more attractive to the donor and what
elements of your proposal would interest them most
and explore additional features you could build in to
make the proposal stronger.
• Submitting a formal proposal should be the last stage
of the process, and by this point you should be fairly
confident that you have strong chances of get funding.

20. • Establish contact wherever possible with the
local programme officers of funding
organizations as establishing personal contact
can make all the difference to whether you
succeed or not.
• Make sure you have done your homework
first though and that the organizations you
plan to visit are appropriate.
• Give the donor information about your
organization, which is clear and professionally
produced.

21. • An annual report with a summary of major
achievements for the year, and summary
accounts, is an invaluable tool.
• Provide prospective donors with information
about your existing donors.
• If you are already receiving funds from
international donors this will enhance your
credibility.
• Annual reports of other NGOs - often contain
information on principal funders.
• Local media (newspapers, magazines, and
portals) - often carry stories about fundraising
events and sponsorships, a good source for
information on local corporate donors.

22. Major donor expectations on
fundraising
• Donors’ expectations today are higher than they
used to be before as a poor economy and rising
unemployment have meant that donors have had
to rein in their expenditure and are more
discerning about any spending.
• They expect charities to have strong ethical
principles, that fundraising will always be good,
honest and accountable.
• But they also want to know what charities have
done with their money.
• They want to see clear reporting and many still
expect it all to come without a price tag on
administration and fundraising costs.

23. • All organizations must be open and impact
reporting is key.
• There is also a growing expectation that
people simply have a ‘right to know’ and if
they can’t find out what they want to know
relatively easily, they become suspicious.
• Deeply understand why the donor would want
to support you and deliver on that.

24. • Speak the donors’ language
• Thank and communicate with your current
donors well and promptly as research has shown
that sharing the stories of how your donors
support is making a difference will increase their
giving by 70%
• Truly understand your donor’s motivations in
giving.
• Build a relationship with your donors starting
with initially engaging them in a thoughtful and
meaningful way and then progressing by telling
them frequently how they are making a
difference.

25. How to develop winning proposals
• A project proposal is a detailed description of a
series of activities aimed at solving a certain
problem.
• Talk to the relevant donors as often as necessary.
• Don’t get behind in developing your proposal.
Don’t procrastinate.
• Make sure you stay on top of deadlines so that
you have time to put the writing down days
before submission.
• Revise, rewrite and repeat; after you’ve left the
proposal alone for a few days, come back and
make the language more concise; rewrite
sentences that are unclear.

26. • Make the proposal interesting to read. Let
your enthusiasm for the project show through
the writing.
• Use action verbs. Spark the reader’s interest,
regardless of his or her area of expertise.
• Begin paragraphs with topic sentences,
making sure that even someone skimming
your proposal will clearly understand what
you’re setting out to do.
• Set deadlines for your proposal development,
and include your proposal deadlines on your
main calendar so you stay on schedule.

27. • Read successful proposals that have received
funding so you can identify key aspects that each
one included, and design your own list of tips to
keep in mind as you write.
• Check out resources which can aid you during the
development process.
• Don’t use jargon that reviewers may not
understand. If you do, explain it in the first
reference. The people reading your proposal may
not be familiar with the specific area.
• Pay attention to the donor’s guidelines before,
during and after developing the proposal to
ensure that you have followed every guideline.

28. • Make appointments with the donor agencies as
far ahead as possible, to allow plenty of time to
use the advice and information you receive to
improve your proposal.
• Call or email to schedule a meeting whenever
possible and usually before a call for proposals is
released.
• Write persuasively to sell your concept.
• Remember the reader, above all and write so the
reader, any reader, from any profession, can read
your proposal.
• Be careful not to write sentences that sound
pretty but don't say anything. Do re-enforce a
concept. Give a different example.
• Develop the timeline thoroughly. Make goals
tangible and quantifiable.

29. • Allow plenty of time to prepare your proposal
carefully and thoughtfully. Do not rush
through the process.
• Read the application package in its entirety
before starting to write. Be sure you are an
eligible applicant and your proposed project
addresses the funding priorities.
• Follow the formatting guidelines carefully and
precisely. For example, if guidelines request a
font size of 12-point or larger, do not use 10-
point size. Also, if page limitation is set at 25
pages, do not exceed this number.

30. • Structure your narrative according to the
selection criteria. This helps to ensure that you
cover all required information and also makes it
easier for reviewers to evaluate your proposal.
• Be clear, concise, and specific in your responses
to the selection criteria.
• Justify your funding request in accordance with
project activities keeping in mind that all costs
must be reasonable and necessary to carry out
your project.
• Be specific about how the funds will be used and
link them to items in your proposal narrative.
• If there is a limitation on the award amount
noted in the application package, do not request
funds in excess of that amount. Do not request
funds for unclear purposes.

31. • Do not request funds for anything that is not
directly related to the program you described in
the narrative portion of your application.
• Check your budget figures for consistency. The
amounts on the application, the Budget and in
the narrative justification for your budget request
must be identical.
• Proofread your proposal. Ask a colleague who
has not been involved in its development to read
the proposal. Reviewers will not give your
proposal the benefit of the doubt if information
is missing, spelling errors change the meaning of
sentences, or information is presented in a
confusing manner.

32. • Use the checklist printed in the application
package to ensure that all required
information is included.
• Make sure that your agency's authorized
representative signs all required forms.
• Submit your proposal by the deadline date.
Extensions for individual applications failing to
meet the deadline will usually not be granted.
• If you have any questions, or need additional
information, about the grant competition,
contact the funding agency through the
contact details listed in the application
package for clarification.

33. • Reviewers are often very busy and must often
read a number of applications in great detail and
form an opinion about each of them.
• Proposals that are able to express their
arguments persuasively and concisely win grants
and get funded.
• So many worthwhile ideas get put into the
unfunded category in reviews because the
proposals are not written clearly and don’t
present the importance of the project forcefully
enough.
• Your application has a better chance at
succeeding if it is easy to read and follows the
required format.

34. • Reviewers are accustomed to finding
information in specific sections of the
application, so you must organize your
application to effortlessly guide reviewers
through it.
• This creates an efficient evaluation process
and saves reviewers from hunting for critical
information.
• Before you start writing the application, think
about the budget as well and remember that
everything in the budget must be justified by
the work you've proposed to do.

35. • Be realistic. Don't propose more work than
can be reasonably done during the proposed
project period.
• Include enough background information to
enable an intelligent reader to understand
your proposed work.
• Organize your thinking; start with an outline
following the suggested organization of the
application.
• Write one sentence summarizing the topic
sentence of each main section. Do the same
for each main point in the outline.

36. • Make the case; capture the reviewers'
attention by making the case for why they
should fund your proposal.
• Tell reviewers why testing your hypothesis is
worth their money, why you are the one to do
it.
• Spell out all acronyms on first reference.
• Be consistent with terms, references, and
writing style.
• Create a compelling title for your proposal.
• Decide upon and prepare any attachments
that are permitted.

37. If there are no submission guidelines,
what format should I use?
• Most proposals include:
• Executive summary
• Background of the institution and project
• Discussion of why the project is important
• Methodology – what activities and steps you will
undertake to address the issue or need
• Description of what will be done and who will do it
• Expectations and how they will be evaluated
• Dissemination of results
• Sustainability after the grant
• Timeline and budget

38. • Mercilessly edit the whole document.
• Appearance is as important as content.
• There should be no obvious grammatical
errors and an absolute minimum of
typographical errors
• Outshine Your Competitors. A proposal is a
sales document, designed to persuade the
donor to fund you instead of a competitor.
• So make certain your proposal reinforces your
strengths and addresses any potential
reservations the donor may have.
• If your competition is much larger than you,
then you've got to show your strengths

39. • To properly present your strengths, you must
know how you stack up against the competition.
So wherever possible you need to know your
competitors and their abilities.
• Building credibility goes a long way in getting that
grant. Use your board members and advisors to
'advertise' your organization and your work.
• Funding organizations work in grant cycles,
disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if
you fail for the current grant, you can always
apply for the next round.
• It is important that the requested budget is
within the limits of the funding organization's
limits.

40. • No funding organization want to see a dependency on
external funds for the success of a project.
• Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a
long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time
frames of the proposal being made.
• Community support for most proposals is essential.
Look for individuals or groups representing academic,
political, professional, and lay organizations which may
be willing to support the proposal in writing.
• The type and caliber of community support is critical in
the initial and subsequent review phases as letters of
support can be persuasive to a grantor agency.
• Do not overlook support from local government
agencies and public officials.

41. • Seek outside inputs early and chase them
• If you need to get prices or information from
other parties, plan this and ask for their input
as soon as possible.
• Give a firm deadline for their responses that
gives you enough time to adequately assess
their contribution.
• If the response has not come in by the
deadline, follow up and make it clear that you
need the information right away.

42. • Weight the sections and allocate space
appropriately
• Some Requests for Proposals tell you the
evaluation weightings that will be applied –
others leave it open.
• If you know or can guess the relative
weightings of the components of your
proposal, then make sure you apply a
proportionate amount of energy (and space)
to those sections which are heavily weighted.
• Use your best available information to
develop your profile

43. Conclusion
• Fundraising is all about marketing and donor
expectations are constantly changing.
• Take time to evaluate what’s working for you,
why and where you should go next.
• Whenever developing proposals always
remember to put yourself in the reviewer’s
frame of mind