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What software do YOU use? Please fill out our sector study on the software programs you use to track your donors and grants. Click here (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=47507967964) to access the survey. We'll share results of the survey in a future Rich Tips. Rich Tips is a free electronic newsletter published by Richard Male & Associates (RMA), a nonprofit consulting firm. Please send any suggestions or comments to nicolle@richardmale.com. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week's tips: Tips on Annual Reports The IRS requires nonprofits to file 990s when they generate revenue over $25,000. And private foundations, government agencies, and other funding sources generally require annual reporting on the expenditure and use of funds. But developing and publishing an annual report is generally not required, although it is clearly recommended. Publishing an annual report helps your donors, friends and stakeholders keep abreast of your accomplishments during the previous year. An important tool for accountability, the annual report lets supporters know what you did with your money and offers them assurance that their investment was a wise one. While the 990 certainly provides a level of required accountability, it doesn't provide a plain and comprehensible document that illustrates the impact you're making in the community— that's the annual report's job. For organizations that raise money from a wide variety of funding sources, the annual report should become the key marketing and information vehicle. Most annual reports should be completed and sent out within six months of the end of your fiscal year. Here are the most important components of the annual report. And how YOU can successfully implement them. 1. Letter from the chairperson of the board. Include this letter in one of the first pages of the annual report to set the tone. In the letter, the chairperson should give an overview of the organization and what impact the organization has had during the past year. The letter should also include some language describing the critical role the board of directors has played. 2. Letter from the president/CEO or executive director. This usually comprises the second page of the annual report and should describe the activities of the staff, the programs, and an overview of the organization's goals and objectives. It should also thank the donors and stakeholders for their support and donations. 3. Theme for the annual report. Before the report is even drafted you need to develop an overall theme for the year that can be reflected in the cover and throughout the document. Flowing from the theme should be a message that represents how the theme was operationalized throughout the year. 4. Show clear and simple financial statements. This is a critical piece that everyone will at least review if not study when reading the report. If a CPA audited your organization, be sure to include the audit letter they developed. You should ALWAYS include a balance sheet, and an income and expense statement, and then illustrate the revenue and expenses through a pie chart or other graphics. 5. List of the board of directors. The board is the legally constituted body responsible for the effective functioning of the organization. List the board members with their business affiliations in the annual report; this gives the reader an understanding of the quality of people associated with your organization. If you have an advisory board, list them and their affiliations as well. Your board members give your organization credibility. 6. Key staff. Since most organizations accomplish their goals primarily through their staff, it's a good idea to list the key staff members responsible for the programs, management and leadership functions of the organization. 7. Donors. Make sure you list all of the primary donors, sponsors, and key stakeholders in the organization. Many organizations list their donors in categories starting off with the major gifts donors and then moving down to the small donors. Remember to ask people if they want to be listed, as some donors want to remain anonymous. In some annual reports, this section could take many pages, but most organizations feel it's worth the ink to publicly acknowledge their donors. Obviously, if you have thousands of donors, you'll have to describe the different levels and thank more personally the key individuals, private foundations, government agencies and corporations that made the most significant contributions. 8. Photos are important. Every annual report should have photos, paintings, artwork from kids, etc. that reflect the passion and emotion of the mission and the programs. This is important not only to make the annual report interesting to read, but to move the reader to action. 9. Quotes and stories. Make sure when writing the report to use the active rather than passive tone and to use plenty of quotes and stories so the annual report comes alive to the reader. 10. Thank-you and thank-you, and thank-you again. You can't say thank-you enough! Just remember to thank your volunteers, your board, and your staff—NOT JUST your donors. ------------------------------------------------------------- New Grant Opportunities First Amendment Schools Project The First Amendment Schools project will award five grants of $10,000 each to help schools affirm First Amendment principles and put them into action throughout their communities. First Amendment Schools: Educating for Freedom and Responsibility (FAS) is co-sponsored by the First Amendment Center and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. The five schools selected will each receive a $10,000 grant, subject to review and renewal in August 2006 and August 2007. For detailed information go to: http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/news/event.aspx?id=14866 Patagonia - Support for Grassroots Environmental Work Patagonia 's Environmental Grants Program funds environmental work that is action-oriented; builds public involvement and support; is strategic; focuses on root causes; accomplishes specific goals and objectives; and takes place in communities in which the company does business. Patagonia supports small, grass-roots activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas. They look for innovative groups that produce measurable results, and support efforts to force the government to abide by its own laws. Patagonia helps local groups working to protect local habitat, and believes the individual battles to protect a specific stand of forest, stretch of river or indigenous wild species are the most effective in raising more complicated issues in the public mind, particularly those of biodiversity and ecosystem protection. For detailed information go to: http://www.patagonia.com/enviro/grants_app.shtml KaBOOM! 2005 Playground Opportunities KaBOOM! has announced ongoing opportunities to build new, safe playgrounds across North America . KaBOOM! is conducting outreach to locate potential Community Partners in cities and towns all across North America for playgrounds to be built in 2005. Ideal Community Partners are usually child-serving, nonprofit organizations, but could be community development organizations, neighborhood coalitions, charter schools, or any organization that can mobilize a volunteer force and is in need of a playground. Community Partners will receive a four-book Tool Kit that explains how to plan a playground from start to finish; two months of step-by-step guidance from a KaBOOM! project manager; a maintenance plan for the care of the new playground; and, with the help of volunteers, an inspiring community building experience ("Build Day") resulting in construction of a new playground in a single day. For detailed information go to: http://www.kaboom.org/nooz.aspx?id=452 Fannie Mae Foundation - Research Grants The Fannie Mae Foundation makes a small number of research grants each year to organizations that support the foundation's priorities and have significant potential to advance the knowledge base and profile of housing economics and finance, housing and urban policy, housing demography and affordability, and other community development issues. For detailed information go to: http://www.fanniemaefoundation.org/grants/grants_research.shtml#Evaluation The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Currently seeking proposals in the following areas: Decorative Arts - Metalsmithing; Traditional Jewelry Design Environmental Conservation - Responsible Mining; Coral Reef Conservation A letter of inquiry is recommended as an initial approach to the Foundation. For detailed information go to: http://www.tiffanyandcofoundation.org/index_home.html American Heart Association (AHA) Pharmaceutical Roundtable Award A leading priority of the American Heart Association is to fund research that increases an understanding of the causes, treatments and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. The American Heart Association Pharmaceutical Roundtable (PRT) is a strategic coalition of eight leading pharmaceutical companies and association volunteers and staff. This premiere corporate funding group for the National Research Program has committed over $42 million to cardiovascular research since its inception in 1988. The purpose of this initiative is to stimulate career development among investigators interested in implementation research in primary and secondary prevention and quality of care. The intent of this request for applications (RFA) is to support investigators in developing capabilities and projects that lead to sustainable applications of research in primary and secondary prevention, outcomes and improved quality of care in cardiovascular disease and stroke. For detailed information go to: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=12159 Arthur B. Schultz Foundation Funding priorities: Wildlands Conservation Disabled Recreation Disabled Mobility International Microenterprise Global Understanding For detailed information go to: http://www.absfoundation.org/program.html Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust The Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust provides support for services to youth and the elderly, education and the environment. Requests for support should be made to Ameren office in your service area. For detailed information go to: http://www.ameren.com/Community/ADC_CM_NonProfitGrants.asp The Advancing Colorado's Mental Health Care Project Advancing Colorado's Mental Health Care is a five-year, $4.1 million joint project of the Caring for Colorado Foundation, The Colorado Trust, The Denver Foundation and HealthONE Alliance. The project will provide support to human services agencies, mental health care providers and others to improve the integration and coordination of mental health services in Colorado communities. To be considered for funding, proposals must be submitted to TriWest, the Project Coordinator. A statewide video conference applicant briefing will be held 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on May 6, 2005. If you have questions, contact Jenna Ichikawa, Project Assistant for TriWest at 303-544-0509 ext. 4. For detailed information go to: http://www.thecoloradotrust.org/index.cfm?useAction=Grantmaking.FundingOpportunities Fujifilm Corporate Giving Program The goal of the Fujifilm Corporate Giving Program is to enhance the For detailed information go to: http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/AboutGiving.jsp
Federal Grant Opportunities (if any of the following grants sound appealing, please contact Mourene Tesler to learn more about the application procedure - mourene@richardmale.com) ------------------------------- Workforce Investment Act--Small Grassroots Organizations Connecting With the One-Stop Delivery System Closing Date: April 28, 2005 Amount: $1,000,000 Eligible Applicants: For purposes of this announcement, eligible grassroots organizations must be non-profit organizations which: Have social services as a major part of their mission; Are headquartered in the local community to which they provide these services; (a) Have a social services budget of $350,000 or less, or (b) Have 6 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. Agency/Department: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration SUMMARY: The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announces the availability of $1,000,000 to award grants to eligible ``grassroots'' organizations with the ability to connect to the local One-Stop delivery system. Listed in: Federal Register: March 25, 2005 Volume 70, Number 57 Page 15353-15367 For detailed information go to: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20051800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2005/05-5907.htm Conferences, Workshops, and Other Announcements Secondary Trauma Resiliency Training for those working in poverty and homelessness, presented by the HealthBridge Alliance. This innovative and interactive experience trains caregivers in skills to cope with the personal stresses of their work to reduce burnout and turnover. April 19-21 at the Foss Conference Center in the foothills of Jefferson County. The normal cost of the training is $340, but we are offering this training for the special low-rate of only $35 per person. Please contact Dace West at (720) 934-1066 or daceschlue@aol.com for more information. ``````````````````````````````````` Mobilizing Resources for Your Organization: Strategies to Succeed in the Current Economic Climate, May 24-26 in beautiful Missoula, Montana. IF YOU THINK your organization is forever doomed to dependency on public dollars, join us for this one-day seminar to separate the myth from the reality of fund-raising. There IS money your organization is eligible for and there are 'smart' ways to find, secure, and administer it. Richard Male will be joined by a panel of diverse funders who will tell you what gets their attention and what puts them off when approached for money. MOVING TOWARD LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SUCCESS is a challenge for any nonprofit organization in today's economic climate. Small, relatively unknown organizations such as many CILs and SILCs, face even greater hurdles. Fortunately, there are tremendous opportunities to leverage public and private resources, including funding for advocacy, if you know where to look and how to proceed. This seminar will give you the tools to do just that through a step-by-step approach to planning, implementing, and succeeding in resource development. LEARN HOW TO • Capitalize on current funding trends among private foundations, corporations, government, religious funders, philanthropic trusts, and individuals • Identify fundraising approaches compatible with your organization and local situation • Establish relationships with funders before asking for money • Ask for money in ways that make it clear who you are and what you would use the funding for • Stay true to the mission and philosophy while fostering growth ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Free Internet Services to Nonprofits! Grassroots.org is a nonprofit organization working to change the world ```````````````````````````````````````````
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