Non Profit Organizations Get in Their Own Way!
In my day job I’m the president of my public relations firm. I’ve been in meetings with clients while they discussed which organizations they should give funding to. The outcomes of these meetings are the same. Companies give sponsorships to organizations that they feel will be effective, are pleasant to work with and are professional.
Some organizations don’t understand the project they are taking on. Don’t laugh, there have been organization that were turned down for funding because they didn’t ask for enough money, the proposal was viewed as not credible. It demonstrated a lack of vision by the organization. Think things through. Pay attention to the details. Ask for enough funding to reach your goals and objectives.
Be pleasant. You would be surprised how many people are not pleasant to the very people who they are trying to get funding from. This means to nice to everyone including the security guard down in the lobby. If you have people that I call “blockers” in your office get rid of them. Many times they are putting up barriers that frustrate potential sponsors, allies and volunteers who may want to work with you. If you are a “blocker”, change the way you screen or prioritize your duties. Respond to all calls, faxes and emails that are legitimate within 24 hours. This is a great lead into my next point.
Be professional. I feel silly even having to bring this up. There is a laundry list of things that I’ve heard sponsors say. I’ll list a few of the top reasons organization get skipped over for funding:
1. Paperwork is not up to par.
2. Fail to meet deadlines.
3. Not responsive to sponsors request.
4. Does not return phone calls.
5. Shoddy reporting.
If this is you, fix it today. You are shooting yourself in the foot by not being professional. I suggest that you do an honest SWOT analysis. Get lean and mean as sponsorship budgets are being cut. Increase your chances of getting funded by doing what is necessary to survive these tight economic times.
