We help foundations help their grantees.

Depending on grants is scary.

We teach nonprofits how to diversify revenue.

Foundations know better than anyone that your nonprofit grantees need to build sustainable revenue. That means showing them how to cultivate more individual supporters and major donors.

It may surprise you to know how few nonprofits feel confident in doing this. In a recent workshop, most participants had no fundraising committee or give/get policy for board members, and only half had a donor database.

Melanie has taught hundreds of nonprofit organizations through workshops created for community foundations and institutional funders. These offer unpretentious fundraising strategies that help grantees to build donors, receive coaching and encouragement, and get hands-on templates and examples that will:

• Help a nonprofit board build comfort around fundraising.
• Reach new audiences of individual donors.
• Prioritize existing donors and move them towards higher levels of giving.
• Establish affortable, easy-to-implement systems (free donor databases, prompt acknowledgments, regular emails, and more).

Custom Content

All workshops are created to meet the needs of the specific nonprofit grantees who will participate. And our model includes ongoing support. All participants receive access for one year to:

• Our members-only resources, with monthly ask-the-expert forums, fundraising templates, how-to blogs, and a private Slack community of fundraising peers.
• A one-on-one fundraising coaching call to dig into specifics and prioritize actions that will work for that specific nonprofit.
• An evergreen, online link to the customized content presented at your workshop(s).

Still deciding?

Let us show you how easy this can be — when you have the right tools.

Start with stewardship.

• Thank donors. Donors give more when they know their donations matters. This is a great opportunity to engage your board in reaching out to donors with calls/emails to say, “Thanks for your support. Your gift really matters to our work.” (This special touch goes beyond the formal thank you letter that you sent by email or snail mail right after you received their gift.)
• Don’t assume. We rarely know why someone gives, unless we ask. “What inspired your generosity” is a great question!

Communicate regularly.

• Send updates. You never want donors to hear from you just when you ask for money. Let them know about a program success, client story, news coverage, or a big grant/gift received.
• Create opportunities. Small, intimate gatherings are a great way to share your knowledge and perspective on issues related to your organizational mission. The more informal and conversational the better! Consider a quarterly fireside chat with the executive director, donor appreciation gathering at the office, or a house party hosted by a board member. Even if a donor can’t attend, the invitation feels special.