"How to Fund a Non-Profit Organization" by Alana O

You have the ability to be a philanthropist in your community. In the Summer of 2021, I joined a youth program that taught me invaluable skills about youth philanthropy, grant writing, and the role of non-profit organizations in our community, called the Youth GrantMakers Program. At the end of the program, myself and four other students distributed a $5,600 grant to three non-profit organizations in the Inland Empire who serve youth from marginalized communities. The Youth Hope Foundation used the $1,500 we granted them to help homeless students receive life skill trainings at Loma Linda University, The Youth Enterprise used the $2,100 we gave them toward professionally publishing the literature and poems of students undergoing mental health problems, and the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective used their $2,000 grant money toward creating a leadership program for immigrant students. Philanthropy, or giving away money to support a cause, is an activity available to people of all ages from all walks of life. All that you need in order to become a philanthropist is a little guidance, so I am here to help you out!

 

Note: There are many ways to fund a non-profit organization, but in this guide you will learn how to fundraise and distribute grants online.

Tools:

●      A computer, cell-phone, or cellular device that has access to a reliable WiFi network.

○      A cellular device will allow you to research non-profit organizations in your community and utilize online resources that help you build your fundraising platform.

●      A personal email account.

○      A personal email account will allow you to log-in to the online fund and personally reach out to the non-profit organizations you grant the money to.

 

Steps:

1. Hone in on a cause you want to support.
1. There are many different problems impacting our generation that may be meaningful to you. Whether you are an advocate for mental health services, LGBTQ protections, environmental sustainability, youth empowerment, or another cause, determining one or two causes you are passionate about is an important start to your campaign.
2. Research non-profit organizations that work toward your cause in your city, county, and region.
1. Grow your understanding of the non-profit organizations that already exist in your community that are working toward solving your cause. It is important to create a list of 5-10 non-profit organizations so that you can advertise your grant to these non-profits later.
3. Collect the contact information of the non-profit organizations in Step 2.
1. Find the phone numbers, email addresses, and building addresses of the non-profit organizations you found in Step 2. By collecting this information, you will be able to easily contact these organizations later in Step 7.
4. Create a giving circle to collect donations.
1. Connect with people who are close to you and see if they would be interested in helping you collect donations for your grant.
2. What is a giving circle? A “giving circle” is a strategy that philanthropic organizations use to collect donations from groups.
3. Who is in a giving circle? Giving circles may include family members, school classmates, coworkers, neighbors, or anyone who is willing to donate to your cause!
4. Why would we use a giving circle? Creating a giving circle is important at the beginning of your philanthropic endeavors because it allows you to obtain donations from people who you know the best.
5. Create a Grapevine account.
1. In the Youth GrantMakers Program, we collected donations from the community through an online platform called Grapevine. Grapevine allows you to expand your giving circle online and receive donations from people who are outside of your sphere of acquaintances.
2. To create a Grapevine account, visit the website www.grapevine.org.
3. Click the blue button called “Create a Grapevine” in the upper right corner of your screen.
4. Then, fill in all of the information listed in the Grapevine application. You will need to include…
1. A title: what are you fundraising for?
2. A description: why are you passionate about this cause and what type of non-profit are you giving your grant to?
3. A donation goal: how much money do you want to give to the non-profit organization?
1. Tip: If you want to give multiple grants away to different non-profit organizations, create a high donation goal and specify that you will be funding multiple non-profits in your description.
4. A deadline: when do you want to stop collecting donations?
6. Write a RFP.
1. A request for proposal (RFP) is a document that you can send to organizations applying for your grant. It contains your contact information, the eligibility of the non-profit organization you are awarding the grant to, and the deadline of the application.
2. In the RFP, it is important that you highlight what you look for in an applicant:
1. An applicant must be spending the grant money on a [program/initiative/event] in order to further [your cause].
2. An applicant must be an organization based in [specify a location].
3. An applicant must explain what they will be using the grant money on.
7. Distribute your RFP to the non-profit organizations you listed in Step 2.
1. Use the contact information you collected in Step 3 to distribute your RFP to the non-profit organizations you were interested in.
2. You may also want to share your RFP with your city’s office so that they can share it with other community members.
3. If you need any more strategies for distributing your RFP, try some of the options below:
1. Advertise your RFP and campaign on social media.
2. Create a website for your grant so that people can access your RFP online.
3. Share your RFP and campaign information to your local newspaper, news network, or radio station.
8. Fundraise, fundraise, fundraise!
1. You did all of the hard work up until this point. Now, all you have to do is fundraise money until you reach your donation goal. Utilize the Grapevine platform to collect donations because Grapevine is able to send the grant money directly to the non-profit organization of your choice.
2. If you need any help fundraising, here are some tips:
1. Ask for donations on social media and link your Grapevine campaign into your social media bio.
2. Contact businesses in your community and ask for monetary donations.
3. Create a bit.ly and a QR code for your Grapevine campaign so that people can easily access it.
4. Continue to seek donations from your giving circle in Step 4.
9. Distribute your grant to the non-profit organization.
1. After you reach your donation goal, it’s time for you to give your grant to the non-profit organization who applied using your RFP. They will need to create an account in Grapevine to accept your grant. Contact your grant recipients to congratulate them on being awarded your grant.

 

Congratulations! By following these steps, you were able to research different organizations in your community who work toward your cause, fundraise for your own grant, create a RFP, and distribute your grant to a non-profit. Granting a non-profit organization made me feel empowered to make a difference in my community, and I am positive that you will feel empowered too! Good luck and have fun.