3 Resources to Support Your Fundraising and Development Work
To those working in nonprofit fundraising and development, it can be challenging to navigate the vast sea of information out there, especially when you’re juggling multiple responsibilities. In this post, we highlight three special resources courtesy of Muncie Public Library (MPL) that we hope are especially useful in your efforts.
Whether you’re looking for funding opportunities, ways to boost your organization’s visibility, or additional opportunities for professional development, these tools are here to support you.
Foundation Directory: To get the grant, find the right match.
If you are on the hunt for funding partners, Foundation Directory by Candid is your go-to resource. Grants make up a notable portion of nonprofit funding, however one of the most common reasons cited for the rejection of proposals is “mismatched priorities.” This mismatch could be in terms of subject, population, geographical area, or amount requested. With a little research, you can uncover grant makers that align with your organization’s mission and start building relationships.
The average grant maker profile in Foundation Directory will give you insights such as:
What Is being funded?
Where is the money going?
How big are the grants?
Funding interests
Giving limitations
Financials from prior years
Who’s Who (Leadership, program officers, staff, etc.)
Address and contact information
News and communication
Other funders to consider based on similar giving patterns
As a service to our community, MPL provides patrons and visitors with access to the Foundation Directory at each of MPL’s four locations. To begin, log into a library computer or connect your own computer to the library’s Wi-Fi, then navigate to the Resources for Nonprofits page, which you can find under “Learn” on the main menu. If you are not in the Muncie area, you can look up other Candid partners, many of which are other public libraries where you can go to use this premium directory at no cost to you.
Candid Profiles on Guidestar: Research shows nonprofit transparency matters.
The Guidestar database, also powered by Candid, gets 10 million annual visits, and lots of donation platforms like Facebook, Apple Pay, and Network for Good are powered by Guidestar data. If your organization has ever filed an IRS Form 990, the odds are your organization has a basic profile on Guidestar populated by that publicly available data. But did you know that you can use it as a fundraising tool?
Completing a profile beyond the basic level is a free way to share information about your nonprofit’s mission, goals, and achievements with supporters, whether they are individual donors, donor advised funds, or foundations. Profiles are categorized into four levels, also known as “Seals of Transparency.” Each seal is a signal of additional credibility and capacity. The Bronze seal is attained by providing basic information so donors can find you, the Silver seal is attained by providing program details to guide funding decisions, the Gold seal is attained by providing financial and leadership information to gain trust and support, and finally, the Platinum seal is attained by providing goals and results to highlight your impact. Begin by claiming your organization’s profile, and then add further information to optimize your listing.
Academic research compared nonprofits that earned a Seal of Transparency to those that did not and found that the decision to be transparent is associated with greater future contributions and stronger organizational performance. The study found that nonprofits that earned a Seal averaged 53% more in contributions the following year than organizations with no Seal.
It’s not only the relationship between donors and nonprofits that benefits from transparency. Nonprofits can also tap into Guidestar to identify peers near and far and open the door to collaboration and mentorship. Perhaps you could explore the grant history of peers within Foundation Directory and gain insight into potential funding partners and sponsorships for the future?
For more on this topic:
View the Candid profile best practices guide for a simple step-by-step walkthrough.
Download a PDF of full Seal Level requirements.
When you access Guidestar from within MPL or other member library, you get the Professional edition which comes with enhanced searching options and access to comprehensive data.
Candid Learning: Train at your own pace.
By putting resources into ongoing training and education, organizations can improve their overall effectiveness, lift employee morale, and ultimately make a bigger impact in their missions. Professional development is not limited to the classroom or office. Nor does it need to be costly. At Candid Learning, you can learn from experts on nonprofit topics such as fundraising, proposal writing, social media marketing, evaluation, and more, all at your own pace.
Here is a small sampling of on-demand training videos from the Candid Learning catalog:
Content includes training videos, webinars featuring guest experts, and numerous articles. This resource is available anywhere you have an internet connection.
Here’s a word cloud created from this post—highlighting some of the key terms and themes nonprofit professionals may find useful.
Three Ways to Take Action
Now that you’ve learned about Foundation Directory, Guidestar, and Candid Learning, here are three simple ways to move forward:
Learn something new.
Pick a topic—like fundraising planning or project budgeting—and join a live virtual training or view a recording on Candid Learning. Most trainings are free, with the exception of select premium offerings like the Proposal Writing Bootcamp.Research potential funders.
Visit any of Muncie Public Library’s four locations to use Foundation Directory. You can use your own device or a library computer and download PDFs of grantmaker profiles to take with you.Help donors find and trust you.
Claim your organization’s Candid Profile Claim your organization’s Candid Profile and take 15 minutes to earn a Bronze Seal of Transparency by adding your mission, contact info, and basic details.
Meet the Author: Laura Janiga
Laura is the Adult Services Supervisor at Muncie Public Library.