Finding Foundation Funders: the art of successful research|Washington, DC|05/19/2009

Finding Foundation Funders: the art of successful research

According to a recent survey of grantmakers, between 40% and 75% of the proposals that they receive do not fit their guidelines. It is now recognized that the more thoroughly you conduct your research, ask smart questions, and cultivate foundation contacts, the more your organization will stand out from the crowd.

This session will cover the following topics:

Prospecting for new money: how to find suitable grantmakers in expected and unexpected places
Computer resources and technology: where to find the best information on grantmakers on the web
Making sense of foundation guidelines: and how to read between the lines
Is there a fit: how to decide whether a foundation's priorities are compatible with your mission

This session is ideal for beginning grant seekers who are getting their feet wet, and need step by step guidance on how to find appropriate funding.

Speakers for this session:

Beth Bahs-Ahern

Director, Foundation Relations

World Resources Institute

In her current position, Beth coordinates and facilitates the Institute’s relationships with foundations and oversees all foundation research. In 2008, she helped to raise over $5,000,000. She joined WRI in 2000 and has served the organization in a number of different capacities, including managing all fundraising activities for the Institute’s Economics Program. Prior to joining WRI, Beth worked at Conservation International helping to facilitate their $200 million Campaign to Save the Hotspots. She has nearly a decade of experience in fundraising from both individuals and private foundations. She holds an MA in International Relations from Old Dominion University and a BA from Texas State University.

Tracey Johnson

President

Credo Strategies

Tracey Johnson has been involved in fundraising for over 15 years. She has served as Executive Director of 2 non-profits organization where she was also the primary fundraiser. Her areas of expertise include high-dollar direct mail, grant writing, corporate fundraising and special events. Seven years ago Ms. Johnson formed Credo Strategies, a full service fundraising and business development firm. Since its inception, Ms. Johnson has helped take small and mid size non profits through periods of difficult management transition and economic downturns to become financial stable organizations. She has a proven grant writing track record, working with both private and government grant making entities. She has successfully secured funding from numerous domestic and international foundations as well as local, state and federal government agencies to provide funding for charities in all stages of development.

DC Fundraising Summit

A relationship approach to fundraising
Nonprofit fundraising has become highly specialized, and each segment of your donor market requires a different set of relationship management skills. Whether you are reaching out to private foundations, wealthy individuals or your own members, you need to understand who they give to, and why. The DC Summit focuses on the relationship aspects of fundraising, and offers you several ways to enhance your relationship management skills:

Day One:
In the morning, listen to a panel of private, corporate and community grantmakers who will openly discuss their philosophy on grantmaking, how they operate, and most important, how you can build a more successful relationship with the grantmaking community. In the afternoon, participate in seminars led by experienced grant seekers who have successfully secured many foundation grants, and have built successful relationships with the grantmaking community.

Day Two:
Attend a series of fundraising seminars covering the hottest areas of fundraising (capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving campaigns, and many more). Panels of experts will discuss the latest developments in these fields, and then enter into a dialogue with the participants that addresses their most pressing questions.

WHY ATTEND THE FUNDRAISING SUMMIT?
Fundraising is primarily a relationship business, and with increasing pressures facing all nonprofit professionals to build key relationships, it is becoming more important, though much more difficult to meet people face-to-face. Our innovative Summit format provides the most efficient and cost effective use of time away from the office by enabling attendees to interact with experts in the field, as well as other nonprofit leaders.

CAN ONE ATTEND SPECIFIC SESSIONS ONLY?
We understand the demands that are placed on you and on your time. That’s why you can attend only the seminars that are of interest to you. Come for the day or stop by for a couple of hours. You pay for only the seminars you wish to attend and only for the information relevant to you. It’s a novel approach to learning that allows you to get exactly what you’re looking for in a short amount of time. In 2009, we are also introducing a two-day pass so that attendees can attend all sessions at a reduced price.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE SEMINARS?
Each seminar features a panel of 3-4 experts who will give a short overview of the key developments in that field. After that , we will move into a moderated discussion to explore what these developments mean for nonprofit organizations. During the seminar, panelists will engage with the audience in an interactive manner to ensure the real-world implications of these developments emerge, and the session will end with a summary of practical next steps.

ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING SESSIONS
In 2009, we are adding an exciting new component to our Summits: one on mentoring sessions. In these 30 minute sessions, you can sit down with an experienced nonprofit fundraiser to discuss specific questions not addressed by the seminars. Mentoring sessions will cover the same topics as the seminar topics.

HOW IS THE SUMMIT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS?
The Summit offers a unique format to help you accomplish the following:

Build relationships: to ensure maximum exposure to the experts and other nonprofit leaders, each seminar offers structured networking before the session starts
Hear different perspectives: the experts are drawn from different sectors of the nonprofit community to ensure cross-pollination of ideas and practices
Provide a global view: speakers give an overview of key issues so that you can eliminate any gaps in your understanding of the subject
Drill down to the specifics: speakers will also focus on providing specific answers to real-world questions that are common to most attendees
Obtain information you can use: the emphasis in all sessions is on avoiding theoretical discussions in favor of practical tools and techniques that nonprofit leaders can actually use

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUMMIT?
The Summit is organized by the Center for Nonprofit Success, a nonprofit organization that specializes in bringing highly relevant information that nonprofit leaders need to run their organizations successfully. We developed the Fundraising Summit series as a follow-on to the Nonprofit Success Forum, a highly successful educational series on grantmaking that has been taking place around the country for the past two years. The Fundraising Summit drills down into specific areas of fundraising to give nonproft leaders cutting edge tools and techniques.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT?
Simply click on the seminars listed below to learn more about the topics that will be covered in each seminar. Then select only those seminars that you wish to attend.

Location/Directions

The Summit will be taking place at Catholic University which is 3 miles north of downtown DC, and close to all forms of public transportation. The full address is:
Catholic University of America (CUA)
Edward J. Pryzbyla Center, Room 322
620 Michigan Ave NE
Washington, DC 20064

Public Transportation
CUA is located on the Metro Red Line at the Brookland/CUA stop. Exit left out of the turnstile and the CUA campus is at the top of the Metro escalator. You will cross John McCormack Rd. Continue up the sidewalk between Gowan and Pangborn Halls. Turn south at the Crough Center. The Pryzbyla Center is directly behind the Crough Center.

Directions by car

From the West, I-66:
I-66 from Virginia empties onto Constitution Avenue. Continue east on Constitution Avenue and turn left on 6th Street, NW. Turn right on E Street, NW. Turn left on North Capitol Street. Drive approximately 2 miles and turn right on Michigan Avenue, NE. You will soon see the dome of the Shrine on your left marking a university entrance at 4th Street, NE.

From the South, I-95:
When I-95 intersects the Capital Beltway in Springfield, Virginia, follow I-395 North. After crossing the Potomac River, take the "Route 1 North" exit. The road becomes 14th Street, NW. Turn right on Constitution Avenue. Turn left on 6th Street, NW. Turn right on E Street, NW. Turn left on North Capitol Street. Drive approximately 2 miles and turn right on Michigan Avenue, NE. You will soon see the dome of the Shrine on your left marking a university entrance at 4th Street, NE.

From the East, Route 50:
Take Route 50 West (becomes New York Avenue) and exit on South Dakota Avenue. After approximately 1.3 miles, turn left onto Monroe Street. Follow Monroe Street until it merges with Michigan Avenue. You will see the dome of the Shrine on your right marking a university entrance at 4th Street, NE.

From the Northwest, I-70 to I-270:
From Frederick, Maryland, take Exit 53, I-270 South to Washington. I-270 divides. Take the 495 East, Silver Spring/College Park exit (two left lanes). You will eventually feed onto the beltway, I-495. Continue on I-495 and take Exit 22 B, the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. Continue traveling south on the Parkway and exit at Route 50 West. Take the South Dakota Avenue exit. After approximately 1.3 miles, turn left onto Monroe Street. At Michigan Avenue, Monroe Street ends. Bear left and you will see the dome of the Shrine on your right marking a university entrance at 4th Street, NE.

From the North, I-95 to I-495:
Follow I-95/I-495 South to Exit 22B, the Baltimore/Washington Parkway. Continue traveling south on the Parkway and exit at Route 50 West. Take the South Dakota Avenue exit. After approximately 1.3 miles, turn left onto Monroe Street. Monroe Street ends at Michigan Avenue, NE. Bear left and you will see the dome of the Shrine on your right marking a university entrance at 4th Street, NE.

Parking at Catholic University
Parking for the Pryzbyla Center is available in the nearby McMahon Parking lot. Passes for this parking lot can be purchased in the Pryzbyla Center at $7/day/vehicle. You will need to walk to the Pryzbyla Center to purchase your parking pass, then go back to place it in your vehicle, then return to the Pryzbyla Center. Please account for an additional 15 minutes or so to do this.

Hotel Accommodations
Most hotels near the Summit venue are within the $140-$319 per night range. The following hotels are within a two-block radius of the venue:

1. Fairfield Inn By Marriott                         BOOK NOW                1.7 miles from venue
2. Holiday Inn Express Washington
    National Arboretum                               BOOK NOW                 1.7 miles from venue
3. Renaissance Washington DC               BOOK NOW                 2.6 miles from venue
4. Holiday Inn Washington-Central/
    White House                                         BOOK NOW                 2.6 miles from venue
5. Courtyard by Marriott Embassy Row    BOOK NOW                 2.8 miles from venue

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One-on-one mentoring

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