No time for research? Here are 5 mistakes you won’t know you’re making

Mistake #1 – Mission mismatch.
Proposing a project outside the funder’s mission is the kiss of death. Don’t assume that you’re a great match because you share a town with a funder or you received a grant a few years ago. Make sure you have current information about where the funder is focused.

Mistake #2 – Wrong contact.
Board members and foundation staff change. Be sure you have recent contact information before sending that request. (I included this tip because I once offended a program officer by addressing a proposal to her predecessor. In her words, “There’s no excuse for that kind of mistake.” Ouch!)

Mistake #3 – Terrible timing.
If you don’t read the guidelines, you won’t know that you’ve missed the deadline. Or that your request won’t be considered for six more months. Or that funding is no longer available.

Mistake #4 – Industry ignorance.
If you’re approaching a corporate funder, you should have a basic understanding of its business. This knowledge will help you identify the best matches between your organizations. It’s also important to understand who your prospect’s competitors are; A company may not be enthusiastic about supporting a signature program named after a rival business.

Mistake #5 – Format failure.
Does the funder want the request in two pages or less? Don’t send a novel. Did the funder request six attachments? Make sure to include them. Heed any advice a funder provides in its guidelines about length, format and attachments. That’s easy stuff that can help save you and the funder time.

Every funder is different. So the degree to which these mistakes will affect your request depends on who you’re approaching. Even with more forgiving funders, it’s best to minimize these mistakes with good solid research up front.

I’m sure I’ve missed some…Are there other mistakes that good research helped you to avoid?

1. 8 tell-tale signs of a grantwriting rookie – New to grantwriting? Are you sending signals that you are a newbie?
2. Behind the foundation curtain - About my journey from grantwriter to grantmaker. After 7 years of asking for grants, I couldn’t wait to be the one to give them.
3. AT&T reminds drivers: It can wait – Teens and adults alike may feel compelled to check their phones when behind the wheel. But texting while driving is a terrible idea.
4. Get the most out of Groupthink - Want to unlock the innovative potential of your team? Take lessons from Jonah Lehrer’s article on “Groupthink” as featured in The New Yorker.
5. How readable is your grant proposal? - Put your next request to the readability test and help your readers understand a whole lot more.

These posts had the most views and visitors in 2012, even though I wrote three of them in 2011.

Thanks for reading. May you have a healthy, happy 2013!

A coalition of nonprofits launched the campaign to encourage giving back. It follows Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, (no-name Sunday) and Cyber Monday.

My first reaction to Giving Tuesday was applause. I like the idea of an official start to the giving season.

After days of feasting and unbridled consumerism, a day focused on giving is a welcome change. Helps blot out stories about stampeding shoppers at the local big-box retailer.

With thousands of charities united behind Giving Tuesday, there are marketing advantages. Nonprofits can reinforcing the same message, instead of thousands of separate ones. Standing together, they have a better chance of being heard.

It’s easy to support efforts that motivate people to give back and build stronger communities.

My second reaction to Giving Tuesday was skepticism. Cyber Monday and Black Friday capture behaviors that were already happening. Giving Tuesday feels a bit manufactured.

It’s only one day, after we’ve spent lots on ourselves and loved ones. Too little too late?

And my inbox. Whoa. At least 20 emails from different charities asking me to give. Some of these causes are near and dear to my heart. But with the high volume of requests, I tuned out completely.

My final reaction to Giving Tuesday will depend on results. Did charities see increased giving? More than other campaigns they’ve tried?

What were your reactions to Giving Tuesday? More importantly, what were your results?

She’s not alone. I’ve been there with groups from work, church and the neighborhood. No matter how old they are or how many times they’ve done it, the reaction is the same: people love volunteering at FMSC.

Courting volunteers

FMSC volunteers hand-pack nutritious meals for hungry kids around the world. It’s a simple task with a specific outcome. FMSC does a few things particularly well:

• Stay focused on mission – The name of the organization tells us what they do (Feed), why they do it (My = God’s), and who will benefit (Starving Children). FMSC stays focused on one important task.
• Execute with assembly-line efficiency – FMSC clearly defines and monitors volunteer tasks. Each two-hour session has the same routine, which starts and ends on time. And 90% of all funds raised goes towards the meals.
• Simplify logistics – FMSC makes it easy to help. Volunteers can see available shifts and sign up online. They don’t need to bring anything, or go through extensive training. The packing and orientation rooms are clean and inviting.
• Include all ages and abilities – It can be hard to find good volunteer opportunities for kids. At packing stations, there are a variety of tasks. A few sit-down jobs and roll-up-your-sleeves warehouse jobs, too. FMSC makes it easy to include everyone. Yet another plus when you can team up with family and friends.
• Communicate – Volunteers get a clear orientation to start the session, and they learn results to end it. They know how many meals they packed and how many kids their efforts will help feed for a year. Photos and videos from partners around the world help tell the story. FMSC also reminds people that cash donations enable every packing session — a tricky but essential message to convey.
• Add fun – It’s the little things that make the difference…cheerful staff, tallying boxes as we go, up-tempo music, encouragement and chatter. About half the sessions I’ve attended include a birthday party. It’s a very upbeat atmosphere.

Not every nonprofit can adopt these approaches for volunteer activities. But FMSC has a successful model for engaging people. These strategies work well when asking people to donate time — or money.

Managing the crowds in Chicagoland

It can be tough to find open volunteer slots at the Schaumburg and Aurora locations. For example, we organized a group one Saturday in June. People loved it so much, that day we booked the next available Saturday shift — which wasn’t until late December.

FMSC recognizes the need for more volunteer opportunities. It plans to open another location in Libertyville, Illinois very soon. The new site will triple the number of area residents who have the opportunity to help out. (See more at FMSC Change the World – Chicago)

Nationally, FMSC expects to nearly double its meal production from 133 million meals in 2011-2012 to 235 million by 2014-2015.  For the kids around the world that depend on these meals, I hope FMSC continues to succeed.

My family is already signed up for our next shift. If you are interested in volunteering, check out the FMSC volunteer page.

1) The relationship is inherently unequal.

There are many similarities between grantwriters and funders. But those of us in the industry know it’s not exactly equal.

When I left a nonprofit and started working for a foundation, I noticed a few changes

a) my phone calls were returned a lot faster.
b) my jokes were suddenly funnier.
c) my insights became invaluable.

The new job prompted people to respond to me differently.

A funder may be open and understanding, and grantwriters can be effective and assertive. But final decisions rest with the funder. It’s a power imbalance.

Funders should be sensitive and work to minimize the effect it has on relationships.

2) The funder is biased.

Some call it bias, others call it opinion. No matter what you call it, we all have bias to some extent. Including funders. I’d argue it’s a good thing.

Think about what we want in our board members. They should be connected. Passionate about the cause. Decisive, proactive leaders.

Unless we have a board full of robots and jellyfish, directors are going to act on their convictions. They will make decisions based on their opinions.

Funders should use facts to construct their opinions and have an open mind.

3) Measurements are often shallow and unreliable.

I like quantifiable data as much as the next girl. Good solid statistics can build a case for support or show results.

But good data is tricky. Especially in the day-to-day grind. On a nonprofit’s shoestring budget, measurements can cost too much time and money. They’re often manual processes prone to mistakes.

That number of unduplicated client visits — how certain are you about those numbers? And what does that mean — really?

Don’t abandon measurement, but keep it simple and meaningful.

4) Grants fail.

Neither side wants to admit it when it happens. The nonprofit doesn’t want to lose face. Neither does the funder.

But innovation takes guts. And the risk of failure. As long as there is a good faith effort to succeed, we need to accept that it’s not a perfect process.

Sometimes both sides would rather gloss over mistakes than learn from them. That’s perhaps the biggest failure of all.

There. I said it. Lightning hasn’t struck (yet). And maybe by bringing some of these topics to light, it will help us build better relationships.

What would you add to the list?

After all these years of giving and receiving thank-yous, I like the simple ones best. Nothing better than a personal note (see an example in my post Straight to the Heart).

Thank-yous are important. But some nonprofits go beyond a note. They thank their donors with stuff — plaques, crystal awards, and framed certificates with brass plates. Some trinkets light up, others share an inspirational quote. All of them collect dust.

While I appreciate the thought behind these thank-you items, simpler is better. Skip the expensive trophies and bulky thank-you stuff — I don’t have anywhere to put it.

Unless, of course, it’s chocolate. This summer, Greenhouse Scholars surprised me with a sweet twist on thank-you stuff:

That’s right. Three chocolate bars (I didn’t share).

What’s great about these bars, besides the fact that they were delicious, is that they share a more about the mission of the organization. The Tellabs Foundation sponsored three students, and the wrappers on each bar featured information about each one. For example, the ingredients list for one student included “leadership, relentlessness, accountability, community and 100% potential.”

So, with a relatively low-cost gift, Greenhouse Scholars was able to thank, educate and treat me. Clever and tasty.

Every donor is different. Sometimes a vase, proclamation or statuette is exactly the right way to say thanks.

But before you order thousands of dollars worth of promotional gifts, go back to basics. Remember what mom taught you, and keep it sweet and simple.

Teens and adults alike may feel compelled to check their phones when behind the wheel. But texting while driving is a terrible idea. Even texting at a stoplight can distract, putting drivers — and everyone around them — at risk.

AT&T calls attention to this growing problem with its awareness campaign, It Can Wait.

“Our goal is to save lives,” said AT&T Chairman & CEO Randall Stephenson in a recent news release. “I hear from far too many people whose lives have been forever changed by a texting-while-driving accident, and together, we want to spread the word about how deadly a single text can be. Texting and driving should be as unacceptable as drinking and driving.”

AT&T makes it simple to join the movement, encouraging others to participate on September 19.

Take the pledge to never text and drive. You’ll join hundreds of thousands already on board.

Or download the app that can help you curb your urge to text while driving. With your permission, AT&T’s DriveMode app temporarily prohibits incoming texts to encourage safe driving.

AT&T recognizes that being a telecom provider isn’t just about networks. It’s about the people who use them. We wish AT&T every success with this important public safety campaign.

This post also appeared today on Tellabs’ blog.

In the fall of 2014, Aurora University will welcome elementary students to the first STEM Partnership School in the U.S. What’s unique about it?

• STEM hub – It will focus on best practices in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Fewer students study these subjects, and performance in STEM continues to sink (see sobering stats).
• On campus – 200 students in grades 3 -8 from the Aurora East, Aurora West, Indian Prairie and Oswego school districts will attend classes on Aurora University’s campus. A great experience for elementary students and Aurora’s pre-service teachers alike.
• Teacher training – The school will employ district teachers who will simultaneously complete graduate coursework in STEM education. After 2-4 years working with best practices, teachers return to their home districts to share what they’ve learned.
• Great partners – This effort brings together a wide range of people, including elementary students, engineers, school teachers, business leaders, professors, foundations, elected officials and college students. Each group offers a different skill set and perspective.  Working together, they are well equipped to raise the bar for STEM education.

STEM Crisis

The World Economic Forum recently ranked the U.S. as #52 in the world for quality of math and science education.  If we stick with traditional approaches, we won’t have enough people prepared to succeed in STEM careers.

That means we might not have enough doctors, researchers, engineers or software developers. By some estimates, the U.S may be as short by as many as 3 million highly skilled workers by 2018.  Left unchecked this gap will profoundly affect not just our economy, but our way of life.

The Tellabs Foundation recently granted $200,000 in support of the STEM Partnership School. First, because it’s a close fit to our mission to advance strategic STEM education programs. Second, we support efforts to inspire and prepare tomorrow’s engineers, the backbone of the telecom industry’s workforce.

Finally, we support the STEM Partnership School because it has great collaborators. The STEM crisis is a problem for industry, education and government. Working together is our best chance at solving it.

Aurora University’s STEM Partnership School is full of promise. We can’t wait to watch innovation unfold in its classrooms.

Common suggestions for kids include visiting a senior living home or cleaning up a local park. Worthy endeavors. But if Little Johnny is afraid of old people or he won’t pick up his own toys (let alone garbage), a parent can get stuck.

Skeptics may ask: Seriously, what can a 2-year-old do to help? 

I had the same reservations, but that was before I saw these kid-friendly options in action:

• Special Delivery - Through Humanitarian Service Project, families can deliver groceries to seniors one Saturday each month. Great for kids of all ages. It’s especially fun to watch a toddler carry a few light items in to a smiling senior.
• Art with Heart - Is your child an artist? Get out the glitter, and decorate cards for soldiers. Through its Holiday Mail for Heroes program, the American Red Cross will send the cards to men and women serving our country. The deadline usually falls in early December.
• Super Crayons – A creative recycling program from SCARCE melts down broken crayons to make new large crayons for kids with disabilities. Little ones can help collect and sort crayons — especially fun when kids are cleaning out old school supplies.
• Meal Pack - Feed My Starving Children  invites kids age 5 and up to hand-pack meals for malnourished children in nearly 70 countries around the world. It fills up fast, but online registration makes it easy to check available dates and times.

Young children sometimes help nonprofits raise money by selling gift-wrap, candy bars or by jumping rope. While early fundraiser training is fine, it can be a little abstract for kids. I like projects that are hands-on and make it simple for kids to understand how they are helping others.

Is the hassle worth it?

No question, pint-sized helpers present certain challenges. Attention spans are short. Tasks must be simple and engaging. Kids require more safety considerations. I love ‘em, but they can be unpredictable, loud and downright messy.

They’re dependent on adults to plan, schedule, drive and supervise. Volunteer coordinators and parents — for whom time is a precious resource — will spend more time to include children than they would with teens and adults. And they’ll probably get less done.

But the upside is too big to ignore. Kids are enthusiastic about helping, and they have more free time to do it in. They can be creative, sweet, energetic and downright fun. Invest a little time now, and we’ll all reap tremendous rewards as they mature into volunteering teens and adults.

Thanks to nonprofits who welcome children as volunteers. And kudos to parents who harness kids’ energy for great causes. You are grooming tomorrow’s nonprofiteers. 

If you’d like to see what’s available in your area, try using VolunteerMatch, which enables you to pick “kids” as a search criteria.

 What other kid-friendly volunteer opportunities would you share?

You can, at a brand new (totally safe) exhibit at the DuPage Children’s Museum. It’s part of AWEsome Energy — a major initiative to help kids understand how Air, Water and Electricity help power our world.

It’s a big topic for young minds. But watch this video, and you’ll see that children are not intimidated at all. They are eager make connections on circuit boards and light up the exhibit.

AWEsome Energy promises to ignite the interests of our communities youngest innovators. We can’t wait to see what the museum — and the kids — come up with next.

(Note: The Tellabs Foundation supported this project with a $100,000 grant.)