Schedule: By Topic

Finance and Management | Fundraising | Governance | Human Resources | Leadership
Marketing and Communications | Public Policy | Theme-Related

Fundraising

Using Marketing Principles to Win Government Funding

Thursday, 1 – 2:15 p.m.

Competition for government funding through Requests For Proposals (RFPs) is increasingly intense every year. During this interactive session, you will learn how to apply proven marketing principles to make your organization’s RFPs stand out from the competition. Among actual examples of real RFP samples, participants will learn RFP do’s and don’ts, as well as learn to analyze a government Request For Proposals (RFP), integrate a success theme based on the government agency’s needs, use visuals that convey effectiveness and complement the narrative, and leverage other resources and “bring more to the table” to match government funding.

William Martin, president, Jericho Resources, Inc.

Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose: Challenges and Opportunities in Grant Application and Reporting

Thursday, 2:45 – 4 p.m.

Meeting grant application and reporting deadlines and requirements can be overwhelming for many nonprofits, occupying time and resources and pulling staff away from implementing programs and services. Project Streamline, a national collaboration of eight organizations including the National Council of Nonprofit Associations and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, has just published Drowning in Paperwork, Distracted from Purpose, which details inefficiencies found in grant application and reporting processes and offers some initial insights about what can be done to fix them. Attend this session to learn about the report findings, discuss the results and compare them to your own experiences, and offer insights to the process. Come to this session to ensure that your voice is heard as final principles are drafted and adopted in the field.

Kelly Kleppe, director of program operations, Bush Foundation and national advisory committee member, Project Streamline and Leslie Nitabach, development manager, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

Engaging Young Donors – Millennials, Micropayments and Social Giving

Friday, 11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Young people, particularly those under 25, are the first generation in history to grow up online. This generation’s comfort and acumen with technology and the Internet presents both challenges and opportunities for nonprofits seeking to engage their next generation of donors. This session will address the cultural and historical factors that make the “Millennials” unique as well as their online behavior and hangouts in order to gain a clearer picture of how to groom them as financial contributors to your cause. If you’ve struggled to recruit and retain younger donors, you’ll leave this session with concrete ideas on how to grow donors from this group.

Eliza Appert, account executive, Tunheim Partners and David Erickson, director of e-Strategy, Tunheim Partners

Thinking Outside of the Box: How to Build Relationships and Secure Funding from Cities, Watersheds, and Counties

Friday, 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Many units of government have pools of money budgeted each year for programming. What types of programming will they fund and how do you identify these cities, counties or watersheds for your organization? This session will give participants the tools to build relationships and secure funding from these new partners. Participants will be able to identify which partners to target, how to get in the door and how to tailor an ask to achieve results.

Kristen Denzer, principal, The Advancement Company

How to Get (and Keep) Government Funding

Friday, 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Accessing and keeping government funding has unique nuances that are different from foundation funding. Attend this session to get insights about how to get government funding, how government funding differs from foundation funding, and how government staff view successful grant proposals. Session panelists will discuss different aspects of successful grant applications and grant programs including the ability to track program income and expenses, labor costs, and outcomes; how to describe your programs clearly; how to submit successful progress reports; and how to communicate successfully with the funding agency throughout the grant period. This session is targeted to nonprofits that have no or little experience receiving government funding for their programs.

Kristin Batson, director, State of Minnesota Office of Grants Management; Japhet Nyakundi, program specialist, Minnesota Department of Health; and Elizabeth Stephens, supervisor, grant program accountability, Minnesota Department of Education