the ultimate grants toolkit 2014 -2015 webinar series ... · grantseeking and consults with...

GRANTS READINESS:

The Culture and Practices

Of Successful Grantseeking

Organizations

A JUST GRANTS! Arizona Presentation

www.azgrants.com (623) 412-8650 PO Box 5456

Glendale, AZ 85312-5656

The Ultimate Grants Toolkit 2014-2015 Webinar Series

SESSION 1

The Power of Mission-Centered Grantsmanship:

FROM GOOD IDEAS TO GREAT GRANT-FUNDED PROGRAMS

Developed and presented by: Maryn Boess

[email protected]

Produced by: Nonprofit Association of Oregon

In Cooperation With:

Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits National Council of Nonprofits

Participating State Associations: Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits

Idaho Nonprofit Center Kentucky Nonprofit Network

Maine Association of Nonprofits Michigan Nonprofit Association Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits

Washington Nonprofits

http://www.azgrants.com/

mailto:[email protected]

THE POWER OF MISSION-CENTERED GRANTSMANSHIP – Page 1

Maryn Boess is a 25-year nonprofit professional and social entrepreneur who won more than $42 million in grant awards for her clients from 1989-2000. From 1998-2009 she created a portfolio of high-quality, low-cost grants information publications, websites and trainings. A resident of the Pacific Northwest since early 2011, Maryn travels nationally to share her highly-regarded workshops on healthy grantseeking and consults with community-based organizations on program visioning, design, and evaluation. Since 2006 she has also been “in the grantmaker’s chair,” managing about $1 million annually in grantmaking for K-12 education in Arizona. Email her at [email protected].

_____________________________________

As the sector-wide network representing all Oregon nonprofits, the Nonprofit Association of Oregon (NAO) works across the state to strengthen and connect nonprofit leaders, organizations, and the sector as a whole. NAO accomplishes this by giving voice to the collective achievements and aspirations of nonprofits; growing organizational and leadership capacity and diversity; and facilitating knowledge exchange

among nonprofits and across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Building on its rich history of capacity building over more than three decades, NAO ensures a future in which Oregon nonprofits are visible and valued as essential contributors to our society. Visit us at www.nonprofitoregon.org.

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The Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits is a statewide organization whose mission is to enhance the well being of individuals and communities through promoting, protecting, supporting, and serving the nonprofit sector. With over 700 members, the Alliance amplifies the voice of nonprofits, connects nonprofits with the community, and grows the impact of nonprofit missions. Visit us at www.arizonanonprofits.org.

_____________________________________

The National Council of Nonprofits is a trusted resource and advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Through our powerful network of State Associations and 25,000-plus members – the nation’s largest network of nonprofits – we serve as a central coordinator and mobilizer

to help nonprofits achieve greater collective impact in local communities across the country. We identify emerging trends, share proven practices, and promote solutions that benefit charitable nonprofits and the communities they serve. - See more at: www.councilofnonprofits.org.

_______________________________________________________________________________

© 2014 Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits (www.arizonanonprofits.org). All rights reserved. Materials contained in this publication may be reproduced by workshop attendees for use within their organizations. Reproduction for any other use – including commercial purposes or for use of, by or on behalf of any organization other than that represented by the original workshop attendee – is strictly prohibited unless prior written authorization has been granted.


http://www.nonprofitoregon.org/

http://www.arizonanonprofits.org/

http://www.councilofnonprofits.org/



I learned more in 90 minutes with you than I’ve learned in

two-day grant proposal writing seminars!

-Jeri Kemmer, Strong Harvest International (Vancouver, WA)

The Ultimate Grants Toolkit webinar series is perfect for:

YOU, if you’re new to the grants profession and looking for a solid base of knowledge, skills, and step-by-step roadmaps to get you started

YOU, if you’re a veteran grant professional looking for new tools and resources for managing your work, deepening your practice, and taking your success to the next level

STAFF MEMBERS and VOLUNTEERS who are directly involved in your organization’s grantseeking efforts

BOARD MEMBERS, administrative staff, and others who serve a supporting role and could benefit from a solid understanding of the process of healthy grantseeking

Are you ready to take your grantseeking to a new level of success?

THE ULTIMATE GRANTS TOOLKIT: From Good Ideas to

Great Grant-Funded Programs!

Eight 90-minute live webinar sessions

Starting Oct. 10 with a FREE Introductory Session: “The Power of Mission-Centered Grantsmanship”

For complete details and to register, contact your State Nonprofit Association. Or contact Jennifer Bugley, series host, at 503-239-4001, ext. 102; [email protected].

This popular webinar series -- offered nationwide for the first time through National Council of Nonprofits – promises to give you everything you need to take your grantseeking to a new level of success – whether you’re a grants novice or a seasoned veteran. Based on presenter Maryn Boess’s 25+ years of experience in both grantseeking and grantmaking, this high-takeaway, super-affordable series offers a unique, practical, powerful, step-by-step roadmap to successful grantsmanship as a mission-centered, strategic organizational process.

Eight 90-minute live sessions . . . FREE INTRODUCTORY SESSION: The Power of Mission-Centered

Grantsmanship: From Good Ideas to Great Grant-Funded Programs (Oct. 10, 2014)

Grants Readiness: The Culture & Practices of Successful Grantseeking Organizations (Oct. 24, 2014)

Partnership Pays! - Tapping the Power of Collaboration to Supercharge Your Grantseeking (Nov. 7, 2014)

The Essential Grant Proposal Blueprint: What All Grantmakers Need You to Tell Them - Whether They Know It or Not (Nov. 21, 2014)

Making a Compelling Case: Crafting a Can't-Miss Statement of Need, Issue or Opportunity for Your Proposal (Dec. 5, 2014)

The Essential Evaluation Toolkit: Defining & Measuring Success (Dec. 19, 2014)

Budget-Building for Grant Professionals: An All-In-One Template for Creating a Winning Proposal Budget-Guaranteed! (Jan. 9, 2015)

Making Friends with Funders: What Grantmakers Want Every Grantseeker to Know – Before You Submit the Proposal (Jan. 23, 2015)



THE POWER OF MISSION-CENTERED GRANTSMANSHIP: Workshop Objectives

By the end of this workshop, you will:

Understand the importance of mission-driven grantsmanship;

Be familiar with the concept of grantsmanship as an ongoing, strategic and systematic organizational process;

Understand the importance of articulating your organization’s mission, vision and values in your grant proposals;

Know how to build a compelling and effective case statement to tell your organization’s story;

Have tools to determine your organization’s strategic priorities;

Know how to use a simple and powerful one-page worksheet to begin organizing your funding ideas and create compelling, decision-oriented project concepts to support the development of your grant projects.

What Do You Know?

T F 1. Mission, vision and values are no longer critical to a program’s grantseeking success in

these days of rapid change and flexibility. T F 2. Planning for your grantseeking should begin with what grantmakers are currently funding,

not with what we need. 3. Which of the following is the single most important reason funders choose to support a

particular request for funding? ___ a. The proposal is well-written, neat, concise and clearly organized, and interesting

for the reviewers to read. ___ b. The applicant is a credible group or organization, with a proven track record in

the community. ___ c. The program or project plan is complete, detailed and easy for reviewers to

understand. ___ d. The purpose and objectives of the program you’re proposing match the needs

and interests of the funder. ___ e. The request provides enough detail about the program for the reviewers to

make informed, intelligent decisions. ___ f. You have followed all the funder’s instructions for preparing an application --

number of pages, attachments, questions answered, and so on.


SUCCESS IN THE GRANTSMANSHIP GAME!

15. PRESCREEN

FUNDERS FOR MISSION

MATCH

14. RESEARCH

FOR POTENTIAL

FUNDERS

16. DEVELOP “A-LIST” OF POTENTIAL

FUNDERS

17. “WHO DO YOU KNOW

WHO KNOWS

SOMEBODY?”

18. BEGIN BUILDING

LONG-TERM

RELATIONSHIP

19. TARGET

REQUEST TO “A-LIST”

FUNDERS

20. SUBMIT QUALIFIED

REQUEST BY

DEADLINE

4. PROJECT

PROFILE /PLANNING

WORKSHEETS

5. LOOK FOR

PARTNERSHIP

POTENTIAL

6. HOST

COMMUNITY PLANNING

MEETING

7. ESTABLISH

PARTNER ROLES/ RES-

PONSIBILITIES

8. DEVELOP

PROJECT ISSUE

STATEMENT

9. DEVELOP OUTCOMES

AND

EVALUATION

10. DEVELOP

PROGRAM STRATEGIES

& METHODS

11. OUTLINE

MASTER PROPOSAL

BLUEPRINT

1. DEVELOP OR REVIEW

MISSION

23. EVALUATE

PROCESS AND

OUTCOMES

22.

IMPLEMENT AND MANAGE

PROJECT

2. DEVELOP OR REVIEW

CASE

STATEMENT

3. WISH LIST

AND

PRIORITIES

21. GET

FUNDED – THANK THE

FUNDER!

12. DEVELOP

PROJECT

BUDGET

13. FINALIZE

MASTER PROPOSAL

BLUEPRINT

THE WINNING

EDGE!

RULE 2

BUILD TRUE PARTNERSHIPS:

Collaborating for Success

RULE 1

KNOW YOUR-SELF:

Connecting Purpose

and Planning

RULE 4

KNOW YOUR FUNDER:

Research and Relationships

RULE 3

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN – PLAN!

Building Your Master Blueprint

RULE 5

CREATE A WINNING PROPOSAL:

Putting It All Together – On Paper

© Copyright 2014 Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. Permission to reproduce for internal use only. www.ArizonaNonprofits.org.



Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Grant Professionals Journal, Fall 2003 (www.grantprofessionals.org)

The Grantsmanship Game:

Playing to Win

By Maryn M. Boess

[email protected]

One of the most popular workshops we offer

through GrantsUSA is a two-day intensive

program we call “The Grantsmanship Game:

Playing to Win.”

The title always catches some people off-

guard: Some folks are a bit troubled by the notion

of comparing the hard work of managing a grants

process with playing a game. Shouldn’t we take

grantseeking more seriously than that? Isn’t

grantseeking just the simple activity of filling in

blanks on a funding application? Does thinking of

grantseeking as a “game” mean we’re in

competition with each other? Are we saying that

we should be having more fun?

In my 18 years of working as an active grant

professional – first as a program planner and

proposal writer, more recently in my work as a

trainer and coach – I have come to see clearly that

grantsmanship is not an activity; it’s a strategic,

systematic process. At GrantsUSA, we like to call

the process “The Grantsmanship Game.” It’s all

about managing the details of your organization’s

grantseeking effort in a way that gives your

proposals the winning edge – and helps them rise

to the top when funders make their grant awards.

It’s a serious game, to be sure: The well-being

of thousands of people can depend on the

outcome. But just like any game, it has several

basic elements that you need to consider, and

learn to work with, in order to win the game

consistently.

In this article, we’ll offer a preview of what

the Grantsmanship Game is all about, and in

future issues of the Journal, we’ll take a closer

look at what it takes to become a more

consistently successful player.

“Unpacking” the Game Basketball, checkers, Monopoly, hockey:

Different games, yes – but they do share some

important elements in common.

The Grantsmanship Game shares these

elements as well. Here’s what you’ll find when

you pull the cover off your Grantsmanship Game

box:

A gameboard. The gameboard is the playing

field, or operating environment, in which the

game is conducted. The operating environment is

always unique to the game being played: It’s

pretty tough to play basketball on a checkerboard,

or Monopoly in a hockey rink.

In the grantsmanship game, the operating

environment includes your community, your

constituents, the regulatory and legislative

environment, the socioeconomic and political

climate of your community, even the culture and

values of your own organization. All of these

factors will significantly and dramatically

influence the shape of your grantseeking process –

and the strategies that will help you be most

successful.

Rules. All games have rules. These are the

non-negotiable fundamental must-do’s and must-

have’s of a particular game. If you want to play

the game, you must agree to follow the rules. If

you don’t follow the rules, either you never get

into the game in the first place, or you find

yourself “kicked off” the gameboard and out of

the game completely. More about the five

essential rules of the Grantsmanship Game later.

http://www.grantprofessionals.org/



Moves, or squares. In many games, the players

must make their way around the gameboard by

moving through a sequence of squares, in some

specified order. The same is true in the

Grantsmanship Game. The moves or squares are

the steps that players must take to make progress

toward the end goal. In the grantsmanship game,

the squares represent the tasks or activities that

are important to a complete, rock-solid grants

process. The moves don’t necessarily have to be

made in one-after-another sequence – but no

skipping allowed! If a “chance” card (see below)

jumps you backward or forward, you must go

back and make sure you take care of all the steps

you might have missed.

“Chance” cards. Guess what – we don’t

control everything! Monopoly has its “chance”

cards – at any given moment in a game, you can

draw a card that either propels you forward or sets

you back unexpectedly.

Grantseekers know this is true in their game,

as well. No matter how carefully we plan and how

conscientiously we follow the moves, the

unexpected can happen: A key staff person gets

sick just before deadline; a major partner pulls

out; another major source of funding comes

through for you, completely out of the blue. When

the Grantsmanship Game hands you a “chance”

card like one of these, the layout of the

gameboard makes it easier to figure out what you

need to do to get back on track and back in the

game.

A “winner’s” goal. Most games have a clear-

cut starting point; not all have a clear-cut end.

Monopoly is one example: The game can go on

and on until there’s only one player left standing.

The Grantsmanship Game is another example. It’s

actually a cyclical game: Once you’re on the

gameboard, you keep playing as long as you like,

cycling through the same rules and the same steps

over and over again, only with different corporate,

foundation and government funders each time.

The game is “won” each time the process

succeeds in producing a solid grant proposal that

reflects your organization’s very best efforts – one

that represents your mission as a service

organization, and at the same time connects with

the philanthropic mission of the grantmaker.

Strategies. Finally, it isn’t enough to simply

be familiar with the gameboard and have

memorized the official, non-negotiable rules. To

be truly, consistently, predictably successful in

any game over time, we must also have practical

knowledge about how to apply effective

strategies. These are the skills and understandings

we bring to the game that dramatically affect how

efficiently and successfully we address the

challenges and decisions that arise as we navigate

the gameboard.

Many of the top strategies for the

Grantsmanship Game are ones we learn over time,

through experience. But I maintain that we all

start out with three of the most important

strategies in our skill bank. These are:

Common sense (surprising how quickly

our ability to apply common sense

becomes threatened when money is at

stake!);

Good people skills (another surprise:

contrary to many opinions, grantsmanship

is a people-driven process, not a paper-

driven one); and

A team- or partnership-oriented mindset

(about which more later).

Rules of the Game The Grantsmanship Game is different every

time it’s played, because the specifics of each

funder’s priorities, needs and interests are

different. But there are five basic rules that drive

the game and keep you in control of the process.

These are:

Rule 1: Know Yourself.

This rule speaks to the heart of the matter,

which I call mission-driven grantsmanship.

Success in grantseeking begins at the beginning:

With a deeply held, common understanding of

who you are as an organization, what you’re here

to do in the world, and why it’s important.

“Deeply held” means this understanding is the

foundation of everything you do as an

organization. “Common” means all the

stakeholders are marching under the same banner

– program staff, administrative staff, board

members, volunteers. Focus first on clearly,

concisely and compellingly telling your

organization’s story and articulating your mission,

vision and values. Then and only then will you be

prepared to share that story with potential funders.

Rule 2: Build True Partnerships.

A Federal program officer said it loud and


clear a few years back: “Whether the funder

requires it or not, if it ain’t a collaborative

proposal, it ain’t gonna be competitive.” It’s all

about leveraging. How can you work with other

members of your community to share resources,

responsibilities, risks and rewards? The emphasis

here is on the word “true.” Funders aren’t fooled

by a “partnership” that consists of a slapped-

together list of names with no sense of

commitment or shared vision behind it. The best

partnerships begin before there’s money on the

table, because two or three or four people from

different organizations recognize an opportunity

to work together for the greater good of each other

– and the community at large.

Rule 3: Plan, Plan, Plan – Plan!

Did you know that only 20% of a successful

grantseeking effort involves actually writing the

proposal? The other 80% consists of – you

guessed it – planning. A solid grant proposal is

nothing more than a business plan, plain and

simple. You wouldn’t go to a bank for a loan

without a business plan in place; nor should you

approach a prospective funder with anything less

than a complete, detailed blueprint for how you

see your program or project working. The

planning should take place before you begin

assembling a request for a particular funder. In

other words, develop your own business plan first

– then you can draw from it and tailor it to fit any

grantmaker’s required form and format.

Rule 4: Know Your Funder.

Ah, at last – we’re getting down to the nitty-

gritty. “Know Your Funder” speaks to the issue of

doing your homework – of using the appropriate

resources to identify your A-list of grantmakers

most likely to be interested in what you have to

offer, and then of finding out everything you can

about who they are, what they’re looking for, and

what they hope to achieve with their grantmaking

– before you decide whether to submit a proposal.

All other factors aside, the single most important

reason funders choose to support a given request

for funding is that what the applicant has to offer

helps the funders achieve their own mission and

purpose in the world. An additional word of

wisdom: The best time to begin a relationship

with a prospective funder is not two days before

the proposal is due.

Rule 5: Create a winning proposal.

This is where it all comes together, at last.

What is a “winning” proposal? Well, getting

funded is a good indicator here – but there’s more

to it than that. Whether or not a given proposal is

chosen for funding depends on a lot of

considerations that are outside the grantseeker’s

direct control. For me, the definition of a

“winning” proposal focuses on four qualities that

we can control. These are:

(1) It’s in on time. No ifs, ands, or buts. If

there’s a deadline, and you don’t meet it, nothing

else matters. End of subject.

(2) It crosses all the t’s and dots all the i’s.

Whatever instructions or qualifications the funder

holds for the proposal, you’ve paid attention to

each and every one of them. Otherwise you run

the risk of becoming an “easy out,” as in: “Oops,

look, we asked that proposals be submitted

unbound, and this one’s stapled. Well, that’s one

more proposal we won’t have to bother reading.”

(3) The proposal clearly represents the front

end of a well-thought-out business plan. This

relates directly back to Rule #3 and calls on us to

make sure all the questions have been answered,

all the pieces are in place, and everything holds

together and makes sense.

Finally, the kicker:

(4) Your proposal makes it very clear how

supporting your proposal will help the funder

further its own philanthropic mission. Guess what:

Grantmakers need us – they can’t fulfill their

philanthropic missions for creating change in the

world without the programs and services that we

offer. Our proposals succeed to the extent that we

can demonstrate this all-important match with the

funder’s own mission.

The Rule of Common Sense There’s one other non-negotiable rule to

success in the grantsmanship game – and that’s

what I call the Rule of Common Sense. We

mentioned this earlier, as part of our discovery of

the Grantsmanship Game process, but it bears

looking at again. All other things being equal, we

can rely on our own innate common sense – the

same good thinking skills that have helped us be

successful in other areas of our life – to guide us

through much of the Grantsmanship Game’s

murkier territories.

As you’re moving around the gameboard, ask

yourself almost any question – for instance:

(1) The page limits are so strict; should I

eliminate headings and bulleted lists to save

space?


(2) I wonder if the funder would like to see a

description of our partnership efforts, even if it

isn’t required?

(3) I don’t understand this instruction; what

do they really want here?

(4) We don’t fit their guidelines but they’re

new in our community and doing a lot of local

funding. Shouldn’t we send a proposal too?

Then ask yourself: What would common sense

dictate? The answers will be, in this order:

(1) How would you like it if you were the

reviewer struggling through 300 proposals that

were nothing but paragraph after paragraph of

solid black unbroken text?;

(2) Sure, wouldn’t you?;

(3) Don’t guess or second-guess – call the

funder and ask; and

(4) Nope! (though you may want to begin a

“feeling-them-out” relationship in case they open

up their funding priorities).

See? That wasn’t so tough. Common sense

wins, virtually every time. Hang on to yours, as

tightly as you can. You’ll encounter plenty of

fellow players along the way who will try to wrest

your common sense from you, in the name of

chasing the money. Don’t let them. Trust the good

judgment that has brought you this far. It can take

you all the way.

A Final Word About “Fun” At the beginning of our “Grantsmanship

Game” workshop, as a warm-up I often ask

people what associations they can make between

the words “grantsmanship” and “game.” Most of

the answers are pretty predictable: They’ll come

up with rules, and players; money (if they’re

thinking about Monopoly); competition; and

winning. Rarely, a lone voice will raise

tremulously in the back of the room, as if almost

embarrassed to speak out: “What about fun? I

think working on grant proposals is fun. Am I

crazy?”

Yes, you are – crazy like a fox. After all,

enjoying what we do is what puts the zip in our

work, keeps us coming back, keeps us wanting to

do more, do better, stretch and grow. The great

thing is, it works the other way around, too: The

better we are at doing something, the more we’re

likely to enjoy doing it.

And – guess what! The more we all win, too.


WHO ARE WE, AND WHAT DO WE DO?

The Importance of Mission-Driven Grantsmanship

MY ORGANIZATION’S MISSION:

MISSION: A Working Definition

Your organizational mission is a deeply held, common understanding

of who you are as an organization, what you’re here to do in the world,

and why it’s important.

MISSION-DRIVEN GRANTSMANSHIP: A Working Definition

Mission-driven grantsmanship involves a specific set of tools and techniques that,

when installed properly within your organization

and applied systematically and strategically,

will help you and your stakeholders become more consistently successful

in attracting the resources your organization needs to do its work in the world.


THE MISSION-VISION-VALUES TREE

© Copyright 2014 Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits. www.arizonanonprofits.org. Duplication rights granted for internal use only.

PROGRAMS

& SERVICES

PROGRAMS

& SERVICES

PROGRAMS

& SERVICES

PROGRAMS

& SERVICES

PROGRAMS

& SERVICES

VISION Where do we see ourselves in five

years? Ten years? Fifty years?

If we were doing exactly what we are meant to do in exactly the right way, what would we be doing, and how?

VALUES What’s important to us about the way we:

Serve our clients and constituents?

Work with other community members?

Work with our colleagues and staff?

Present ourselves to the world at large?

ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

What are our long-term goals and objectives for the organization as a whole?

Do these goals and objectives grow naturally from and support our mission, vision and values?

How do these overall goals and objectives help us determine what activities, projects, and services we should be undertaking?

MISSION Who are we? Why do we exist?

What do we do best?

Who do we serve?

What are our unique contributions to

the world?



BUILDING YOUR ORGANIZATION’S CASE STATEMENT

UNPACKING IT:

one-piece

written document

tells your organization’s story

you and your stakeholders

the way you want it told

Who are you?

What are you all about?

How do we know we can trust you?

Case Statement: A Working Definition

A case statement is a one-piece, written document that tells your organization’s story

-- past, present, and future -- the way you and your stakeholders want it told.

And for prospective funders and other partners, it answers the question:

Who are you, what are you all about -- and how do we know we can trust you?


WORKSHEET:

BUILDING OUR ORGANIZATION CASE STATEMENT

A. Where We’ve Come From: The Past

1. Year founded:

2. Who were the key founders?

3. Why? What primary need were we founded to address?

4. What are our key achievements and milestones?

B. Where We Are Today: The Present

1. What is our mission today? How has it changed over time?

2. What key societal need(s) do we address now?

3. What are our current priorities?

4. Who are our clients? Who do our services benefit?

5. What are our major programs, projects, service areas? What are the primary objectives in each?

6. What are our key needs for: • Staff? • Training? • Facilities/buildings? • Other?

C. Where We’re Going: The Next Five to Ten Years

1. How will our mission change?

2. What societal need(s) will we address?

3. What new areas will we be working in (new programs, services, clients, etc.)?

4. What will our key needs be for: • Staff? • Training? • Facilities/buildings? • Other?


DETAILED CASE STATEMENT:

ARIZONA UNIT RECORDING FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The late Anne T. Macdonald founded Recording for the Blind in 1948, in New York City. Recording for the

Blind’s original purpose was to record textbooks for blinded World War II veterans attending college under

the G.I. Bill of Rights. Five decades later, the organization has grown into a major national service that

operates 32 recording studios across the country with an aggregate volunteer corps of 5,900 highly trained

men and women.

In 1995, in recognition of the expanded roles of the organization, our name changed to Recording for the

Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D). Our national logo also evolved, from three closed books with headphones to one

open book enclosed with headphones, the outline of which forms a heart. The new logo symbolizes our

mission and desire: to open the world of education to people with print disabilities of all kinds.

Each year, RFB&D records more than 4,500 new books on tape and CD, not only for blind and dyslexic

students, but also for anyone who is print-disabled because of a visual, perceptual or physical disability.

These new titles augment the Master Library collection that contains 87,000 recorded educational books.

It is the largest resource of its kind in the world and is housed at RFB&D’s headquarters in Princeton, New

Jersey.

The Arizona Unit was established in 1951 and has two studios, one in Phoenix and one in the Sun Cities

(Peoria). The administrative office, development department and educational outreach department are

located in Scottsdale. Some 350 volunteers, who give over 22,000 hours of service annually, and 11 staff

work day and evening shifts to record audio textbooks for thousands of blind and print-disabled students.

Last year, some 2,100 individual Arizona borrowers, 50 Arizona schools and school districts, and 91,000

borrowers nationwide used these recorded textbooks.

The Arizona Unit of RFB&D receives no government or United Way funding, and is supported solely through

the generosity of local individuals, companies and foundations. RFB&D pays no fees or dues to the national

RFB&D Library, so all donated funds stay and work locally.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D), a nonprofit volunteer organization, is the nation’s educational

library serving people at all academic levels who cannot effectively read standard print because of a visual

impairment, dyslexia (learning disability) or other physical disability.


Mission: Our mission is to create opportunities for individual success by providing and promoting the

effective use of accessible educational materials.

Vision: Our vision is for all students to have equal access to the printed word.

Values:

Service: We exist to serve our members with high quality Learning Through Listening products and

services. We are dedicated to making a measurable difference in the lives of people with print disabilities.

To ensure excellence in our services, we continuously gather, analyze and learn from member feedback.

For every task and assignment we undertake on behalf of our members, our personal best is the

benchmark of commitment.

Teamwork: We are a single team made up of volunteers and employees committed to learning from one

another and serving our members together. We collaborate on the development of strategies and plans

and we unite behind our organizational priorities, standards and decisions. We are adaptable to change,

creative in our approaches and flexible in the way we carry our mission into the future. Our work, our

opinions and our ideas are generated in a community of mutual trust and respect.

People: We value and care for our human resources. We recognize and respect our diverse backgrounds

and experiences and we nurture individual strengths and abilities. We are committed to creating positive

and enabling places of work by offering rewarding opportunities for growth and development.

Integrity: We are personally and collectively responsible for maintaining the ethics of this organization.

We pledge individual accountability for our words, actions and principles. We practice high standards of

honesty and fairness as an organization. We value our reputation above all of our assets.

SERVICES

Audio: RFB&D’s 87,000-volume library is the largest educational resource of its kind in the world. Our

collection contains a broad selection of titles in all subject areas, from literature and history to mathematics

and the sciences. RFB&D members may borrow taped books for up to one year. The tapes contain four

times as much recorded material as on a standard tape and require a specially adapted 4-track player.

Four-track tape players and recorders are available through RFB&D in portable and desktop models.

E-Text: Short for “electronic text,” E-Text describes our method of reproducing and distributing the

contents of a book on computer disk. E-Text books lend themselves to the searching capabilities of a

computerized format. Dictionaries, computer manuals, academic journals and other materials are available

in E-Text format. E-Text books also work well with most assistive technology systems such as speech

synthesizers and Braille display boards.

Custom Recording: RFB&D’s Custom Recording Service is a fee-based service that helps businesses,

government agencies and other organizations convert their printed materials into accessible formats for

their employees, investors and consumers. Proceeds from this service help fund the recording and

distribution of our audio books to our members.


Scholarships: Each year, RFB&D presents its Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards to nine

blind or visually impaired college seniors. We also present six Marion Huber Learning Through Listening

Awards to high school seniors with learning disabilities. These students demonstrate outstanding

scholarship, leadership, enterprise and service to others.

Reference: RFB&D’s reference librarian gives our members assistance similar to that which they would

receive in an academic or public library. Our librarian can search RFB&D’s audio and E-Text collections to

find titles available in specific subject areas.

Each year, RFB&D distributes nearly 250,000 copies of textbooks on tape and computer disk from its

Master Library collection that contains 87,000 recorded educational books to more than 91,000 individuals

who have documented visual impairments, learning disabilities or other physical disabilities. We offer

individual memberships as well as Annual Institutional Memberships at a minimal cost to our borrowers.

Membership fees contribute approximately 25% of the actual service and equipment costs. Our members

include students from kindergarten to graduate school and adults who no longer attend school but use our

audio books to pursue professional or personal interests.

Last year, some 2,100 individual Arizona borrowers, 50 Arizona schools and school districts, and 91,000

borrowers nationwide used these recorded textbooks.

OUR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are the heart of RFB&D’s service. They are almost every age, from 20-year-old college

students to 80-year-old retirees. Many are working professionals who come to the studios after having

worked all day at demanding jobs. More and more, RFB&D volunteers are people in advanced, specialized

and technical fields. Some are true Renaissance men and women who read a variety of subjects ranging

from literature and foreign language to personal computing and the sciences.

Equally important are the monitors who operate the recording equipment and listen via headphones to

ensure quality and accuracy while the book is being read. Others work as book preparers, tape checkers

and clerical assistants. Because they work as part of a team to meet production schedules and student

deadlines, dependability is essential. Generally, volunteers schedule standing appointments on a regular

weekly basis (3 hours for day volunteers, 2 hours for evening).

The Phoenix and Sun Cities studios can always use the talents of new volunteers, and the rewards are

enormously gratifying. As one RFB&D volunteer commented, “Very few jobs, volunteer or paid, offer the

chance to contribute in such an individual and enduring way.”

FUTURE

The future of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic is harnessed to two vital issues – digital recording

technology and Educational Outreach. CDs and the Internet are the media through which RFB&D foresees

serving its members/borrowers in the 21st century. This technology and a strong Educational Outreach

Program, in which educators, parents and students are made aware of RFB&D’s services, are the prime

issues driving our organization.


Digital: Analog technology, used by RFB&D since its inception, requires that a book be read consecutively

from beginning to end, generally taking several months to complete. Digital technology allows multiple

volunteers to record different sections of a book simultaneously. Completed sections are then compiled

and edited in the correct order, and a completed book can be produced in significantly shorter time than

with analog recording. Instead of months, audio textbooks can be recorded in weeks, or even days.

More importantly, digital technology will revolutionize the way members/borrowers use recorded texts.

Instead of relying on a laborious beep-tone indexing system to navigate through multiple cassettes per

book, students will be able to jump instantly to specific locations on a CD – chapter, page or paragraph – via

either a computer keyboard or a special CD player.

Digital technology is clearly a vital step for RFB&D. The Arizona Unit is one of only five test sites for this new

system, and ten of the first digital recording booths in our national system were installed, six in our Phoenix

studio, and four in our Sun Cities studio. These booths are now operational and are contributing new books

to our national library. Digital audio textbooks and CD players will be available to our individual and

school members in September 2012.

Educational Outreach: Four years ago, in conjunction with our National Headquarters and the other units

of RFB&D, the Arizona Unit embarked on an aggressive Educational Outreach program. This program’s

mission is to raise community awareness of the importance of early identification and early intervention in

diagnosing print and learning disabilities in an effort to provide every student an equal opportunity at

educational and professional success.

The Arizona Unit’s Educational Outreach staff provides teachers and school administrative personnel with

both training materials and an in-service training program so they can better recognize the symptoms of a

student struggling to pull meaning from the printed page. In addition, they conduct on-campus parent

workshops at the schools. These events are open to any parent who wants to learn more about print-learning

difficulties and to explore how they, and their schools, can help their children “learn through listening”.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TEACHERS SAY…

♥

“RFB&D’s books on tape made it possible for me to finish college and go on to graduate school.”

♥

“Audio textbooks are invaluable tools…a great equalizer in the classroom…allows Rachel to work at the

same level as her classmates…builds her self-esteem and allows her to read independently.”

♥

“Over the past 3 years, our teachers have been able to help countless print-disabled students improve their

reading skills by using RFB&D’s audio textbooks. Without this service, these students would have fallen

further and further behind in their studies.”

♥


SUMMARY CASE STATEMENT:

COMMUNITY FOOD BANK Summary of Case Statement

NO CHILD, MAN, OR WOMAN SHOULD EVER BE HUNGRY.

THE VISION . . . “The day that hunger is eradicated from the earth, there will be the greatest explosion that the world has ever known. Humanity cannot imagine the joy that will burst into the world on the day of that great revolution.”

-- Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet and dramatist, 1899-1936 The Community Food Bank shares Garcia Lorca’s vision to eradicate hunger. We do this by responding to the food needs of the people in Southeastern Arizona through education, advocacy, and the acquisition and distribution of food. THE NEED . . . Hunger is involuntarily foregoing one or more meals during a month. A recent Michigan study found that those living in poverty miss 15 meals or more each month. In Tucson, that would mean that 90,000 people – 33,000 of whom are children – are missing at least 15 meals each month. There are many programs that provide food assistance: Food stamps, WIC (the special supplemental food program for Women, Infants, and Children), school meal programs, etc. However, all of these programs, in combination with personal buying power and private charitable food providers, do not meet the need. COMMUNITY FOOD BANK SERVICES

Food boxes provide short-term food assistance to families, infants and the elderly.

Salvage food saves good edible food from being thrown away and distributes it to agencies, thus reducing their food expenses.

Gleaning is the gathering of produce that has been left in the field or on the tree. It is also distributed to agencies.

Surplus foods are distributed to those in need under federal guidelines.

Food Plus provides food to children determined eligible by the Pima County Health Department.

Hunger Awareness Resource Center is the educational and advocacy arm of the Community Food Bank.

FoodSHARE is a food buying club done in cooperation with St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix and helps to stretch food dollars.

Tucson’s Table collects perishable foods from local restaurants and distributes it to other nonprofit agencies.

Coordination of food bank services is done in Pima County, within Arizona, and throughout the USA. CFB is one of a kind . . . No other organization in Southern Arizona performs the food services, nor has the network of affiliations, nor serves so many people. CFB has multiple food services providing food to those in need while discouraging dependency on charity.


TURNING GOOD IDEAS INTO

FUNDABLE PROJECT CONCEPTS

“Fundable Project Concept”:

A Working Definition

A “fundable project concept” is a very brief – usually one- or two-page – written

preliminary plan for your intended project, in which all the key planning questions

are answered, and which a decision-maker can read in four to five minutes and be

able to say: “This is exactly what we’re looking for. You’ve covered all the bases; It’s

clear you know where you’re going with this. I’d like to find out more.”


WORKSHEET:

FAIRY GODMOTHER WISH LIST

Great news! Your favorite fairy godmother has just granted you a check for $10,000! You can use the money for anything that will benefit your organization. How many ways could you spend your windfall?

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PROJECT PROFILE/ PLANNING WORKSHEET

Purpose: The “Project Profile/Planning Worksheet” (next page) is one of the mightiest tools available

to you as a successful grantseeker. When it comes to transforming good ideas into fundable project concepts, this worksheet is the closest thing available to a magic wand. Very simply, it’s designed to help you develop and keep track of good ideas for fundable projects, even before you begin your funding research. In effect, you create an “inventory” of fundable project concepts. This inventory serves three important purposes:

First, it helps you target your funding research more effectively by allowing you to

plan in advance what kinds of projects you’ll be researching for funding.

Second, if completed properly, it can give you a head start on actually developing a final proposal, by helping you think through the key elements of your project idea.

Finally, project profiles can serve as mini-proposals for potential funders who like

to “shop” for a project to support with your agency. (It does happen -- really!) Using the Worksheet: Think through each section, and complete the requested information as clearly and

concisely as possible -- limiting your responses to the space provided on the worksheet. For example, you should be able to describe your project ideas (question 1) in one sentence of no more than 50 words. You may need to do a little homework for some of the sections. Be sure to think through and list resources required (question 6) as well as your best-guess estimate of the funding that will be necessary. Remember, this is preliminary information. Complete details will be filled in later, when you’re developing your full master proposal blueprint.

Potential Partners: This section is designed especially to get you thinking very early on about how a partnership structure could enhance your project. More and more funders are requiring that proposals reflect an interagency collaboration. Even if partnership isn’t an out-and-out requirement, it often wins your proposal extra points in the evaluation.

Submitted By: Ideally, the “Project Profile/Planning Worksheet” will be completed and

submitted by the person in the organization who came up with the project idea in the first place. Larger organizations especially will often have one staff person assigned as “development director” or “grants coordinator,” and many, many program people who are constantly coming up with great ideas for new projects or services for which funding is necessary. The next time one of your colleagues comes to you with a great idea, hand him or her a copy of the “Project Profile/Planning Worksheet,” and say: “Sounds terrific! Can you flesh that idea out a bit, so I can do some targeted funding research for you?”


PROJECT PROFILE/PLANNING WORKSHEET 1. IN ONE SENTENCE, summarize your project idea. What will you do? Where? With whom? When? And why?

2. Who are you as an organization, and what are you all about? (What is your mission or purpose?)

3. Describe the specific need or issue in your community that this proposed project will address.

In our community, the current situation is this:

4. What specific changes or outcomes do you intend to achieve in your community as a direct result of your project? What are your “success indicators”?

We intend to achieve the following specific outcomes:

5. What are the major steps you will need to take to make these changes happen?

6. Who else has a vested interest in working with you as partners on this problem or opportunity?

7. What information, tools, data, etc. will you use to decide whether your project succeeded?

8. What resources will you need to accomplish these steps? (People, equipment, materials, training, supplies, services, etc.)

9. Approximate total cost:

10. What broad categories of community needs or opportunities does your project address? (Think in terms of general labels or frames.)

_______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________

Submitted By: Phone: Date





In our community, the current situation is this:


We intend to achieve the following specific outcomes:





9. Approximate total cost:


_______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________ _______________________ ______________________




By March 20--, Literacy Volunteers of “Our” County (OR) will train 50 new reading tutors to serve the rural communities to the west, working with volunteers recruited from local churches, to reduce the waiting list for literacy training in this underserved area.


Literacy Volunteers of “Our County” (OR) is a 35-year-old, volunteer-based 501c3 whose mission is to empower adults with the ability to read and write, in order to achieve their full potential as individuals, as employees, as parents, and as members of the community at large.


In our community, the current situation is this: According to a 2012 survey by Literacy Volunteers of America, one out of six adults cannot read or write at the basic sixth-grade level, leaving them vulnerable to problems with parenting, employment, health, safety and self-esteem. And in the rural western half of “Our County” alone there is a waiting list of 200 adults who want to learn to read.


We intend to achieve the following specific outcomes: 1. Train and successfully match 50 new volunteers. 2. At least 75% of adult learners will complete 6 months of tutoring. 3. Reading skills will improve an average of 2 grade levels. 4. At least 3 significant partnerships with local churches. 5. Reduce waiting list by at least 40 individuals.


1. Contract with master trainer. 2. Training logistics: Materials, location, equipment. 3. Marketing to recruit potential volunteer tutors. 4. Conduct training. 5. Match and track tutor/learner pairs for 6 months. 6. Evaluate learner progress and program success.


Local churches Libraries Schools Service clubs??


Pre- and post reading evaluations of learners Training logs of volunteer tutors


Master trainer Training materials Audiovisual equipment Training site (+ refreshments?)

9. Approximate total cost: $25,000 ($500 per volunteer trained, matched and tracked)


Literacy Parenting skills Rural Reading Workplace skills Church-affiliated Adult education Minority issues




By July 20--, the Pima County (AZ) Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department will restore 12 buildings on the Canoe Ranch compound, located on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Trail, working with the County Historic Preservation Officer, to provide environmental and natural resource education programs and to preserve for future generations one of Arizona’s historic treasures.


The mission of Pima County (Arizona) Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation is to lead community efforts to conserve the Southwest’s Sonoran Desert and enhance the urban environment, while providing quality recreational, educational and leisure activities.


In our community, the current situation is this: The 180-year-old historic Canoe Ranch compound, on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Trail in southern Arizona, has fallen into serious disrepair due to age and neglect and is in danger of collapsing, losing one of Arizona’s historic treasures for future generations.


Rebuild 12 buildings in the ranch compound. Create 2 environmental education programs in restored buildings

for children (preteens and teens) Create natural resources and interpretive education programs on

ranch lands for adults


Work with community volunteers to establish plan Develop foundation for fundraising Build collaborations with State and Federal agencies Contract construction Train instructors


Local communities: ASDM, Tucson Audubon, SDCP, Trails Assn. State agencies: Game & Fish; State Parks School districts: TUCS, Sunnyside, Amado, Sahuarita, Catalina


Construction evaluation will be based on buildings built according to specification and inspections. Education programs will be evaluated based on user survey: pre – expectation and post – actual learning.


Design and construction master plans Construction materials Operating supplies Ranch managers, educators, volunteer coordinator

9. Approximate total cost: $10,000,000 ($5 million in Year One; $5 million in Year Two)

10. What broad categories of community needs or opportunities does your project address? (Think in terms of general labels or frames.

Historic preservation Natural resources Southwest history Environment Planning Outdoor recreation



PROJECT PLANNING/PROPOSAL WORKSHEET

Question #1:

IN ONE SENTENCE, describe your project idea. What will you do? Where? With whom? When? And why is it important?

ORIGINAL REVISED

A reading garden that will include a working aquaculture pond, a windmill to irrigate recirculated pond water, shaded ramada, fruiting vines and trees and seating. The area will be used as an outdoor classroom and reading area for students. For the community, the garden will be a demonstration project for aquaculture, permaculture and alternative uses of water and wind resources.

By (date), Eco Tech Academy, a tuition-free, nonprofit charter school, will construct a "reading garden" at its Chandler, AZ, campus, working with volunteer master gardeners, aquaculture farmers, and UofA environmental resource center, to create an outdoor environmental classroom and demonstration garden to help youngsters aged 5-12 reconnect with the natural environment.

Students Making a Difference is a community-based after-school service club made up of junior high school students in the Glendale Elementary School District coming together to develop leadership skills and provide volunteer services to various community projects in an effort to combat teen pregnancy.

During 20--, Students Making A Difference will launch a community-based after-school service club at one Glendale (CA) Elementary District junior high school, providing leadership, growth and community service activities to reduce the risk of teen pregnancy among young girls in this high-risk, high-need community.

The Probate Court in our county is creating a court-ordered co-mediator program for litigants to resolve conflicts involving the care and property of minors, incapacitated persons and decedents' estates and to assess mediator(s) fees based upon parties' ability to pay.

By May 1, 20--, the Bristol County (MA) Probate Court will launch a program of low-cost court-ordered mediation for people involved in probate disputes, to help resolve complex guardianship and property issues while preserving family relationships and bypassing a time-consuming, frustrating and costly legal process.

The DRCC will provide child care while their mothers attend English and computer classes at the DRCC in conjunction with Lutheran Social Services to provide the homebound women with skills to actively participate in the community.

In 20--, the Detroit (MI) Refugee Community Center will provide up to XX homebound refugee women with X hours a week of child care, in conjunction with Lutheran Social Ministries, allowing these women to break their cultural and physical isolation and attend English and computer classes to help them integrate fully into the community.


INTEGRATION: PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE

What is one action you can take within the next week or two that will give you a “quick win”?

What is one action you can take that will give you “high leverage”?

When will you take (or complete) the action?

Who else will need to be involved?

What resources (information, materials, etc.) will you need?

How will you hold yourself accountable for completing these actions?

How will taking these actions enhance your professional and personal development?

Action to take:

When:

Who else is involved?

Resources needed:

Action to take:

When:


Resources needed:

Action to take:

When:


Resources needed:

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