Involving Your Board

The first step in getting your Board involved in your organization's grant writing efforts is to capture the complete list of Trustees from every targeted foundation.

Following up your grants

One of the basic principles of fundraising is properly matching up the target with the appropriate representative from your organization to make the request.

In other words, friends give to friends. This tenet of fundraising also rings true in the realm of grant writing.

This list should include full name, title, company, address, and telephone number of each Trustee. The IRS Form 990 requires that every nonprofit organization disclose their complete Board roster. A visit to Guidestar will give you access to the most recent IRS filings for nearly every foundation.

Once this list is compiled, it's not enough to simply give it to your Board of Trustees. Speak individually with each of your Trustees. Ask them if they know anyone on the Boards of the targeted foundations. If not, ask them if they are close with anyone who might work at the same company as a foundation Trustee.

Once you have narrowed your list down and determined which of your Board members knows which foundation Trustees, it's time for your Board to make some phone calls. When your Board member contacts their assigned foundation Trustee there are few things you should always make sure of:

	»	Make sure your Board member is comfortable discussing your organization's mission.
	»	Make sure your Board member knows when the grant was submitted, how much it was for, and for what purpose the request was made.
	»	Make sure that your Board member can share positive personal experiences from being associated with your organization. For instance, if the proposal is for an education program, it would be helpful if the Board member has actually attended one of the events. This is important for two reasons. First, the Board member will be able to describe in detail the methods your organization uses to reach its goals. Second, it is critical that the Board member has had an opportunity to observe or interact with the audience served by the program for which you are requesting support.
	»	Finally, make sure that the Board member extends a personal invitation to the Trustee to attend one of your organization's events. Personal contact with your audience and artistic product can be a powerful complement to your well-written proposal.