Not getting funded? It could be how you describe your Programs and Projects. A Funder doesn't know you or the work you do. If you don't explain your programs in a way that shows ROI, you could be missing an opportunity. Learn exactly what it is a funder is looking for so you can increase your odds of securing funding.

----------------------------------------------------

🔦 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT 🙌🏿

Garuda Promotional Products Pt. 2

👉🏿https://www.garudapromo.com/

----------------------------------------------------

🚀 RESOURCES TO HELP YOU RUN A SUCCESSFUL NONPROFIT

Nonprofit Compliance Checklist https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iaKXLo9gnaM9BlrN6B8nSJij4nRkivwF/view?usp=drive_link

90 Days to a Profitable Nonprofit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ofgeHJ2CTVS0t8STMiNqfveaVpWfaK7o/view?usp=sharing

----------------------------------------------------

Learn more about my success with helping nonprofits

Visit My Website👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

http://www.amberwynn.net

CONNECT WITH AMBER:

Follow me on Facebook 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

https://www.facebook.com/amberwynnphilanthrepreneur

Follow me on Instagram 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

https://www.instagram.com/amberwynnphilanthrepreneur

Listen to my Podcast! 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4G9QNaVAYz8eXTmz48gagl

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Got Questions? "Ask Amber" on any of my social media platforms or email me at amber@amberwynn.net

Podcast Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):

Welcome to On Air with Amber Wynn, where nonprofit leaders learn to fuse passion and commitment with proven business strategies to create long-term funding impact and sustainability. And now here's your host and resident, Philanthrepreneur Amber Wynn.

Speaker 2 (00:21):

Hey, fam, it's your girl back again. Today we are talking about program descriptions. What a funder really wants to know. If you have been struggling submitting grant after grant and you can't figure out why it is that you aren't getting funded, this could be the reason program descriptions. Funders are looking for specific information when they ask you to describe your programs. In this episode, I am going to put on my grant writer hat. For those of you who don't know me, I was pretty successful in the role. My largest grant was for $3.2 million. My most recent grant was for 3 million, and prior to that 2.4 million. So your girl knows a little something, something about writing a grant, and it's not just your grant. Your program descriptions really define who you are as an organization. And so when we come back, I am going to dive deep into what it is a funder really wants to know and see in your program descriptions when we get back.

Speaker 3 (01:28):

A nonprofit is a business governed by agencies on the local, state, and federal levels authorized to revoke a nonprofit's tax exempt status for non-compliance. Don't put your funding in jeopardy. Get the nonprofit compliance checklist to make sure you don't forget to file required forms to the agencies that can derail your operations for months. Compliance is 50% of a nonprofit's funding strategy. Getting the grant is half the work, but keeping it and getting it renewed is the other half. Don't spend hours writing grants only to have them rejected because your tax exempt status has been revoked. Keep your organization active and in good standing. Order your copy today.

Speaker 2 (02:07):

Welcome back to On Air with Amber Wynn. Today we're talking about program descriptions and what it is that a funder really wants to know. You may be applying to funders writing these grants and they're asking you, please describe your program. Give us a description of what it is that you do. Let me start by saying this program descriptions are extremely important. Ask me why. I'm going to tell you the answer is because there are always more applicants than there is money. At some point they're going to cut off because they're going to run out of money. So it is important that your program descriptions tell a organization, a funding organization who you are, they don't know you, so they are looking for specific things. What are they looking for, Amber? All right. I'm going to tell you, funders are looking for alignment with their funding goals.

(03:09):

Number one, funders are governed by the IRS. They're authorized to give money, so what they give to has to align with what they have been chartered to give to. Let me rephrase that. If you are a nonprofit and you focus on individuals with disabilities and a funder gives to support programs that help individuals with disabilities to get a job, but your area of focus with these individuals is on having healthy relationships, that's not a good fit. Yes, it's individuals with disabilities, but there's a specific area of focus. The other thing I want you to understand is funders need to be able to see that you're going to have an impact, that there's going to be a return on their investment, and it is in your program descriptions that a funders able to visualize that. So you want to be clear, there are 10 things that you need to cover in your program descriptions.

(04:22):

One, who do you serve? Your target audience, and it needs to be crystal clear with the example I just gave you. Serve individuals with disabilities, but what age range, right? So yes, you may say, oh, we serve individuals with disabilities, but the funder may only fund youth or the funder may only fund adults. So you've got to be specific. When we talk about the target audience, you need to cover things like the age, the gender, and the socioeconomic status because those things matter. You can't say we serve people from marginalized communities because funders fund a specific age, gender, socioeconomic status. Number one, be very clear about your target audience. Number two, your geographical service area. Funders don't fund everywhere. I mean, there's some that's like, oh, you have to provide services in the us, but generally speaking, it's going to be a city, it's going to be a county, it's going to be a state.

(05:26):

So make sure in your program description, you are very specific. We serve the five counties of blah, blah, blah, blah, Southern California or yes, southern New Jersey. Be very specific because a funder needs to be very specific. If they only give out money in a specific area, if you are outside of that area, they will not fund you. I promise. Don't think that you can just send these applications in and they're going to you because it's a numbers game. Again, funders are governed by the IRS. So they told the IRS, we're only going to fund people who live within a certain area of one of our satellite businesses, so that's where they're going to fund your program description is going to tell them whether or not you fall within that area. Number three, what is the problem you're trying to solve? I can't tell you how many applications I've reviewed and the nonprofit was not clear about what it is they were going to solve.

(06:32):

Let me give you an example. They may write something like, we've been working in marginalized communities for over 20 years, and our goal is to give hope. Our goal is to help people believe in themselves so that they can be what is the problem that you're solving? I have no idea what that statement, giving hope, helping people live better lives. What is the problem? Specifically the problem is going to be homelessness or underemployment or under education or youth who are dropping out of school. What is the problem? So be specific about what the problem is you're trying to solve. Number four, how will you solve for the problem? If you're saying, we've been around in the community for 20 years and we love our, what are you doing? How will you solve for it? If you say, we are doing education advocacy specifically, say what it is that you're doing.

(07:35):

We're doing job shadowing. We're doing podcasting so that the youth can express themselves and explore different career opportunities. Be specific about how you're going to solve for the problem. Number five, how will you deliver the program? A funder wants to know what they're investing in. Is it workshops? Is it on the job training? Is it you're online and you're taking courses? What are the activities that will get your target audience to the solution? Number six, how often will you deliver it? This is really important. You can't just say, I need $250,000, and the funder doesn't know the touch, right? So you need to specifically say, we will provide the program weekly for two hours for six weeks. We will provide the program once a month for hours on Saturdays for a year. These are the types of specific information that a funder is looking for so that they understand how you're going to penetrate your community and what your touch is going to be.

(09:01):

What's next? Yes. So how often? That's number seven. How long, which I kind of mentioned, will it be for six weeks? Will it be for 12 weeks? Will it be for six months? Will it be for a year? Then number nine, what is the change that will occur? This is extremely important. The change that will occur goes back to the impact that you're going to make in the community. It's not enough to say, we're going to do this program for a year. What can I expect for my $250,000? We're going to see an increase in something or a decrease in something. It's an increase in graduation or a decrease in dropout rates. We'll see an increase in job placement or we'll see a decrease in unemployment. So it's important because that's the impact question. If I give you $250,000, you should see an increase in something in this community or a decrease.

(09:57):

You should see an increase in family connections. You should see a decrease in homelessness. This is where your impact is. And then number 10, what is the impact? Right? So if my services are delivered, if I am successful with my program, the impact is we have an increase in economic development in this community. If my program is successful, we should see cycles of poverty being broken. If you fund my organization, what you should see more kids going to college. The impact is what happens as a result of the success of the program. So the impact is an increase or decrease, and then what should we see in this community as a result? If we continue to send youth to college, we should see that families are no longer in poverty. We should see that this community is no longer experiencing high rates of

(11:07):

People going to jail. So those are the things that you should be putting in your program description so that a funder really sees who you are, what you're doing, where you're serving, who you're serving in the impact. So if you have been struggling with getting funded, if you can't understand time and time again, I want you to go back and look at what you've been writing, and if you don't have these 10 elements in your program descriptions, I promise you, once you start to get specific, once you start to clarify and you have these 10 elements, you should see a positive change in the way that you are being reviewed by funders and they will understand what it is that you're doing, and then they should be more likely to you. If you are not sure how to get to this, I have the roadmap for you, not just on how to write your program descriptions, but how to write measurable goals and objectives. I tie it all together. I lay it all out for you. You don't have to guess. You have the roadmap, you have the templates. All of this is provided for you in 90 days to a profitable nonprofit. Let's take a look.

Speaker 4 (12:23):

Are you struggling to fund your programs? Can't get a grant to save your life. Most consultants will share the what of how to start a nonprofit or how to fundraise. They may even share the why, but they don't share the how because that's where they make their money. Now, I'm not hating. I'm a business woman too, but I've been where you are trying to make the world a better place, struggling to keep the doors open up to the wee hours of the night writing grants and doing whatever needed to be done. And because I've walked in your shoes, I'm not here to make you spin your will waste your time or your hard earned money. We ain't got time for that. The world needs you. I'm here to show you how to transform that pit. You keep dumping your hard earned money into a profitable nonprofit.

(13:12):

I take my 30 years of nonprofit experience as a founder, executive director, program developer, grant writer in funder, giving out over $7 million annually in grants, and I save you literally thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours. I walk you through setting up your nonprofit organization so that you can be generating enough revenue to cover your monthly expenses in just 90 days. How would that feel? Not paying bills from your personal bank account. I share my insider secret tips, tricks of the trade and provide you with a step-by-step roadmap on how to turn your bootstrap organization into a profitable nonprofit. Within six months. You could be generating enough revenue to pay your salary or fully fund your program. The choice is yours, but you have to get the blueprint, and it took me three years to develop it, but it's here and it's going to change your life.

(14:09):

Join my other successful clients who are just like you full of passion and determination, but they had no idea all that it takes to run and fund a successful nonprofit. Now they're winning grants and drawing a salary, and they know what it is that they're supposed to be doing to run a successful nonprofit. They're no longer making it up as they go. They have the roadmap and they're clear about next steps, and I want that for you too. So what do you get in this course? You'll walk away with knowledge, products, processes, and systems, not just a bunch of promises, but exactly what you need to turn your organization into a profitable nonprofit. I promise you don't need grants. What you need is a solid infrastructure, and this course is going to give you all of that and more and what's more it comes with the money back guarantee. So go ahead, click the link below to register for this course.

Speaker 2 (15:08):

Welcome back. You're on air with Amber Wynn, Philanthrepreneur, and your biggest cheerleader. I have to squeeze that in every once in a while because I know I come in hard a little times, but it's from a place of love. So I want you to get it. I want you to know that this is not just about, this is not just about me. This is about helping you to do two things. One is to bring your dream to life. I've met lots of nonprofits who've been at it for a while and just can't figure out the secret sauce. I'm here to help you turn that dream into a reality. And then two, I'm here to help you because the world needs nonprofits right now. It is a hot mess out there, y'all. I'm not even going to lie. And so sometimes I have to come in hard, right?

(16:03):

Got to shake you just a little bit so that you can see we can achieve both of those goals. We can achieve both of those goals, but you got to follow the roadmap. Alright, that's it for my soapbox right now. We're going to pivot and go to Ask Amber. Ask Amber as the part of the segment where you ask me your questions and I give you my expert advice. So in this episode, Margaret emailed me from Philly and she wanted to know this. So people keep hounding me about creating a logo and getting letterhead and a website. I have a Facebook page where people have been finding me just fine. I post pictures of events so they have all the information and can see the work in action. I don't see why I need to get all of that other stuff. I just want to serve my community.

(16:58):

So wasn't really a question, but I'm assuming your question is, do you need a website? Do you need a logo and do you need letterhead? And the answer is yes. If at this point you haven't written grants, at some point you're going to want to, and funders aren't going to look for you on Facebook. They're going to Google you, and they're going to look for a website because a website says, I am a bonafide business. A website contains things that Facebook doesn't. For example, when a funder Googles you and they go to the website, they're going to look at your homepage, your homepage should show what your mission is and what your impact is. Then they're going to click on the about us tab. The about Us tab should list your board, your leadership, your governing entity. Then they're going to look for things like Impact.

(17:51):

They're going to look for pictures. They're going to look for some of the things that you've done, some things in action. Then they're going to look for your contact page because they want to know that you are accessible to the community. If it's a PO box, they're going to say, well, how am I going to do a drive by? So your website says a lot about you, and again, if the funder goes to your Facebook page, your Instagram, it's to see engagement. Since the pandemic funders realize that nonprofits engage with their communities using social media, but that's what they're looking for. They're looking to see how many followers do you have? What type of information are you putting out to your constituents? They're not looking to see, alright, is this a bonafide organization? So to answer your question, Ms. Margaret, yes, you absolutely need to have a logo, a professionally designed logo, because that's what represents your organization letterhead.

(18:52):

I'm going to say yes, because when you're submitting grants, that's what you should be submitting your letters to. If you're partnering in collaboration, people are going to want their letters of support on your letterhead. These are all things that demonstrate that your nonprofit is a viable business, that it's not some rinky-dink run by night, whatever. You have things that represent your organization as a business, a professional logo, a letterhead and website says that you are a bonafide business. So yes, ma'am. Yes ma'am. And yes ma'am. Alright, so that's that for Ask Amber, if you want to ask your question, you can hit me on any of my socials. I'm on Instagram, you can check out my website. I have one of those you can check out, Instagram, Twitter, all of that stuff. I have it. And just ask me your question. I'll be more than happy to answer.

(19:55):

Alright, so now we're shifting to the part of the episode where I get to shine a light on not only my amazing nonprofits, but those individuals who support them. I consider myself an individual who supports nonprofits. I want you to get the visibility. I want funders to see you. I want potential clients to see you, but I also want you to see those individuals who are out there supporting you. This week we are on part two of Shining Our Light on Swire Hoe who provides marketing products for nonprofits to help them get their message out there to help them with donor cultivation to help them just be in the space. So let's finish our conversation with Swire Ho of Garuda Promotional Products.

Speaker 5 (21:00):

When you buy promotional product, when you decide you want to buy promotional product, it's not what you want to buy, it's what you want to buy, is what the recipient wants to receive. That's clear distinction on that. Sometimes I really want that pen. I really like that pen, but I ask the question, do you think your recipient would want a pen? No. Then you don't buy it, right? And then for, to answer the question, what's the perfect promotional product? It's something that your target audience will use, and every day, even if you put your logos on it, they will keep using it because something that they don't already have that you are giving it to them. So if people know about you and you just mention it right now, Amber, think of a writing instrument, something that tangible or maybe another group, they only like to use techs or maybe they only respond to some other product. That's what you go for. And then focus on the audience and don't worry about anything else at the meantime.

Speaker 6 (21:59):

Is that a common question that you get? What's the top promo item right

Speaker 5 (22:03):

Now, every single day,

Speaker 6 (22:07):

And what do you say?

Speaker 5 (22:08):

I really do guide them through and tell me more about your ideal audience. Who are they? What kind of things do they do? Because I have access to over 10,000 items. So you don't need to see 10,000 items that not good use of your time. But if you tell me a few more, like maybe their occupation, maybe what kind of activities, hobbies that they have, then I can filter it down maybe to a short list for you. Then it makes sense and people want to do my job. A lot of time. They want to go and they shop all over the internet. But then I ask them, how much do you pay yourself or your assistant if you make one phone call to me, yes, I am in a for-profit business, but I could save you tons of times just by finding what you're looking for.

Speaker 2 (23:18):

Welcome back to On Air with Amber Wynn. Today we've been talking about program descriptions and what it is that a funder really wants to know about an organization. I think it's important when we talk about things like donor cultivation and program descriptions. It's important to understand that as a founder, as an executive director, you are running a business. Sometimes we get so caught up in the day-to-day of delivering the business that we're not looking at how to sustain the business. Cultivating relationships with your donors and writing your program descriptions so that they meet the needs of the donors. Those things are going to help you powerfully position your organization for funding, and it's funding that's going to allow you to sustain your organization. So it's a mindset shift, but it's one that's important for you if you are thinking about starting a nonprofit. If you have a nonprofit and you want to sustain it, it's really about looking at your business from the funder's perspective.

(24:29):

So I hope this episode has been enlightening for you. If it has, be sure to hit subscribe. Be sure to hit and be sure to share it with someone in our community you think would benefit from it. I hope you join me next week. I always got more to say, more good stuff to say that's designed to support you as you bring your dream to life. So I'm going to end like I always end, which is by encouraging you to take care of yourself, like you take care of your community. And I'll see you next week fam.

Speaker 1 (25:06):

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe and leave a review on iTunes. Head over to www.amberwynn.net/podcast for the links and resources mentioned in today's podcast. See you next time.